"I love you."

Lochlan loved me. I processed his words, my confession pressing against my lips as he stared at me with a shield expression, almost as if he was preparing for my rejection.

"Lochlan, I—"

The door to the chapel burst open and Nadia stormed in, her brown eyes lit with fury. She didn't look surprised to find Lochlan and me in such a compromising position. I tugged hard on my skirt, making sure I pulled it all the way down while praying the wet between my thighs didn't drip down my leg.

"You," Nadia seethed, fingers clenching and unclenching as she marched down the aisle. She had changed clothes while she was gone. The black on black color scheme remained, but instead of a t-shirt beneath her leather jacket, she now wore a turtleneck. "Get back to your room now."

Glancing up at Lochlan, I expect to see indignation or even anger in his expression. Instead, he looked at Nadia with curiosity...maybe even a little calculation. He straightened his tie and ran a hand through the hair I'd mussed.

"You'll give me your word that Millie won't be punished for this."

Nadia's kohl-lined eyes widened as she spluttered, "I'll do no such thing."

"You will." He swiped on his phone and showed her something on the screen. "Unless you want to discuss this with everyone."

She recoiled, stepping back two full steps. "You were in my room."

Lochlan nodded. Bile soured on my tongue. What was he doing? Confessing to snooping was a good way to get us all killed. Unless he had actually found something that would put Nadia on our side.

"We'll talk more later," he said to me, his tone becoming tender. Then he pressed a kiss to my forehead. On his way out of the chapel, he whispered something in Nadia's ear, and with every passing second, Volkov's daughter turned paler, until at last she put a hand out to steady herself a pew.

When the door slammed shut, she shook herself and turned her focus back to me. "I thought I warned you, Millie. Someone is always watching."

"So they have sent you to bring me to my punishment?" I spoke cooly, but inside panic twisted my guts. If Marcus died because of this, I would never forgive myself, nor would I ever be able to tell Lochlan the truth. That I loved him, too. Our moment would forever be tainted by the selfishness that killed a man.

Nadia folded her arms over her chest. "No. Because you are lucky, and I was the only one who saw. I happened to look over and see the feed change. Like someone put it on a loop before. It flickered, revealing your...current activity...and then went back to the loop. Looks like your man has a talented hacker."

"Why are you telling me this instead of telling your father or your brother?"

Her tongue darted out and wetted her lips while she fiddled with the high collar of her shirt. "Because I am not like them. I know you look at my father and see a monster. It is true that he isn't a good man, but he is not a monster. Twisted as it is, he has a moral code and lives by it. You look at my brother and see someone kind, but he is the monster. Ever since he was a little boy, he has hated others touching his belongings. You are now his belonging, and if he knew what happened here..."

She shuddered and swayed. I reached for her, but she held up her hand to stop me. Head shaking, she continued, "You think death is the worst thing he could do to you, but I promise it is not. He wouldn't kill Lochlan. He would make him watch while he defiled you, and then he would take you far away from him."

"So you're not going to tell him?"

"No, I won't, but I can't save you from yourself. He's going to find out if you don't stop."

I stepped into the aisle and stood across from Nadia. Again, I was struck by our similarities. Even the way we held ourselves when we were nervous was the same. Shoulders turned inward. Arms around ourselves. Brows knitted together.

"Help me. Help us. If you know the kind of man your brother is, then you know what my life will be like after we're married. He won't wait long to show his true colors."

"No, you will be fine. I can tell you are a woman who is used to performing. Just keep his ego well fed and look the other way when he seeks out other bedroom entertainment."

"Nadia. Please."

"I cannot," she said, moving further away from me.

"You don't have to stay here. You can leave with me. Lochlan and Alex will help you start over."

She snorted. "The last thing you want if you want to be free is for me to come with you. There is no place I can go to escape Dmitry. Believe me. I have tried. Come. You need to be back in the house before anyone comes in here to check."

I followed her out and kept silent for the walk to my room. When we reached the door, I paused. "What did Lochlan say to you?"

"Go to bed, Millie. The less you know, the better."

"He'll tell me soon enough."

Now it was her turn to pause. Tucking a black strand of hair behind her ear, she fixed her dark eyes on my face. "You will not speak to him again before the wedding. If you do, I'll tell my brother everything. Understood?"

And with that, she pushed me inside my room and slammed the door.