The paperwork.
The folder on the kitchen island. The "insurance forms." The "security authorizations."
The realization hits me harder than the car accident. I walked into this situation wanting revenge. I wanted to make Ryder regret the day he met me. I wanted to burn his world down.
But somewhere along the way, the goal shifted. I stopped wanting to hurt Ryder and started wanting to keep Gabriel.
I just didn't realize he was playing for keeps, too.
"You tricked me," I whisper.
"I did what I had to do to keep you," he corrects, his thumb rubbing over my knuckles.
There’s no apology, but then I wouldn’t expect one from a man like him. There’s just a simple, brutal fact delivered with the confidence of a man who knows he’s won.
He looks... proud. Satisfied. Like a king who didn't just conquer the kingdom, but burned the maps so no one could ever find a way in again.
"You buried a marriage license in insurance paperwork so I wouldn’t know what I was signing," I say, my voice rising.
"I gave you every opportunity to read through the forms. You’re the one who chose not to.”
I open my mouth to argue some more, but then he speaks again.
“I made you my wife," he says, a dark smile playing on his lips. "And I’d do it again right now.”
"You don't get to just... acquire me like one of your buildings!"
He leans forward, his eyes burning with an intensity that steals the air from my lungs. "You were mine the second you walked into that club. You chose me. You crawled into my lap and begged me to ruin you. I just made sure you couldn't unchoose me when things got complicated."
"This isn't complicated," I snap, trying to yank my hand away. "This is insanity."
He holds on. His grip isn't painful, but it is absolute.
"It’s inevitable," he says. "You agreed to be mine and that means forever. Things in my world are dangerous. You saw that tonight. I can protect you better this way."
The mention of the accident makes his jaw clench. The satisfaction in his expression vanishes, replaced by a cold, terrifying rage that he’s barely keeping a lid on.
"He tried to take you from me,” Gabriel growls, his voice dropping to a register that vibrates in my chest.
I stare at him. The violence in his eyes is a promise of what’s to come and for a second, I almost feel bad for Ryder.
Almost.
"You're happy about this," I accuse, trying to change the subject. "Not about the accident. But about the marriage and the baby. You’re happy you trapped me."
"I’m fucking ecstatic," he admits without a shred of shame. "I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you. I’ve watched you waste your light on a boy who couldn't see you. I wasn't going to let you walk away. Not now. Not ever."
My heart does a traitorous flip.
He’s crazy. He’s controlling. He’s a monster.
And he wants me so badly he committed fraud to keep me.
Hard to hate that, really.
"I wanted a wedding," I say, the fight draining out of me as the truth settles in. I’m not leaving him. I never was.
Gabriel’s expression softens. He lifts my hand to his lips, kissing my palm.
