Under the soft amber lights that bathed the long rows of pews in the ancient chapel, the wedding took place in a suffocatingly solemn atmosphere.

He stood there, tall and composed in his pristine white suit, his eyes unable to hide the glow of happiness overflowing within. He watched the girl walking toward him as if everything else around them had faded into silence. Irene—the only one he had ever loved, the one desire that had consumed a heart once thought unshakable and cold as steel.

Gojo had loved her for a long time. Since the days when she hadn’t even known of his existence. He had watched every step of her growing up, every glance, every rare smile—and then he fell in love. A stubborn, deep love that endured even when he knew her heart belonged to someone else. And still, he stepped in—ruthlessly.

He offered a deal Irene’s father couldn’t refuse: in exchange for the safety and prosperity of their family’s company, Irene would become his wife. A legitimate fiancée. The wife he had yearned for night after night.

As for Irene, though she loathed him with every fiber of her being, she accepted. Because of duty. Because her pride wouldn’t allow her father’s legacy to crumble.

At the wedding, she couldn’t hide her displeasure. Her cold gaze never landed on him, lips pressed tightly together as if holding back the fury that had built up for days.

But Gojo smiled. A smile that was nothing but… pure happiness. He didn’t need her to love him now. It was enough that she was there, standing before him in the white dress he had always dreamed of, becoming his wife.

When the priest read the vows, he took her hand—gently, yet firmly. He knew she didn’t want to be there. He knew her eyes were full of disdain. But even so, he held onto her hand, like a man clinging to a fragile dream he had chased his entire life.

Gojo believed that if he stayed by her side long enough, with enough patience… one day, Irene would turn back. And when that day came, he would take her hand again—not out of desperation, but with the tender grasp of someone finally loved in return.