Bound by fire, Claimed by love

Evelyn sat by the window, her fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns on the chilled glass. The flickering candlelight barely reached the corners of her dimly lit chamber, mirroring the uncertainty curling in her heart.

She had waited for this.

For years, she had wanted to be by Damian's side—not just as his fiancée, but as someone he truly chose.

And he had chosen her.

Hadn't he?

His confession still echoed in her mind. The way he had looked at her, as if there was no one else in the world. The way his touch lingered, the warmth in his voice when he spoke her name.

But now…

He wasn't here.

Not for the wedding preparations. Not for the little things that had once seemed so important.

Evelyn closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

Am I overthinking?

Or am I finally seeing something I refused to acknowledge before?

Lady Celeste's disapproval.

Duke Alistair's cryptic words.

Damian's absence.

Everything was falling into place—just not in the way she had hoped.

Yet, despite it all…

She loved him.

She loved him, even when doubt clawed at the edges of her mind. Even when she questioned whether his love had been real, or just another duty he had convinced himself to fulfill.

If I ask him, will he tell me the truth?

Or would she see a glimpse of something she wasn't ready to face?