Hours after Mia left, leaving Leia in a silence so thick it roared in her ears. Her best friend's words echoed, but Leia's heart was already hammering with something else: rebellion.
She wasn't going to marry Jake Carter. Not today. Not ever.
Her hands shook as she yanked open her closet and dragged out a suitcase. Clothes flew from hangers, tossed in a frenzy. She didn't care what she packed, jeans, shirts, underwear, anything. Her breathing was shallow, ragged, but her resolve sharpened with every shove of fabric into the bag.
"He thinks he can own me?" she hissed under her breath, her fiery hair sticking to her damp forehead. "He thinks he can bully me into this? Watch me disappear, Carter. Watch me vanish right under your smug nose."
Her hands were trembling as she zipped the suitcase shut. She grabbed her passport, her savings hidden under the drawer, and her phone. Her mind raced: she'd hide with an old college friend, maybe even leave the country. If she were gone, Jake would have no choice but to release Darren. What use was a ransom bride if the bride was missing?
She muttered bitterly as she dragged the bag toward the door, "Let's see how your little game works without your pawn, Carter."
The night air hit her face as she stepped outside. The street was quiet, the lamps humming, her cab waiting at the corner. Relief swelled in her chest. She was doing it. She was running.
But before her next breath, a hand shot out of the shadows.
A palm clamped over her mouth. The suitcase toppled from her grip. Her scream died in her throat. The sharp sting of something sweet filled her lungs as she struggled, thrashing wildly.
Her vision blurred. Darkness swallowed her whole.
_________________________________
She woke to the sound of silence.
Her lashes fluttered, her head pounding, her body heavy as lead. Her fingers twitched against soft silk sheets. She jolted upright, only to freeze.
She wasn't in her apartment.
She wasn't even in her own clothes.
Her body was wrapped in a simple, white silk dress, the kind of gown that whispered bride, plain but unnervingly elegant. Her bare face stared back at her from a gilded mirror across the room, pale, unpainted, hair brushed smooth like a doll. Flowers filled the corners of the room, their scent suffocating. A velvet box of jewelry sat on a table, waiting.
Where on earth was she?
Leia's breath caught. Her heart thundered so loud it hurt.
"What the hell…" she whispered.
And then she saw him.
Jake Carter.
He sat casually in an armchair at the corner of the room, one leg crossed over the other, suit jacket discarded, sleeves rolled neatly.
The dim light caught on his sharp jawline, the cruel curve of his mouth, and those piercing gray eyes that seemed to cut straight through her.
Not a hair out of place. Not a single crack in his composure. He looked like a devil dressed as a gentleman, calm, dangerous, and smug, as if he owned not just the room, but her.
Calm. Relaxed.
As though he'd been waiting hours just for this moment.
The smirk that stretched across his lips made her blood boil.
"Ah," his voice slid like silk, deep and unhurried, "my runaway bride is awake. Now…" His eyes darkened, glinting with cold amusement. "…we can start the wedding."
Leia's jaw dropped. She shot to her feet, nearly stumbling in the too-smooth dress. "What wedding? Are you insane?" she spat, her voice hoarse but burning. "You kidnapped me? You drugged me? And you dare dress me up like…like some doll?!"
Jake didn't flinch. He simply tilted his head, studying her like a hunter amused by prey thrashing in a trap. "You were planning to leave, Leia. Without so much as a goodbye. Now that… I couldn't allow."
Leia's fists curled. "I wasn't leaving. I was…I was coming to you!" she lied through her teeth, her voice trembling but fierce. "I was coming to say yes. To agree. But no, you had to pull this sick stunt!"
Jake chuckled low, shaking his head. "You're many things, Red. But a liar?" He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, eyes pinning her in place. "You reek of rebellion. Do you really think I wouldn't notice? That I wouldn't be five steps ahead?"
Leia's face flushed hot. "Oh, so, you've taken kidnapping as a hobby or what? You are literally insane."
He stood slowly, towering over her, his presence swallowing the room whole. His hand brushed the back of her silk sleeve, deliberate, controlled. "No, Leia. I'm inevitable."
Her chest heaved. "You think you've won, but this isn't victory. It's something else. It's madness."
Jake's lips twitched. "Call it what you want, sweetheart. But understand this…" His voice dropped, sharp as a blade. "We had a deal. Your brother's life for your hand. You break the deal, he breaks."
Leia's heart twisted painfully. Her voice cracked as she hissed, "You're despicable."
Jake's smirk deepened, satisfied. "And yet… you're still here. In my dress. In my house. Exactly where I want you. Oh, and from now on, I'd like you to call me sweet names. I'm marrying you very soon, so I think I deserve some sweet nicknames, don't I? Personally, I'd like to be called Darling."
Leia's fury trembled through her body. She wanted to slap him, claw at him, scream until the walls collapsed. But she was too weak, her throat closed up, because she knew he had won.
Jake stepped back, adjusting his cufflinks with bored precision. "Get ready, Red. The ceremony won't wait forever."
"Ceremony?" Her voice cracked, incredulous.
His eyes gleamed. "The wedding. Ours. Do try not to faint before you say 'I do.' It would ruin the photographs."
Her stomach lurched. "You're out of your mind!"
He smirked, walking toward the door. "And yet, you'll be my wife in some minutes' time." He paused, glancing back with a grin that chilled her to the bone. "Try not to run again. The next time, I won't be so gentle."
The door clicked shut behind him.
Leia's knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the edge of the bed, her head in her hands. Her breath came in ragged gasps.
The door opened again.
Not Jake this time. Women filed in, five of them, dressed in crisp uniforms, their faces composed, their steps silent. At their center was a woman in her forties, elegance wrapped in authority. Her eyes softened with something like pity as she approached.
"Good evening, Miss Simmons," she said warmly, her voice calm, practiced. "I'm Claire. Head of staff. We'll take care of you from here."
Leia's head snapped up, eyes blazing. "Take care of me? Do I look like I need to be taken care of? I was drugged, kidnapped, stuffed into this ridiculous dress…"
Claire only smiled, a touch sad, but firm. "You've had a shock. But it's best not to resist. It'll only tire you out more." She gestured, and the women stepped forward. One carried pearl earrings. Another brushed Leia's hair with slow, deliberate strokes. Another slipped soft shoes onto her feet.
Leia tried to jerk away, but her limbs felt weak, drained. Her throat burned with unshed screams. She was surrounded, outnumbered, every protest falling flat in the quiet efficiency of their hands.
"Stop touching me! I'm not your doll!" she snarled, but even to her own ears, her voice sounded broken.
Claire crouched slightly, meeting her eyes. "You're not a doll. You're a bride. And it's better to face it with dignity than rage."
Leia's lips quivered, fury and despair colliding. "I don't want dignity. I want my freedom."
Claire's hand pressed gently over hers, firm and motherly. "Freedom, my dear, is a luxury. Survival is the reality."
The words stabbed deeper than any of Jake's smirks.
By the time the women stepped back, Leia's hair gleamed like copper fire, her feet shod in satin, pearls hanging at her ears. Her silk dress clung simply, elegantly, against her trembling frame. She looked every inch the bride she swore she'd never be.
Her reflection in the mirror didn't even look like her anymore.
Leia Simmons, fiery, defiant, untamed, gone.
In her place stood Jake Carter's captive bride.
Her chest tightened. Her fists curled. But her body refused to move.
"Come, Miss Simmons," Claire said softly, gesturing toward the door. "It's time."
Too stunned. Too drained. Too broken.
Leia rose.
And they escorted her out.