Lana couldn't breathe.
Marry him?
The room blurred around her, her thoughts spiraling faster than she could control.
"Y-You're not serious," she stammered, staring up at Dominic Blackwood. He stood like a god in a three-piece suit, cold and unreadable. "You can't just force someone into marriage like it's a business deal."
Dominic raised one brow. "You think this world runs on fairness?"
The judge cleared his throat. "Mr. Blackwood, this is highly irregular—"
"Not illegal," Dominic interrupted calmly. "This case is built entirely on my complaint. I have full authority to drop the charges. If Ms. Cruz agrees to my terms."
Lana's hands trembled at her sides.
One year.
One year of pretending to be this man's wife… to save her father.
Her gaze drifted to the defendant's bench. Her father's head was bowed in shame. He looked older. Smaller. Weaker than she'd ever seen him.
She had no choice.
Lana swallowed the lump in her throat and faced Dominic.
"I want it in writing," she said, surprising even herself. "A contract. One year. No… funny business. And after that, I walk away."
A flicker of amusement danced in his eyes. "You're negotiating?"
"I'm surviving," she said softly.
Dominic's smirk faded. He pulled a sleek folder from his briefcase and handed it to her. "Already prepared. I don't leave things to chance."
Lana flipped through the document with shaking fingers. It outlined everything: the marriage would be legal, but non-romantic. No consummation clause. Public appearances required. One year only.
She hesitated over the final page. Her signature line.
Her soul screamed no.
But her heart whispered you have no choice.
With tears brimming in her eyes, Lana picked up the pen.
She signed.
The moment the pen left the paper, she felt the walls close in.
Dominic leaned closer, his voice low against her ear. "Welcome to your new life, Mrs. Blackwood."