HER FATHER PUSHED HER INTO THE FOUNTAIN AT HER SISTER’S WEDDING—THEN HER SECRET HUSBAND WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR

that no longer existed.

Alexander’s eyes found Mariana immediately.

The soaked dress.

The shaking hands.

The water dripping onto marble.

And something in his expression tightened—not theatrical anger, not spectacle, just a contained, focused stillness that made the entire terrace feel colder.

He walked toward her.

No one stopped him.

“Mariana,” he said quietly.continue reading …