His to Break, His to Keep

My hands trembled, my pulse a frantic drumbeat against my ribs as Liam Romano slid the ring onto my finger. White gold. Flawless diamonds. Cold and unfeeling—just like the man who now owned me. For most, a wedding ring symbolized love, devotion, a future built on choice. For me, it was a prison. A silent contract that stripped away my name, my freedom, my very identity. Emily Carter no longer existed. I was Emily Romano now. A pawn in a game played by ruthless men. A caged bird with no escape. I should have run when I had the chance. Now, as the most powerful figures of the New York and Chicago Famiglias watched in chilling silence, escape was nothing more than a distant dream. There were no second chances. No mercy. In our world, a marriage didn’t end unless a body hit the ground—and I knew whose body that would be if I dared to run. This wasn’t love. This was war. A treaty forged in blood. A fragile truce between two criminal empires standing at the edge of destruction. The Bratva were circling like vultures, waiting for a weakness, a reason to strike. And I? I was the peace offering, the price my father had paid to keep our family standing. I should be thankful. That’s what they told me. That’s what my father drilled into my head, over and over again. But gratitude didn’t make the chains any lighter. "You may kiss the bride." The priest’s voice shattered the silence. I forced myself to lift my gaze. Liam’s dark, calculating eyes met mine, void of warmth, void of hesitation. His face, cold and unreadable, gave away nothing. He was a man who had never known fear. A man who didn’t bend, didn’t break. And now, I belonged to him. The world watched, waiting for a sign of weakness. A crack in my mask. I wouldn’t give them one. But Liam? Liam saw through it all. His fingers tightened around mine—a warning, a promise. Then he moved. His lips crashed against mine, not soft, not tender—a kiss of possession. Of dominance. A silent vow that sealed my fate. My body stiffened under his touch, but I didn’t pull away. Because I knew what he was telling me without saying a word. You are mine. And in that moment, I realized something terrifying. I was his to keep. And his to break.