The Captive Bride

He married me for revenge. Now I am the one weakness he cannot afford. My father traded me to save himself. Now I belong to Niccolò Sarti, the ruthless heir to a criminal dynasty and the man who believes my family destroyed his. Our marriage is not a union. It is a punishment. Inside the fortified Sarti estate, every locked door reminds me that I am a prisoner. Every watchful eye is waiting for me to betray him. Niccolò expects obedience from the disposable daughter he claimed as payment for a blood debt. He has mistaken silence for surrender. I have spent my entire life hiding what I see, what I know, and how much I understand. While Niccolò monitors my every move, I study his household, its secrets, and the fractures threatening to tear his empire apart. The closer I get to the truth, the more dangerous our marriage becomes. Niccolò is cold, controlling, and merciless, but the monster who took my freedom is becoming the only man willing to protect my life. Hatred turns into temptation. Forced proximity becomes a consuming obsession. And every touch threatens to make me forget that I was never supposed to want my husband. I was given to Niccolò as a sacrifice. But if I survive his gilded cage, I will not remain his captive. I will become the woman standing beside him when both our families burn.