I thought I could outwait him.
I sat on that leather couch for hours, staring at the contract, refusing to touch it. Ethan didn't pace, didn't argue. He poured himself a drink, loosened his tie, and watched me like a cat watches a mouse. Every tick of the clock made my skin crawl.
By eleven fifty, my nerves were shredded.
He finally rose, slow and deliberate, and poured himself another glass whiskey. "Ten minutes, Aria."
I gritted my teeth. "I'm not signing."g
He chuckled, swirling his glass. "You're stubborn. I'll give you that. But I don't think you've fully grasped your position."
My fists clenched. "My position? You kidnapped me. That's a crime. I'll go to the police….."
"Will you?" he cut me off, stepping closer. "And tell them what? That your old liverr ruined your fairy-tale wedding? That you were stolen from the altar in front of all those guests and not one of them has spoken to the press?"
My stomach dropped. "What did you do??"
"I own the press, sweetheart." His smirk was ice. "By tomorrow morning, the headlines will read: Runaway Bride Abandons Groom at the Altar. Your parents will confirm it to save face, of course. And your precious fiancé? He'll look like a fool. No one will believe you were kidnapped."
My pulse hammered. He'd already planned this. Every angle covered.
He set the glass down with a quiet clink, then leaned over me, palms on either side of the couch. "So no, Aria. You don't get to run to the police. You don't get to run at all."
I shoved at his chest, but it was like pushing stone. "You're a monster."
His smile was razor-sharp. "Good. Monsters don't lose."
The clock chimed midnight.
He straightened, reached into his jacket, and pulled out a pen. Silver, expensive, deadly in its simplicity. He clicked it once, the sound echoing through the room.
"Time's up. Sign it."
"
My throat locked. My hands shook, but I folded them tight in my lap. "No."
For a moment, silence. Then Ethan exhaled slowly, almost like he was disappointed. He picked up his phone, dialed, and spoke a single sentence.
"Pull the trigger."
My heart stopped. "What did you just do?"
He didn't answer. Just held the phone out so I could hear.
A voice crackled through the speaker. "We're at the father's office. Orders?"
My blood went cold. "Ethan, no….."
"Stand by," he told them, then hung up. His gaze burned into me. "Sign, or I destroy him first. And I'll make you watch every second of it."
Tears spilled hot down my face. "You're bluffing."
"Try me."
I stared at the contract. At the bold words binding me to him forever. My fingers trembled. My heart screamed to resist, to fight, to hate him with every breath I had left.
But my parents. My fiancé. My family's entire empire.
He'd burn it all. And he wouldn't blink.
My hand moved before my brain could stop it. I snatched the pen from his grip, and with shaking strokes, I scrawled my name across the line.
Aria Montgomery.
Ethan plucked the paper from the table, scanning it like a king reviewing a conquered treaty. Then he smiled, slow and cruel, satisfaction etched across his perfect face.
"Good girl."
I slammed my fists against his chest. "I hate you! Do you hear me? I hate you!"l
He caught my wrists with one hand, effortless, holding me still. "Hate me all you want, Aria. Scream it every day. But you signed. And now, you're mine."