I used to believe my life would follow the path carved out for me—a good daughter, the obedient fiancée, dutifully tied to a man chosen not for love, but for power. Roman was everything my family wanted: controlled, calculating, and loyal to the empire. But the deeper I fell into his world, the more I felt my own slipping away, like sand slipping through my fingers. Then I met Marcino Scuderi. With every intense look and guarded touch, he stirred something I thought I’d lost—a fire that refused to be extinguished, even for duty’s sake. Marc is dark, dangerous, and completely forbidden, yet he sees me for who I am, not the image my family has painted. With him, I feel like I could be more than just the D’Luca’s family’s puppet. But a choice like this doesn’t come without a price. Bound to one man and drawn to another, I’m left balancing on a knife’s edge between loyalty and freedom, heart and duty. ______________________