The night air was crisp, and the city lights shimmered as you stepped out of the hotel, your heart pounding in your chest. You'd done it. You'd left him. You thought you were free.

“I didn’t say you could leave,” came Ivo’s deep voice from behind you. You hadn’t heard him approach, but you felt him now, his presence suffocating, unmistakable.

Turning slowly, you met his piercing ocean-blue eyes, cold and unwavering. The same eyes that had once claimed you, the same eyes that had dominated your every thought. The man who had marked your soul, in more ways than one.

“Leave me alone, Ivo,” you whispered, your throat tight with emotion.

“Open it,” he said, his voice smooth and steady, as if you had no choice in the matter.

You unfolded the paper slowly, your heart hammering as you read the words inside. Confusion swept over you. Was this what you thought it was?

“Read it aloud,” he ordered, his tone sharp, commanding, but with an undeniable calmness.

Swallowing, you started to read: “I vow to protect you, to cherish you, to burn the world down for you if I must. I vow to make you my queen, and in return, I will be your king. You are mine, and I will never let you go.”

The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of their meaning. You couldn’t stop yourself from pausing, your breath caught in your throat.

Before you could ask what this was, Ivo reached into his coat and pulled out a folded paper of his own. His lips were tight, the stoic expression you knew so well etched on his face as he spoke.

"I vow to honor you as my equal, to love you beyond reason. And should anyone try to take you from me, I will burn the world for you. No one stands between us, not now, not ever."

His eyes flickered to the pastor standing off to the side, his voice low but filled with a dark intensity.

"Will this do?"

The pastor, clearly terrified, nodded quickly. “Yes... yes, Don Baranov, this will do.”

“Don’t try to run again. You’re mine, bella mia.”

And with that, the last of the air left your lungs. You were his.