I woke up with a headache, a diamond ring on my finger, and a man sleeping beside me.
For three seconds, I thought I was still dreaming.
Then I recognized him.
Julian Black.
My heart slammed against my ribs as I shot upright, the silk sheets sliding off my shoulders. The room wasn't mine. The bed wasn't mine. And the man beside me was very real.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair falling carelessly across his forehead.
The same face that had once smiled at me before destroying my life.
"What the hell is this?" I whispered.
Julian stirred.
Slowly, deliberately, he opened his eyes. They were just as cold as I remembered. Sharp. Calculating. Awake in a way that made my skin crawl.
"You're awake," he said calmly. "Good."
I stared at him. "Why are you in my bed?"
He sat up, completely unbothered, and reached for the nightstand. His fingers closed around a folded document.
"Because," he said, handing it to me, "you're my wife."
I laughed. It came out shaky. Wrong. "That's not funny."
"Check your hand."
I looked down again. The ring caught the light. Heavy. Real.
My chest tightened. "Julian, this isn't funny."
He didn't smile.
"You signed the papers last night," he said. "Witnesses included. Marriage license filed."
I grabbed the document with trembling hands.
It was official.
My name. His name. Today's date.
I swallowed hard. "I would never marry you."
"I know," he said. "That's why it had to happen this way."
My blood ran cold. "What way?"
Julian leaned closer, his voice dropping.
"Because someone is trying to kill you, Ivy. And this marriage is the only thing standing between you and a grave."