Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
The ink on the paper is still wet.
I stare at the signature, my signature, etched in bold black ink across the page.
My name.
No.
Not just my name.
My new name.
Magnolia Donati.
A name that feels like both a shield and a target.
I hear the faint scratch of Sin’s pen as he signs his name beneath mine, his movements deliberate, final.
When he lifts his head, his dark eyes lock onto mine, searching, steady.
It’s done.
I am his.
He is mine.
I should feel different.
Lighter.
Freer.
But instead, all I feel is the weight of the choice settling over me like a second skin.
A choice that cannot be undone.
A choice that will change everything.
“Congratulations,” the officiant murmurs, setting down his stamp. “You’re married.”
The words send a strange shiver down my spine.
Sin reaches for my hand, his fingers lacing with mine like they belong there.
“It’s done,” he says quietly, like he’s reassuring himself as much as me.
I nod, my throat tight. “Yeah.”
His grip tightens. “Are you okay?”
I force out a breath. “I don’t know.”
He watches me closely, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.
“I won’t let you regret this.”
I believe him.
And yet, a storm brews inside of me.
Not because I doubt him.
Not because I doubt us.
But because I know what’s coming.
And when the Rusco’s, my family, finds out what I’ve done, what we’ve done, there will be no undoing it.
The driver shuts the door behind us as we step onto the sidewalk, but I barely notice the city anymore.
My hands are tangled in Sin’s, heart hammering in my chest, the thrill of our secret midnight wedding still spinning inside me.
The notary, the ink, the pen, everything that made us legally together, has left me dizzy, lightheaded, and more certain of him than ever.
“You’re quiet,” he murmurs, thumb brushing along my palm as we walk to a golden high rise. “Nervous?”
I shake my head, laughing softly. “No… just… overwhelmed. Married. Really married.”
His lips brush the shell of my ear. “You’re mine now, Magnolia Donati. Only mine. And tonight, no one else exists. Not your parents. Not threats. Just us.”
The elevator carries us to the penthouse floor, smooth as silk.
The doors open to reveal a suite that takes my breath away.
Floor-to-ceiling windows show Manhattan sprawled beneath us, glittering like scattered gems. A fire crackles in a marble hearth, its golden light warming the sleek modern lines of the room.
The bed is massive, draped in white silk, rose petals scattered across the sheets.
A bottle of champagne gleams in a silver bucket beside two glasses, and I can’t believe he thought of every detail.
Sin steps closer, sliding his hands along my waist. “Welcome home,” he murmurs. “Our home, for tonight.”
“I… It’s… beautiful,” I whisper, eyes wide. “You planned all this?”
“Of course,” he says softly, voice low, intimate. “Not because of threats or danger. Because it’s you. Because it’s ours. I wanted tonight to be perfect.”
“Sin.” I grin, holding up a silk robe with Mrs. Donati etched into the fabric. “If I said no, would you have came back here all alone?”
He glances at my hand, at the ring he gave me.
“I know I’m a cocky bastard, but I know you’re head strong.
You wouldn’t have done this if you didn’t want too, so I knew your answer would be forever.
And I would rent this room, every single day, asking you until my last breath for you to be my wife, until you said yes to me. ”
Heat blooms between my thighs just listening to him. I step closer, pressing my chest to his. “I want this. I want you. All of you. Now.”
His lips find mine in a kiss that robs my breath. “Then tonight, you’re mine,” he murmurs, voice rough with need. “Every inch. Every heartbeat.”
He guides me to the bed, hands on my back, slowly sliding the straps of my dress down my arms. His touch is reverent, teasing, claiming me in a way that makes me ache. I shiver as his lips trail down my neck, along my collarbone, and every feathered kiss leaves fire in its wake.
“I’m yours,” I whisper, fingers tangling in his hair. “Only yours.”
“And I’m yours,” he groans, moving against me, hands roaming over every curve. “No more secrets. No more miscommunication. Ever. From this night forward, it’s only honesty. Only us.”
I arch against him as he presses in closer, letting the silk sheets swallow us. Every gasp, every sigh, every moan builds a rhythm older than words, our bodies speaking truths our mouths can barely contain.
“You said yes,” he whispers between kisses, lifting his head to look at me, eyes dark, intent, consuming. “Forever with me. No one else gets to claim that. Ever.”
“Yes,” I gasp, biting my lip, my body trembling beneath him. “And… we speak first. Always. No more letting anyone decide for us.”
He groans low and slides inside me, slow, deliberate, and I cry out, clutching at him, needing every inch. The city sprawled below fades away, the firelight dancing on our skin, and it’s just us. Tangled, skin to skin, hearts pounding.
“Magnolia…” His voice is thick, husky with desire. “Do you feel it? Do you feel what I feel for you?”
“I do,” I gasp, moving with him, letting him hear me, feel me, know me. “Every second I’ve wanted this… wanted you.”
He kisses me, deep and claiming, and I wrap my legs around him instinctively, pulling him closer. Every thrust, every touch, every low whisper of my name binds us tighter. “Sin… a real wedding,” I murmur, shivering. “One day… promise me?”
He pauses, forehead resting against mine, breathing heavy. “One day. Champagne, vows, everyone staring. But tonight…” His thumb brushes my cheek. “…tonight is ours. Proof that I’ve already promised. And nothing, no one, can take this from us.”
“I trust you,” I whisper, lips barely brushing his. “No more lies. No more secrets.”
“Good,” he says, voice rough, lips brushing mine in a soft, lingering kiss. “From now on, every fight, every word, every decision, we talk first. Always. Only us. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” I murmur, shivering under his touch. “Always us.”
Hours pass in a blur of skin and heat, whispered names and laughter, the silk sheets tangled around our bodies. We explore each other like it’s the first and last time, learning curves, marks, sighs, and shivers, discovering what it means to be married in every sense, even before the world sees us.
Finally, exhausted, tangled, and trembling, Sin pulls me against him, pressing soft kisses to my forehead, cheeks, and lips. “One day,” he murmurs, “the world will watch us take our vows properly.”
I close my eyes, letting the heat of him wash over me. “Forever with you,” I whisper.
The car is silent except for the steady hum of the engine and the faint rhythm of rain beginning to tap against the windshield.
I sit next to Sin, hands folded in my lap, heart hammering in a slow, uncertain rhythm.
My body is here, in this car, in this moment, but my mind keeps replaying last night, the quiet notary, the whispered vows, the warmth of Sin’s hand holding mine.
It was such a whirlwind, romantic and spontaneous. I don’t think it could have been any more perfect, aside from my family not knowing.
Sin shifts beside me, his gaze flicking toward me in the dim morning light. “You’re quiet.”
I let out a breathy laugh. “Quiet? I just got married in the middle of the night to a man my family considers their enemy. I… I don’t even know how to feel.”
His lips twitch into the ghost of a smirk. “Fair point.”
I tilt my head, studying him. “But I love you. I’m so happy to be your wife.”
His grin deepens, dark and magnetic. He entwines his fingers with mine, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. “We’re in this together. Always.”
I let myself relax slightly, leaning into the warmth of him. My stomach is still fluttering with nerves, nervous about returning home, nervous about my family’s reaction, but my heart is soaring. We did it. We’re married.
And I’m about to be at my house, telling my family I married their enemy.
On the day of my wedding to Zeik.
We don’t even make it inside.
The car glides up the driveway, and the front doors swing open.
Inside, workers bustle about, carrying flowers, hanging ribbons, adjusting chairs for the wedding that was supposed to happen today, my wedding to Zeik.
My carefully constructed secret feels dangerously exposed now with Sin here, at the Rusco residence.
Bria is at the top of the steps, relief and confusion written across her face. And then, Cameron. Sin and I share a curious glance about Bria’s presence.
Cam stands a few feet behind her, arms crossed, jaw tight. His eyes snap to me like coals on fire as I step out of the black SUV. Fury radiates off of him in waves, and for a fleeting moment, my stomach drops.
Sin tenses beside me, hand never leaving mine.
“Stay here,” he murmurs.
I don’t. My feet move before my mind can catch up. Cameron’s gaze locks onto me. Silence falls, heavy and suffocating. Who does he think he is? Looking at me with such scrutiny when he was the one planning to marry me off to a man I don’t love?
“Where in the fuck have you been?” Cameron’s juts his pointer finger towards me, advancing. Sin steps smoothly in front of me, protective and calm.
“Don’t you dare get in the way of me talking to my fucking sister,” Cameron hisses, shoving at Sin.
Sin doesn’t budge. “Cameron,” he warns, voice low, steady.
“Why the hell are you here, Sin?” Cameron growls, eyes flashing.
I peek around Sin, stepping forward, voice shaking but firm. “He’s here because I know what you were planning, Cameron. To marry me off, without even telling me, not even a warning.”
“You’re too stubborn for a warning!” Anger radiates off of him in waves. “I will do whatever I have to do to secure your place in this world, to keep you safe, Magnolia. Even when you think it’s not good for you. You will marry Zeik Caputo.”
“She won’t.” Sin takes my hand, standing shoulder to shoulder with me. “And you will not raise your voice at my wife again.”
Silence.
Cameron doesn’t respond, not at first. He looks down at my hand, at the new band that circles my ring finger, his face growing paler by the minute.
“Tell me it’s not true.” His voice is quiet, steady. Dangerous.
I swallow hard, fingers curling at my sides. “Cameron…”
“Tell me you didn’t do this.” He backs away like I’ve burned him.
I can’t. The words die in my throat. The silence stretches, suffocating.
Bria closes her eyes, exhaling softly, relief washing over her face.
Cameron, on the other hand, laughs. Sharp. Bitter. Filled with something I can’t place.
“Of course you did.” He shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. “Of fucking course you did.”
I take a hesitant step forward. “Cameron…”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” His voice rises, anger finally cracking his calm mask. “Do you have any clue what this means?”
My chest tightens. “I did what I had to do.”
“No. You did what he wanted you to do and that, my dear sister, is what is going to get you hurt.” His gaze snaps to Sin, burning with fury.
“You manipulated her,” he spits.
Sin steps forward, expression deadly calm. “She made her own choice.”
Cameron’s jaw ticks. “No. You backed her into a corner and convinced her this was the only way out.” He exhales sharply, turning back to me. “You think this is freedom, Magnolia? Tying yourself to him?”
I lift my chin, chest swelling with stubborn certainty. “It’s my choice.”
Pain flickers across his face. “And you chose him.”
I don’t answer. We both already know.
Cameron exhales, dragging a hand down his face. When he speaks again, his voice is low, almost defeated:
“This was a mistake.”
The words slice through me, precise and cold. He turns to leave.
“Cameron, wait!” Panic bursts from me, voice cracking. I don’t want to lose him, to lose my family.
He pauses at the top of the stairs, doesn’t turn.
“You made your choice, Magnolia. Now live with it.”