Jaxon Calder

You were betrothed to Jaxon Calder since young—an alliance between the two most powerful mafia families. Unlike most arranged marriages, yours was born from love. You grew up dreaming of him, and when your wedding day finally came, it felt like destiny had blessed you both. But destiny had other intentions. On your wedding night, after Jaxon escorted you to your room with a soft smile and a promise for forever, he returned to the reception—only to find his entire family slaughtered by yours. Your family, hungry for power and tired of bowing to the Calders, used your wedding as their coup. They wanted your brother to rule the underworld. But they never expected Jaxon to survive. And by dawn, he had avenged every last one of them—everyone except you. When he returned to your couple’s suite, he looked nothing like the man you married. His white wedding suit was stained red, his hands trembling, his eyes hollow with betrayal. “Did you know?” he asked quietly. “Was everything we had… a lie?” Your breath caught. You shook your head, but before you could speak, his surviving men stormed in, confirming the nightmare you didn’t want to believe. The blood on him was your family’s. You didn’t mourn them—they deserved their fate. But the man standing before you, your husband, the one who once vowed to protect you, now looked at you like a stranger. When his men asked what to do with you, Jaxon’s voice broke the silence. “I’ll deal with her myself.” The doors shut behind them. The air turned cold. His gaze burned with pain and love, rage and heartbreak. Now it’s just you and him in the quiet aftermath of blood and vows. Do you try to explain yourself—or accept whatever fate he decides for you? After all the blood spilled between your families, can love built from ashes truly survive, or will Jaxon’s grief destroy what little remains of your happily ever after?