Page 119 of Maddening Fixation

His expression remained calm, untouched by the tension saturating the church.

To him, this was another sacred ceremony.

To everyone else in attendance, it was the sealing of a dangerous alliance.

And beside him...

Romeo.

The air caught in my throat.

God...

He looked...

Beautiful.

Dangerously so.

He wore a pristine white suit instead of the customary black favored by men in our world—a choice that somehow suited him perfectly.

The jacket was tailored to perfection, sculpting his broad shoulders and powerful frame with effortless precision.

His dark hair had been combed neatly away from his face, exposing the sharp angles of his jaw.

Time in prison had hardened every line of his face, chiseling away whatever softness had once existed.

Even standing perfectly still, he commanded every pair of eyes in the church.

Then his gaze found mine.

The world seemed to narrow until there was nothing else.

Those piercing green eyes locked onto me with unnerving intensity, refusing to look away. My pulse stumbled beneath the weight of that stare.

I searched his expression for something—anything—that might reveal what he was thinking.

Hatred?

Resentment?

Acceptance?

Possession?

There was nothing.

His face remained carved from stone.

Three days ago, I received the most bewildering call of my life. The Civil Affairs Bureau informed me that my wedding would take place today, despite the fact that I had never agreed to it.

They spoke as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world, informing me that my marriage had been officially scheduled, the paperwork finalized, and that I was expected to appear for the ceremony today.

I could barely process what I was hearing.

How could a marriage I had never agreed to already have a wedding date?

Before I could make sense of it, my phone rang again.