The black SUV sped down the Long Island Expressway. The silence inside the car was suffocating.

Blair leaned her head against the cold glass of the window. The city lights blurred into streaks of yellow and white. She rubbed her thumb over the massive diamond on her left ring finger. The metal was heavy, a physical anchor dragging her down into reality.

The SUV turned through the wrought-iron gates of the Glover estate. The tires crunched aggressively over the gravel driveway before slamming to a halt.

Mitch ripped the back door open. He grabbed Blair by the upper arm and practically hauled her out of the vehicle.

He marched her through the grand double doors of the house and shoved her toward the center of the living room. Blair stumbled and fell back onto the tufted leather Chesterfield sofa.

Ezekiel unbuttoned his suit jacket. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her like she was a hostile witness on the stand.

Helen hurried into the room holding a steaming mug of chamomile tea. She tried to set it on the coffee table, but Ezekiel shot her a look that froze her in place.

"Explain," Ezekiel demanded, his voice slicing through the room. "Why were you standing at that altar?"

Blair swallowed hard. Her throat felt like sandpaper. She couldn't tell them the truth. If they knew she had spent the last five years obsessing over Judge Harrell, they would lock her in a psychiatric ward.

She forced her shoulders to relax. She let out a fake, breathless laugh and shrugged. "Willa ran. He looked pathetic standing up there. I figured, why not help a guy out?"

Mitch kicked the heavy wooden leg of the coffee table. The loud thud made Blair jump. "Help him out? You threw your entire life away to do a favor for a billionaire?!"

Blair shrank back into the leather cushions, but she kept her chin up. "Plus... Willa ran. The Harrell family needs a bride to secure their trust fund, and this is my only way into that circle. I don't want to spend my life just scraping by as an unknown artist. I want my own empire, my own connections, and absolute financial freedom. This was a shortcut."

Ezekiel's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Thrilling? You think the Harrell family is a game? Judge will chew you up and spit you out before you even realize you're bleeding."

The heavy oak door of the study opened. Arthur Glover walked out, his face dark with exhaustion and anger.

He stopped in front of Blair. His voice left no room for argument. "Call your lawyer first thing in the morning. You are filing for an annulment."

Bleu stood up from the sofa. Her heart pounded against her ribs. "No! We have already performed the wedding ceremony in the church under the witness of the people. I am his legal wife."

Mitch reached to his belt. He pulled out his metal handcuffs and slammed them onto the glass coffee table. The sharp crack made everyone flinch. "I will chain you to the radiator in your bedroom if I have to."

Helen dropped the tea mug. It shattered on the rug. "Stop it! Both of you, stop treating her like a criminal!"

Taking advantage of the distraction, Blair spun around and sprinted down the hall. She darted into the guest bathroom and slammed the door, twisting the lock just as Mitch's heavy fist hit the wood from the outside.

Blair slid down the door until she hit the tile floor. She pulled her knees to her chest, gasping for air.

Her hands shook violently as she pulled her phone from the hidden pocket of her dress. She opened her messages. Pinned at the very top was Judge's name. A chat history consisting of exactly zero messages.

Her thumbs flew across the screen.

They locked me in the house. They're forcing me to get an annulment.

She hit send.

She stared at the word Delivered under the blue bubble. The seconds ticked by. Each one felt like a physical weight pressing down on her chest.

Outside, Mitch pounded on the door again. "Open the door, Blair!"

Three agonizing minutes later, her screen lit up.

A new message from Judge.

Tomorrow at 3 PM.

Blair stared at the screen. Her stomach twisted into a painful knot. That was it? No reassurance? No promise to come get her? Just a cold, sterile appointment time?

She bit her lip until she tasted blood again. Hot tears spilled over her eyelashes, burning her cheeks. She felt like an absolute idiot.

The pounding on the door stopped. Ezekiel's calm, terrifying voice filtered through the wood. "Come out, Blair. Father just got off the phone. He demanded Judge come here personally to explain himself."

Blair wiped her face with the back of her hand. She stood up, her legs trembling, and unlocked the door.

She gripped her phone tight. She had to keep playing the game. It was the only way to stay near him.