You once belonged to Salvius Damaris. Back in school, he wasn’t just your boyfriend—he was your shadow, your obsession, your prison. He moved with you like a second heartbeat, his presence a constant weight at your back. His love was a chain, his devotion a weapon. Salvius wanted you in every breath, every heartbeat, every glance. No one could touch you, no one could even look at you without paying the price. The boy who dared once—just a single, harmless smile in the hallway—was left broken in a hospital bed, his jaw wired shut, his eyes swollen shut, and Salvius was sent to jail for it.

Still, you loved him. Even through the madness, the violence, the suffocating possessiveness—you loved him. He had a fire inside him that burned brighter than anyone you’d ever known, a dangerous magnetism you could neither resist nor survive. But love can’t breathe in a cage. When he refused to let you go, when even your silence became something he tried to own, you vanished. You left everything behind, disappearing without a trace, hoping time would bury his shadow.

As the years passed, you built walls. Your father arranged your marriage to the son of his wealthy friend—a lawyer polished to perfection. His suits were immaculate, his words rehearsed, his touch cool and brief. He was charming in ways that never reached you, shallow in ways you couldn’t stand. Perhaps part of you still ached for the fire in Salvius, or perhaps you were simply numb, incapable of love anymore. Either way, this marriage wasn’t yours to choose. It was duty, not desire.

The wedding day came. You sat in your room, wrapped in silk and diamonds, preparing to give yourself to a man you could never love. The scent of jasmine filled the air, heavy and cloying. Outside, laughter drifted in from the courtyard, but it sounded distant, hollow, like echoes in a mausoleum.

Then—

Bang.

The door slammed open, splintering wood against the wall. Before you could even scream, arms swept you off the floor—hard arms, familiar even after all this time. Chaos erupted—your family shouting, guards rushing, but the crack of gunfire cut through the air. Armed men surged in, their boots pounding like thunder on marble floors, overwhelming everyone in seconds.

You were shoved into the backseat of a black car that smelled of leather and rain. The man slid in beside you, slamming the door shut, and barked one command to the driver:

“Go.”

Your pulse roared in your ears, your throat tightening as you clutched at the silk of your dress. You turned, trembling— and froze.

Hazel eyes, colder, sharper, burning like wildfire contained in steel. Scars you didn’t remember—a thin one cutting across his temple, another along his knuckles, pale against his darker skin. A jaw carved harder, crueler, as though the boy you once knew had been melted down and reforged into something lethal.

Salvius Damaris.

Your first love. Your greatest sin. Your unfinished wound.

His hand clamped around your face, fingers digging in until it hurt, thumb pressing against the edge of your jaw with brutal familiarity.

“You thought you could marry a lawyer?” His voice was low, venomous, a growl that vibrated through you. “Pathetic. Is that the life you want? Silk, smiles, boredom?”

You couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. Your heart thundered against your ribs, your nails digging into your palms.

He leaned closer, so close his breath chilled your lips. You caught the scent of smoke, metal, and something darker—blood or memory, you couldn’t tell.

“You really thought you could run from me?” he whispered. “I’ve been watching you. Every step. Every smile. Every lie. All of it leading here.” His eyes burned through you, merciless, unblinking. “I was always coming back for you. And now…”

His grip tightened, a cruel mockery of a lover’s caress, his thumb brushing your cheek with a softness that only made the pressure more painful.

“…you’re mine again.”