~Elsie's POV
I stared at the man in front of me, and my whole body wouldn't stop shaking.
It wasn't just fear. It was something deeper, something heavier, like my body already knew something my mind was still trying to understand.
He stood there like nothing around him mattered, like the chaos in the room, the tension, the silence… none of it touched him. His eyes were on me, steady, cold, and I felt like I couldn't breathe properly under that gaze.
He said he had been searching for the mother of his child. He was talking about my child. I wanted to ask him what he meant. I really did. The question sat right there in my throat, ready to come out, but my lips wouldn't move.
My head suddenly throbbed, sharp and painful, and I winced, bringing my hand to my temple as the memory tried to force its way through.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
His voice was too calm with no emotion, no concern, it was just… a question.
I tried to answer, but nothing came out.
Before I could even gather myself, he stood up, his movement slow but commanding, and then he turned to the priest who was still standing there, frozen like he didn't know what to do.
The man smiled. But it wasn't a normal smile.
It was cold and dangerous.
"Don't waste my time," he said smoothly. "I need to leave with my bride."
Bride?
My heart skipped. He couldn't be talking about me. There was no way.
"You can continue the vows," he added, like this was just another normal day, like he wasn't forcing an entire room into silence.
The priest hesitated, his hands shaking slightly, and that was when the man spoke again.
"My name is Salvatore Vitale."
The name settled in the room like a warning. And just like that… everything shifted.
The priest nodded quickly, his voice unsteady as he began, stumbling over the words, but continuing anyway.
I felt a hand on my arm. It was cold and firm.
Salvatore pulled me up like I weighed nothing, positioning me beside him, and I barely felt my feet touch the ground properly. My mind was still spinning.
"This isn't real. This can't be happening."
But it was.
The priest started, his voice unsteady, guiding us.
"I, Salvatore Vitale," he began.
"I, Salvatore Vitale," Salvatore repeated without hesitation, his tone deep and controlled, like this meant nothing more than a transaction.
"Take you…Elsie Miller…"
He turned slightly to look at me then, his eyes locking with mine.
His stare held mine for a second longer than it should have.
"…to be my wife."
"To be my wife," he finished.
The words settled heavily in the air. Then it was my turn.
"I… Elsie Miller," The priest said, prompting me.
"Take you… Salvatore Vitale…."
My chest rose and fell unevenly.
"I don't…." I started under my breath.
His grip tightened again.
"Finish it," he said, still calm, still cold.
I shut my eyes briefly.
"…take you… to be my husband," I forced out.
The words didn't feel real.
Nothing did.
The priest rushed through the rest, his voice stumbling, skipping parts, clearly shaken, but no one dared to stop him.
"I now pronounce you…"
He didn't even finish properly before Salvatore stepped forward.
It was done. Just like that.
I stood there, frozen, trying to understand how my life had changed in a few seconds.
Salvatore turned to me, a faint, cold smile on his lips.mAround us, people sat stiffly. I didn't need to look to know why, his men were everywhere watching and waiting. No one dared to move, no one dared to speak.
And just like that, it was done. I was married to a stranger.
"We're leaving," Salvatore said.
That was all.
And before I could respond, he pulled me along with him, his hold firm, unyielding, like I didn't have a choice.
Outside, the line of black cars stretched endlessly, and my breath caught at the sight.
I was guided into one without a word, my hands trembling in my lap as the door shut.
The drive was quiet, heavy as Salvatore was sitting beside me. And when we stopped again, I stepped out slowly and saw a helicopter waiting.
My heart started racing all over again. Salvatore didn't hesitate. He walked straight toward it.
And somehow… I followed.
And moments later, I was in the air with him.
The sound hit me first. It was loud and overwhelming.
The blades above us spun so fast that the noise swallowed everything else, and for a moment, I couldn't even hear my own thoughts.
I sat stiffly in my seat, my fingers gripping the edge tightly as the helicopter lifted higher, the ground slowly disappearing beneath us. My stomach dropped slightly, and I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing.
Don't panic.
Don't panic.
But how was I not supposed to panic?
I was just… there.
A few hours ago, I was in my house, being forced into a marriage I didn't want. Now, I was in the sky with a man I barely knew, heading to a place I had no idea about.
I turned my head slowly. He sat opposite me. He was so calm, unbothered as if this was normal, as if I was not shaking right in front of him.
His eyes were closed for a brief second, his head resting slightly back, and for a moment, I wondered if he was tired. But then his eyes opened again, sharp and clear, and they landed on me instantly.
I quickly looked away, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall, as the helicopter carried us further away from everything I had ever known.
And closer to something I wasn't sure I was ready for.
"God."
That was the only word that kept echoing in my head.
"God, what is this? Because this… this was not what I prayed for."
I closed my eyes slowly, my fingers tightening around each other in my lap as the weight of everything settled deeper into my chest.
I wanted help, I wanted a way out, I wanted to be saved from that marriage, from that old man, from the life my parents were pushing me into without even asking me what I wanted.
But this?
This was not it.
"I didn't ask for this…" I whispered under my breath, so low that even I almost didn't hear it.
I opened my eyes again and looked out through the small window beside me. The world below looked so far away now, like it didn't belong to me anymore.
Everything felt distant. My home, my life, even myself. I let out a shaky breath, my chest tightening again as the truth hit me harder this time.
I wanted to escape.
Yes, but not like this.
Not with a stranger, not with a man who looked at me like I was something he had already claimed.
I swallowed, my throat dry as I tried to hold myself together.
"I just wanted things to be better…" I thought, my mind running back to all the quiet moments I had wished for change, for something different, for something that didn't feel like survival every single day.
But now…
Now I didn't even know what "better" looked like anymore.
Because this felt like jumping from one problem… straight into another.
And somehow, this one felt bigger, colder, and more dangerous.
I glanced at him again, just for a second, and my heart started beating faster again.
The silence between us felt… loud.
I shifted slightly in my seat, my hands tightening together in my lap, and then I couldn't take it anymore.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
My voice came out softer than I intended, almost lost in the noise, but he heard me.
He always seemed to hear.
"Home," he replied simply.
Home?