Chapter 6
JULIET
Iremained standing before the altar.
Alone.
Married.
And somehow lonelier than I had been before saying my vows.
The church slowly emptied around me, yet I could still feel curious eyes lingering.
Some guests looked at me with sympathy.
Others with thinly veiled curiosity.
A few simply looked relieved that they weren’t standing where I was.
Taking one slow, steady breath, I fixed my eyes on the empty doorway where Romeo had disappeared.
A quiet presence settled beside me.
I didn’t need to look to know who it was.
Keegan.
His expression, usually unreadable, carried the faintest trace of something that almost resembled pity.
He inclined his head respectfully.
“I’ll escort you home.”
I turned at the sound of the voice and found Keegan standing beside me.
Romeo’s underboss towered over me in a flawlessly tailored charcoal-gray suit, his broad frame casting a long shadow across the church steps.
I lowered my gaze and swallowed against the tightness in my throat.
“It’s only for two years,” I whispered to myself, barely loud enough to hear. “Just two years.”
The words felt hollow.
A promise I wasn’t entirely sure I believed.
Drawing a shaky breath, I nodded.
Keegan stepped aside, silently gesturing for me to follow.
Neither of us spoke as we walked down the church steps.
The murmurs of departing guests followed us all the way to the waiting black SUV, lingering like ghosts at my back.
The driver opened the rear door.
I climbed inside without a word.
Keegan slid into the seat beside me, and moments later the SUV pulled away from the church.
Silence settled over the cabin.
Not the comfortable silence shared between people with nothing to say.
This one felt heavy and oppressive.
I turned my face toward the window, desperate for anything that would keep my thoughts from replaying the ceremony.
Florida stretched beyond the glass in vivid contrast to the storm inside me.
The world continued as though nothing had happened.
As though my life hadn’t just shattered inside an old stone church.
My fingers tightened.
I squeezed my eyes shut, but it made no difference.
The venom laced through every word he’d spoken at the altar replayed in my mind, over and over, refusing to let me breathe.
No matter how desperately I tried to silence his voice, it echoed through my head like a curse.
You selfish, worthless little thief...
I will break your body, your spirit, and your soul...
I will savor every second of your suffering...
The words echoed over and over until I thought they might permanently carve themselves into my mind.
The drive seemed endless.
When the SUV finally slowed, I lifted my head, expecting towering iron gates and the sprawling Flynn estate.
Instead, I blinked in confusion.
This wasn’t the Flynn mansion.
The vehicle rolled to a stop before a charming single-story bungalow tucked away inside an exclusive private estate.
It looked...
Ordinary.
Almost too ordinary.
The home was elegant without being extravagant, surrounded by perfectly trimmed hedges and emerald-green lawns that looked meticulously maintained.
Flowerbeds framed the stone pathway leading to the front porch, while towering oak trees offered welcome shade from the Florida sun.
The neighborhood itself was unnervingly peaceful.
No visible security patrols.
No neighboring houses close enough to be seen through the thick hedges.
No sounds except birds singing somewhere in the distance.
It was beautiful.
And strangely isolated.
For reasons I couldn’t explain, that frightened me more than a heavily guarded mansion would have.
Keegan climbed out first.
When he noticed I remained motionless, he opened my door and waited.
“Ma’am,” he said quietly. “If you’re ready.”
His voice was as calm and direct as ever.
I stepped out of the car and followed Keegan inside.
The moment I crossed the threshold, my steps faltered.
The interior reflected Romeo far more than I expected.
Keegan led me through the open living area before stopping beside a door just off the kitchen.
“Mrs. Flynn, this is the room prepared for you. Should you need anything, please don’t hesitate to let the staff know.”
My gaze drifted past him to the closed bedroom door.
A guest room.
This was where I would be staying for the next two years — banished to a side room like an unwanted servant instead of the wife of the master of the house.
Definitely not the kind of room a husband shared with his wife. Not even close.
A strange, painful knot tightened in my chest as the full weight of my new reality settled over me.
I hadn’t wanted to share a bed with Romeo—not after everything he’d said at the altar—but seeing the separate room laid out for me made one thing painfully clear.
This wasn’t a marriage in any sense of the word.
I wasn’t his wife.
I was simply a obligation he intended to keep at arm’s length.
Keegan gave a respectful nod before turning toward the front entrance.
He was halfway to the door when I finally found my voice.
“Will Romeo be returning tonight?”
The question escaped softer than I’d intended.
Keegan paused and turned to face me.
“I’m afraid I don’t know, Mrs. Flynn.”
His reply was polite, but brief.
Whether he truly didn’t know or simply wasn’t willing to tell me, I couldn’t say.
Panic coiled tightly in my chest as I watched Keegan continue toward the door, each step reminding me that once he left, I’d be completely alone in a house that didn’t feel like a home.
I hurried after him, the layers of my wedding gown making it difficult to keep pace.
“Wait.”
He stopped with one hand on the doorknob and glanced back over his shoulder.
“You can’t just leave me here.”
The words came out more desperate than I wanted.
“I haven’t seen any staff,” I said, gesturing helplessly around the unfamiliar house. “If I need something, who do I ask? What if I’m hungry? I don’t even know where the kitchen is. And if I need to go somewhere, which car am I supposed to use?”
I let out a shaky breath.
“I don’t even know how this entire estate works.”
Keegan regarded me for a moment, his expression unreadable.
“I’m afraid I can’t answer those questions, Mrs. Flynn. The Boss instructed me to bring you home and make sure you were settled.” He paused before adding, “I’m sure Mr. Flynn will explain everything when he returns.”
He inclined his head toward the hallway.
“In the meantime, you may wish to familiarize yourself with the house.”
Before I could say another word, he stepped outside and quietly closed the door behind him.
The soft click echoed through the vast estate.
Panic nudged at the edges of my composure.
I hurried after him, catching up just as he climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Wait.”
Before the window could roll all the way up, I leaned closer.
“Could I... at least have your phone number?” I asked quietly. “Someone I can call in case of an emergency.”
The window stopped halfway.
Keegan looked at me for a long moment, and for the first time since we’d met, there was something almost apologetic in his expression.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Flynn,” he said gently. “I can’t.”
I clasped my hands together, suddenly feeling much younger—and far more vulnerable—than I wanted to.
“I understand that you’re anxious,” he continued. “But I assure you, Mr. Flynn will be back sooner than you think.”
There was no room for negotiation in his tone. It wasn’t cruelty.
It was loyalty.
The window resumed its ascent with a soft mechanical hum, sealing off any chance of another question.
A second later, the engine roared to life.
I stood motionless as the car disappeared down the long driveway, leaving me alone with a house full of silence.
I stood motionless in the middle of the driveway, watching the empty road long after the vehicle had vanished from sight.
The loneliness hit me with startling force.
It wasn’t the ordinary kind that came from being by yourself.
This felt heavier and colder.
As though I had been dropped into another life without anyone to help me find my way back.
Never in all my years had I felt so utterly alone.
The gentle ocean breeze lifted the edge of my veil, but it couldn’t erase the chill settled deep inside me.
Turning away from the empty driveway, I walked back toward the bungalow.
The bloodstained wedding gown trailed behind me, its long train whispering across the stone path like the ghost of the woman I’d been only a few hours earlier.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
The front door clicked shut behind me, sealing me inside the unnaturally quiet house.
I wandered slowly through the bungalow, taking in every detail as though committing it to memory.
It was modest compared to the sprawling Bratva estates where I’d grown up, yet no expense had been spared.
The house was beautiful and comfortable.
Yet despite its warmth, it felt strangely empty.
A carefully furnished cage.
I wandered from room to room, opening doors one by one.
Eventually, I retreated to the bedroom Keegan had assigned me, the one just off the kitchen.
The moment I closed the door behind me, the fragile composure I’d clung to since the wedding ceremony finally shattered.
I collapsed onto the king-sized bed, too exhausted to do anything but breathe.
I didn’t even bother taking off my wedding gown.
Every muscle in my body ached, but it was nothing compared to the weight pressing against my chest.
The events of the day replayed relentlessly in my mind—the vows, Romeo’s hatred, his threats, the empty mansion, and the crushing realization that this was no nightmare.
This was my life now.
For the next two years.
The thought hollowed me out.
Somewhere between one heartbeat and the next, exhaustion won, and sleep quietly claimed me.
I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep until I jerked awake sometime later, my heart pounding as though I’d been running from something I could never outrun.
The room had changed.
Darkness had swallowed the last traces of daylight, leaving only faint moonlight filtering through the curtains.