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The night air was thick with the scent of roses and the quiet hum of a world that knew nothing of the war raging within Isabella Laurent. The grand estate stood behind her, bathed in golden candlelight, its halls filled with whispers of alliances, power, and expectations she had never dared to question—until Alexander Cade.
He stood before her now, his dark eyes searching hers, his presence a storm against the calm façade she had been forced to wear. He had always been the one thing she wasn’t meant to have, the risk she couldn’t take. And yet, every time she closed her eyes, it was him she saw. His touch, his voice, the unspoken promises that had tied their souls together long before either of them admitted it.
“Is this truly what you want, Isabella?” His voice was soft, but there was an urgency in it, a desperation that made her heart ache. “A life decided for you? A marriage without love?”
She turned away, unable to face the pain in his eyes. “It’s not that simple, Alex.”
But it was. It was as simple as choosing him, as running into his arms and letting the rest of the world disappear. But love had never been enough in her world. She was bound by duty, by a promise made long before she understood the weight of it.
Alexander took a step closer, his warmth wrapping around her like the embrace she longed for. “Then tell me,” he whispered, his breath ghosting over her skin, “tell me you don’t love me.”
She swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she clenched the fabric of her gown. The words were there, just three syllables, a single sentence that would set him free. But they refused to form.
Because it would be a lie.
She had loved Alexander since the moment their eyes first met across the ballroom three years ago, when she was still naïve enough to believe she had a choice. Every stolen moment, every brush of fingertips in secret corners, every lingering glance when no one was watching—it had all led to this.
“I can’t.” Her voice broke. “I can’t say it, because it’s not true.”
A tear slid down her cheek. “Because I have to.”
Because love didn’t always win. Because promises were made before she knew she would have to break them. Because no matter how much she loved Alexander, she had been raised to believe that her heart did not belong to her alone.
But then he did something unexpected.
He smiled. A sad, knowing smile, as if he had already known her answer before she even spoke. “No, Isabella,” he murmured, brushing a stray tear from her cheek. “You think you have to. But you don’t.”
Her breath caught. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying fight for us.” His hands cupped her face, tilting her gaze up to meet his. “I’m saying you don’t have to do this alone.”
The weight of expectation pressed down on her, but his hands held her steady. His love, unwavering despite the impossible circumstances, made her question everything.
Love was its own kind of honor.
And breaking a promise to others might be the only way to keep the one she made to herself—to love Alexander, wholly and without regret.
Her heart thundered in her chest as she lifted her hands, resting them against his. “If I do this…” she whispered, “if I fight for us, I need to know you’ll stand by me.”
His lips curved into a soft smile. “Always.”
And with that, she made her choice.
For the first time in her life, she let her heart lead.
And as Alexander pulled her into his arms, as their lips met in a kiss that defied everything they had been told was impossible, Isabella knew…
Some promises were meant to be broken.
Some were meant to be rewritten.
And some—like the one sealed between them that night—were unspoken, yet unbreakable.