But his silence from before still burned me alive.

The stranger’s blade gleamed under the flickering light. His eyes never left my husband. “Tell her the truth… or I will.”

My husband’s jaw clenched. His chest rose and fell with a fury I had never seen. “Not now,” he growled.

“Now,” the stranger snapped. “Before she dies not knowing why her life was stolen.”

My knees weakened. “Stop—both of you! I deserve answers. Am I some… some pawn between your war?!”

The stranger stepped closer, voice low, dangerous. “You are the reason this war started. You’re the key that both sides want.”

“What key?” My voice trembled.

My husband finally spoke, his words slicing the air like knives. “Because of your bloodline.”

Silence. Deafening, cruel silence.

I shook my head. “What? That’s impossible… I’m nobody.”

But the stranger smirked bitterly. “Nobody? You really think your marriage was a coincidence? That he chose you because he loved you?”

Tears burned my eyes. “Stop lying!”

But my husband didn’t deny it. His silence was an answer sharper than any blade.

“You married me… to use me,” I whispered, my voice breaking. My chest felt crushed, my heart shattering into pieces. “Every touch, every kiss… was a lie?”

“No!” he finally shouted, his voice raw, shaking. He grabbed my face, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Not all of it. Not you.”

I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to. But the stranger’s laughter filled the chamber. “You see, wife? He loves you, yes… but he also chained you. You’ll never know where his love ends and his betrayal begins.”

The chamber shook again as another blast echoed in the distance. We were running out of time.

“Choose,” the stranger demanded, his blade dripping with blood. “Him… or me. The liar who bound you, or the devil who’ll free you.”

My chest heaved, my tears fell, but my heart—my traitorous heart—beat so wildly I thought it would burst.

I didn’t know whom to trust.

I didn’t know if I’d live long enough to decide.

And then… my husband leaned in close, his breath hot against my ear, whispering words that froze me to the core:

“If you stay with me… you’ll never escape alive.”

Before I could react—before I could even breathe—the chamber door burst open. Armed men flooded in, guns raised.

This time, there was no escape.

She is trapped in the chamber, caught between her husband’s betrayal, the stranger’s twisted protection, and enemies who finally corner them. Readers are left desperate to know who she’ll choose—and if she’ll even survive.