She married the man who murdered her husband. Staying was never part of the plan. Angelique I married the man who murdered my husband, not because I wanted to but because it was the first real choice I'd been allowed in years. Donnelly O'Connell offered safety, power, and a way out from under a legacy of pain, so I took it. I knew better than to expect love. I didn't even expect freedom. What I didn't anticipate was how tightly he's wrapped himself around every part of my life and how fast I've started craving the very man I planned to escape. He's ruthless, possessive, and terrifyingly patient. I built my escape plan the moment I agreed to marry him, but every time he looks at me like I'm already his, I start to forget why I ever wanted to leave. Donnelly I didn't kill Jamal for business. I did it because I wanted his wife. I watched Angelique for months before I made my move. I saw the bruises, her silent suffering, and the fire she kept locked behind her eyes. When the opportunity came to offer her a deal she couldn't refuse, I built her cage out of gold and called it marriage. She thinks she chose the lesser of two evils, but I loved her long before she was mine. I'd burn down my whole kingdom just to keep her, but what if the thing that makes her happiest means letting her go? I'm not sure I'm strong enough to do that.