Blurb：
Step into a world where forbidden love defies destiny! Azrael, the brooding immortal with a haunted past, crosses paths with Elena, a mortal woman whose hidden powers threaten to unravel the supernatural realm. As the Shadow King tightens his grip on the throne, dark secrets and intense passion collide. Will their bond survive betrayal, or will ancient curses tear them apart? Perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers, dark fantasy, and morally gray characters. Dive into this gripping tale of magic, sacrifice, and heart-pounding romance!
Content：
The night before I was supposed to marry the heir to the Moretti family, I found a string of ninety-nine filthy texts on my fiancé Leo’s phone.
A woman named Ava Collins, telling him she loved him. Shameless. Desperate.
She was begging him to call off our wedding, threatening to kill herself if he went through with it.
I didn’t waste a second.
I shoved the phone in his face and demanded an explanation.
The silence stretched for an eternity before he finally broke.
“Her brother was Liam. My underboss. He took a bullet for me. My bullet. I promised him I’d look after her.”
“Jennifer, we grew up together. You know it’s you. It’s always been you. I swear, I’ll handle it. I’ll cut her off.”
I searched his eyes, hunting for the lie.
I swallowed the acid in my throat and chose to believe him. The wedding was on.
This was bigger than us.
It was a treaty signed in blood between two families.
And God help me, I still loved him.
But on our wedding day, as we stood at the altar, vows on our lips, Leo got the call.
It was her. Ava.
On a bridge, threatening to jump. Demanding he come. Now.
The diamond ring, a breath away from my finger, clattered to the stone floor of the church.
Not a word.
Not a single explanation.
He just left. Left me, our families, our future… left me standing alone at the altar.
Through a blur of tears, I screamed after him, “Leo, if you walk out that door, we are done!”
His only reply, tossed over his shoulder, “She needs me.”
He never looked back.
Carrying his child, I vanished from his world and never looked back.
Chapter 1
The night before I was supposed to marry the heir to the Moretti family, I found a string of ninety-nine filthy texts on my fiancé Leo’s phone.
A woman named Ava Collins, telling him she loved him. Shameless. Desperate.
She was begging him to call off our wedding, threatening to kill herself if he went through with it.
I didn’t waste a second.
I shoved the phone in his face and demanded an explanation.
The silence stretched for an eternity before he finally broke.
“Her brother was Liam. My underboss. He took a bullet for me. My bullet. I promised him I’d look after her.”
“Jennifer, we grew up together. You know it’s you. It’s always been you. I swear, I’ll handle it. I’ll cut her off.”
I searched his eyes, hunting for the lie.
I swallowed the acid in my throat and chose to believe him. The wedding was on.
This was bigger than us.
It was a treaty signed in blood between two families.
And God help me, I still loved him.
But on our wedding day, as we stood at the altar, vows on our lips, Leo got the call.
It was her. Ava.
On a bridge, threatening to jump. Demanding he come. Now.
The diamond ring, a breath away from my finger, clattered to the stone floor of the church.
Not a word.
Not a single explanation.
He just left. Left me, our families, our future… left me standing alone at the altar.
Through a blur of tears, I screamed after him, “Leo, if you walk out that door, we are done!”
His only reply, tossed over his shoulder, “She needs me.”
He never looked back.
Carrying his child, I vanished from his world and never looked back.
…
“Do you take this ring, as a symbol of your vow to the Moretti family?”
The priest’s voice boomed through the hallowed church.
Leo held the family signet ring, the heavy gold passed down for five generations.
He leaned in, his breath warm against my ear, and whispered, “I’ve waited my entire life for this, Jennifer.”
The pews were lined with Chicago’s most powerful families, their eyes on us like daggers.
I looked into Leo’s deep brown eyes. “I do.”
The ring touched the tip of my finger.
Leo was about to say his “I do.”
Then his private line buzzed, the one only three people had the number to.
His father, his underboss Marco, and me.
But his father was overseas.
And Marco and I were standing right here.
So who on earth was calling?
Leo frowned and glanced at the screen.
The color drained from his face.
The hand holding mine trembled, and he almost dropped the phone.
“Leo?” I asked softly.
He didn’t answer. He just turned his back to me and took the call.
“What? Where are you?” Leo’s voice was tight with panic. “Don’t do anything stupid! I’m on my way.”
The ring slipped from his hand and fell onto the crimson runner.
A hush fell over the entire church.
Two hundred pairs of eyes were fixed on us.
Leo hung up and looked at me, his eyes full of apology. “Jennifer, I have to go.”
“Now?” I couldn’t believe it. “Leo, we haven’t finished our vows.”
“She’s going to jump,” Leo breathed, more to himself than to me. “I can’t let her die.”
A cold dread snaked up my spine. “It’s Ava, isn’t it?”
Leo was already turning to leave. He paused, without looking back. “She… she needs me.”
And then he ran.
At our wedding, in front of every family that mattered, Leo Moretti abandoned his bride.
The crowd erupted in whispers.
I heard the angry muttering from the Moretti elders, heard the crack of my father’s fist hitting the armrest of his chair.
Marco rushed to the altar. “Everyone, please, stay calm. This is… an emergency.”
My father stood up. “What emergency is worth breaking a vow before God?”
“Ava Collins is on the Clark Street Bridge, threatening to jump,” Marco said, his voice tight. “She’s unstable. If the cops get involved, it brings heat on both families.”
I thought about last night’s texts. About Leo swearing she meant nothing to him.
It felt like a shard of ice had pierced my heart.
I stood frozen at the altar in my million-dollar gown, the Moretti signet ring burning a cold circle on my skin, halfway to my knuckle.
Two hundred pairs of eyes, all on me. Waiting.
I pulled out my own burner.
I dialed Leo.
Busy.
Again.
Busy.
Thirteen times.
Thirteen times, his ghost answered. Voicemail.
“Jennifer, maybe we should…” Marco tried to calm me.
“Shut. Up.” Each word was a shard of ice. He flinched, taking a step back.
Five. Whole. Hours.
I waited at that altar for five hours.
The first hour, I lied to myself. He’ll be back. It’s just an emergency.
The second hour, the stares of our guests felt like they were peeling my skin back.
By the third hour, the whispers had faded to a suffocating silence as pews emptied.
My heart wasn’t just broken; it was a block of ice in my chest.
I kept tracing the ring on my finger.
First, to feel its promise. Then, to wrench it off.
Finally, nothing. I felt nothing at all.
Even the core members of our families couldn’t take it anymore.
My mother came to my side. “Jennifer, sweetheart, let’s go home.”
“No.” I shook my head. “The vows aren’t finished.”
“The vow is broken,” my father’s voice was pure venom. “This is an insult to the Rossi name.”
I felt dizzy.
Maybe from not eating. Maybe because my heart was shattering.
“I need to be alone.”
I walked to the confessional booth at the back of the church.
The small wooden box gave me a sliver of safety.
I knelt on the bench and folded my hands. “Forgive me, Father, for the sin I am about to commit.”
Silence answered.
Only the oppressive darkness of the confessional.
My vision tunneled.
The air grew thick, impossible to breathe.
Then, black.
When I woke up, I was in a bed at the Rossi family’s private clinic.
The ceiling was white, the lights blinding.
I tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea hit me.
“Don’t move, Jennifer,” Dr. Romano, our family doctor, said, walking over. “You were dehydrated, low blood sugar.”
“Where’s Leo?” I asked.
“He hasn’t come back yet,” Dr. Romano said, avoiding my eyes. “But… there’s something I need to tell you.”
My heart started to pound. “What is it?”
“You’re pregnant. About six weeks.”
The world went silent.
Pregnant.
I was carrying the Moretti heir.
A bitter, hysterical laugh tried to claw its way up my throat.
What a cruel, cruel joke.
The door opened.
My father and a few family elders walked in.
Their eyes held a mix of emotions.
Anger, calculation… but under it all, a flicker of hope.
Their eyes weren’t on me.
They were on my stomach.
As if my womb was the last chip on the table, the only thing that could salvage their pride.
“Jennifer,” my father said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “This is good news. The Morettis will have to come crawling back to us. The alliance won’t be broken…”
I couldn’t hear a word he was saying. All I could see was Leo’s face.
I remembered growing up with him.
I always knew I’d marry him.
From kids playing games to our first real kiss, I never once doubted his love for me.
We trained together, learned the family business together.
He taught me to shoot, I helped him with the books.
We made a blood oath.
But today, in front of God, he chose another woman.
He stomped on our love, on our family’s honor.
Dr. Romano checked my blood pressure. “Congratulations, Jennifer. This child… this child is the future of both our families.”
I closed my eyes, tears burning behind them.
I couldn’t speak.
The heir they’ve all been waiting for?
I’m keeping him.
But he will never be a Moretti. He will be a Rossi.
As for me and Leo… we’re done.
Chapter 2
Leo finally showed up six hours later.
The door was thrown open.
He stood there, soaked to the bone.
He looked like he’d been dragged through hell and back.
His tux was a ruined mess, his hair plastered to his skull.
His eyes were full of exhaustion and despair.
“Jennifer,” his voice was hoarse. “I’m sorry.”
My father and the elders shot to their feet. Their hands all moved to the guns at their waists.
“Out,” I said, my voice dangerously low. “Leave us.”
“Jennifer…” my father hesitated.
“Out!”
The room was empty except for me and Leo.
He just stood there, looking like he’d been dragged out of the river himself.
“Is she alive?” I asked.
Leo nodded. “I got her to a private hospital. She’ll be okay.”
“So you saved her,” my voice was terrifyingly calm. “Just like you promised.”
“Jennifer, please, let me explain…”
“Explain what?” I cut him off. “Explain why you ran out on our wedding to save another woman? Explain why you let every family in Chicago watch me get humiliated?”
“Liam took a bullet for me, Jennifer!” Leo’s voice cracked. “He died in my arms! His last words weren’t ‘avenge me.’ They were ‘take care of my sister.’ It’s a blood debt. How could I let her die?”
My voice trembled as I shot back.
“So a blood debt to a dead man means more than your sacred vow to me? To God? You have an army, Leo. You could have sent any one of them. Why you? Why did it have to be you?”
Leo had no answer.
“And why today? Of all the days, why this one? You think that was a coincidence, Leo? Really?”
“She’s broken, Jennifer. She’s terrified, she’s…”
“She’s smart,” I said, my voice hardening. “She knew exactly when to pull the trigger for maximum damage.”
Leo’s brow tightened. “What are you talking about?”
“Do you really think she wanted to die?” I stared at the man I was supposed to marry, the man still making excuses for her.
“No. She wanted an audience. She wanted to force your hand. And congratulations, Leo. She won.”
Just like those texts I saw last night.
Her suicide attempt was all a play for Leo’s attention, a way to stop our wedding.
Leo’s face went pale. “She’s not like that.”
“That’s what every man says,” I shook my head. “Leo, I need you to tell me something. Do you love her?”
Leo’s face filled with panic.
He shook his head, denying it.
“It’s not love. It’s… complicated, Jennifer,” Leo finally said. “I have a responsibility to her.”
“A responsibility?” I almost laughed. “You have a responsibility to me. To our families. But you chose her.”
Leo walked to the window, his back to me. “Jennifer, please, don’t tell my father why I left the wedding.”
I froze. “What?”
“If my father finds out her existence is a liability… you know what he’ll do. He’ll have her erased.”
A chill went down my spine. “You’re worried about her safety?”
“She’s innocent.”
“And I’m not?” My voice trembled with rage. “What about the humiliation I suffered today? What about our family’s honor? Does that mean nothing?”
Leo came towards me, reaching out to touch my face.
I flinched away.
“Jennifer, just give me some time,” he pleaded. “I need to help her get stable. Once her head is on straight, we can have the wedding again.”
My heart stopped.
Have the wedding again.
Once she’s stable.
He wasn’t asking for forgiveness. He was telling me to wait.
He wanted me, Jennifer Rossi, to be put on pause.
To wait while he played hero for another woman.
In his world, I was a loose end he could tie up later.
“Postpone?” The word felt like poison on my tongue.
“Just for a little while. Until she’s back on her feet.”
“A few months?” I stood up. “Leo, do you hear yourself? You want me to wait a few months while you take care of your… responsibility?”
“She’s fragile right now. She needs me.”
I remembered being twelve.
My father’s enemies kidnapped me, and Leo risked his life to save me.
We cut our palms with a knife and mixed our blood together.
“Whatever happens, we are always loyal to each other.” That was our vow.
I remembered being eighteen, our first job together.
A traitor who had betrayed the family.
Leo was the distraction, I was the executioner. Perfect teamwork. Absolute trust.
I remembered being twenty, the night he proposed.
He knelt in the rose garden of the Rossi estate and told me I was the strongest, most beautiful woman he’d ever known.
And now he was standing here, begging me to understand about another woman.
Tears started to fall.
I couldn’t stop them.
“Leo,” my voice broke through a sob. “Look at me.”
He looked at me.
There were tears in his eyes, too.
“I look at you, and I don’t see the man who made that vow.”
Leo’s lips trembled. “Jennifer…”
“Do you remember our blood oath?” I held out my hand, showing him the faded scar on my palm. “Do you remember what you said?”
“I remember,” he whispered.
“Then tell me, what do you call betraying that oath today?”
Leo closed his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering.
I thought he would give her up. That he would beg me to forgive him.
A secret burned on my tongue. Our baby.
But when he opened his eyes again, the conflict was gone. Replaced by a cold, hard resolve.
“I’m sorry, Jennifer,” he said, his voice heavy. “Right now… I’m all she has.”
My world didn’t just shatter. It ceased to exist.
It wasn’t that he chose her.
It was the look on his face when he did it.
The righteous weight of the protector. The noble pride of the savior.
“Then go keep your promise,” I said, wiping my tears. My voice was calm again.
Leo stared at me.
He seemed to expect me to scream, to beg, to threaten him.
But I didn’t.
I just looked at him, waiting for him to make his choice.
And with one last, agonized look, he turned and walked out of my life.
Chapter 3
I looked around the home I shared with Leo, my heart raw.
I couldn’t stay here.
Tomorrow, I had to be gone.
But first, I went to Dr. Romano’s private clinic.
He gave me some pills, said they’d help with the early pregnancy.
I stared at the pills for a long moment before flushing them down the toilet.
The clinic parking lot was quiet.
Chicago is a dangerous city after dark, but tonight, the monsters were already inside me. I just needed to breathe.
Then I saw them.
Leo was gently draping his suit jacket over a girl’s shoulders.
She was thin, small, like a frightened deer.
Her hands were shaking, and Leo was comforting her in a low voice.
Ava Collins.
The way she looked up at Leo was full of dependence and adoration.
A pure, innocent kind of love.
My stomach turned. Not from the pregnancy. From disgust.
Leo sensed me. He turned and saw me standing at the clinic door.
His brow furrowed immediately.
“Jennifer, what are you doing here?” His voice was a low warning, laced with disbelief. “I told you I would handle this. Don’t cause a scene.”
Make trouble?
He was worried I’d cause a scene.
Ava shrank behind Leo, but her eyes peeked out at me over his shoulder.
And in them, I saw it. Not fear. Not even curiosity. It was the smug satisfaction of a victor studying the vanquished.
I walked slowly towards them.
“You look remarkably well for someone who just tried to kill herself,” I said to Ava, my voice dripping with saccharine sweetness. “Congratulations.”
Ava immediately shrank back, faking fear. “I’m sorry… I didn’t want to… I just…”
“Enough,” Leo said, stepping in front of her. “Jennifer, you know her condition. Don’t do this to her.”
I stopped, just three steps away.
“Her condition?” A wave of nausea hit me, and tears spilled from my eyes. “Leo, what I want to know is, when you were with me last night, were you thinking about her?”
Leo’s face flushed. “Jennifer!”
“I want to know, when your lips were on mine last night, were you just practicing for her?”
“Shut up!” Leo took a step forward. “Are you crazy?”
I looked at Ava.
A flash of triumph crossed her eyes before she masked it with fear.
What an actress.
My fingers went to the bodice of my ruined wedding gown. With a slow, deliberate motion, I unbuttoned the front, exposing the skin over my heart.
And the tattoo there.
A single, black rose.
The brand of the Moretti family.
“Jennifer, what are you doing?” Leo watched me, on guard.
From a hidden sheath strapped to my thigh, beneath the layers of silk and lace, I pulled a small, wicked-looking knife.
A sixteenth birthday gift from my father, my name etched into the silver handle.
“This mark,” I said, pressing the blade’s cruel point to my skin, right over the rose. “It means I belong to the Morettis. That I belong to you.” My voice was a venomous whisper. “And I don’t tolerate traitors.”
“Jennifer, no!” Leo lunged for me.
Too late.
I dragged the blade down. Hard.
A clean, searing line of fire and blood, carving through the ink, destroying the rose.
The flesh was mangled, but I felt no pain.
Ava screamed and covered her eyes.
Leo was frozen, staring at the blood running down my chest. “Jennifer… you…”
“It doesn’t belong to the Moretti family anymore,” I said, wiping the blood with a handkerchief. “Just like me.”
I turned and walked to my car.
My driver, Tony, was already waiting.
“Miss, you’re bleeding,” Tony said, his voice tight with alarm.
“Get me my father,” I ordered, sliding into the back seat. “Tell him I’m done. I want my things out of that apartment. Tonight.”
The car pulled away.
In the rearview mirror, I saw Leo still standing there, watching us leave.
An hour later, I was standing in the penthouse I shared with Leo.
Three years of memories were in this place.
From our engagement until now, we’d spent countless nights here.
My people were already packing.
Clothes, jewelry, papers, and the pictures.
The elevator doors opened.
Leo walked out.
Ava was right behind him, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
“Jennifer, you can’t do this,” Leo said, looking at the boxes everywhere. “This is our home.”
“No,” I said, my back to him. “This was our home. Now, it’s yours. I was just keeping it warm for her.”
“I’m not letting you leave.” Leo grabbed my arm.
I shook him off. “You don’t have a choice.”
Ava chose that moment to speak, her voice a pathetic whimper. “Maybe… maybe I should leave…”
“No,” Leo said, turning to her instantly, his voice softening. “You’re staying here. In the guest room. You’ll be safe. I’ll protect you.”
I froze.
He was going to move her into our home?
“Leo.” My voice was deceptively calm, a quiet storm that made the air in the room crackle. “What did you just say?”
“She needs a safe place,” Leo said, meeting my gaze. “This place has the best security.”
Ava walked over to the sofa and sat down carefully.
She looked like she was claiming her throne.
The door was pushed open.
My father, Salvatore, walked in, flanked by three of our men.
“Are you done packing?” he asked me.
“Almost,” I answered.
Salvatore looked at Leo, his eyes blazing. “Moretti, what you did today was an insult to my daughter and my entire family.”
“Mr. Salvatore Rossi, I can explain…”
“Explain what?” my father said, walking towards him. “Explain why you abandoned my daughter at a holy wedding to save a stranger?”
“She’s not a stranger. She’s…”
“What is she?” Salvatore’s voice got colder. “Your mistress?”
“No!” Leo denied it fiercely. “She’s just… I have a duty to protect her.”
Suddenly, Salvatore pulled his gun. The black barrel was aimed right at Ava’s forehead.
“Dad, no!” I screamed.
Ava shrieked and collapsed on the floor.
Leo tried to dive to protect her, but two of my father’s men grabbed him.
And Leo, without a fraction of a second’s hesitation, moved to shield her with his own body.
“In our world, an insult demands a price,” Salvatore’s voice was pure ice. “And this girl’s existence is an insult to my bloodline.”
“Please… please don’t…” Ava sobbed hysterically.
“Let her go!” Leo struggled. “If you’re going to kill someone, kill me!”
I watched the scene. Watched him ready to die for Ava.
Only one thought was left in my head.
He would die for her. But he wouldn’t live for me.
I snatched the gun from my father’s hand.
“Jennifer!” everyone yelled.
I turned and took steady aim at the wall behind Leo’s left shoulder.
BANG.
The bullet shattered a porcelain vase on the table behind him.
A shard flew like a missile, embedding itself deep in his shoulder.
He cried out, stumbling back, blood blooming across the crisp white of his shirt.
“Jennifer!” Leo’s mother, Elena, screamed, bursting into the room.
Leo was on the floor, clutching his wound, staring at me.
His eyes were full of shock and confusion.
I walked towards him, step by step, and pulled the still-warm ultrasound photo from my purse.
I knelt down, meeting his eyes as he bled on the floor.
And I put the flimsy piece of paper into his bloody hand.
Leo struggled to sit up and looked at the picture.
A light sparked in his eyes.
“Jennifer… is this…”
“Don’t get any ideas,” I whispered, my lips brushing his ear, my breath a ghost on his skin.
“That baby will never be a Moretti. There will be no wedding. Not for us.”
“I will erase you from my life. I swear on my name.”
Download the GoodNovel app, Search 【 271685 】reads the whole book.
