A Jilted Heart, A Mafia Don's Love

For four years, Ember traced the bullet scar on Chace's chest, believing it proved his unwavering protection. Their anniversary gala was supposed to be the night he finally proposed, a symbol of their future. Instead, she stood frozen, watching him slide his mother's sapphire onto Karyn Warren's finger-the daughter of a rival family.

His voice, amplified by the silent ballroom, declared, "Karyn is for power. Ember is for pleasure. Don't confuse the assets." Her heart incinerated. Publicly humiliated, she was ordered to remain his mistress, threatened with her dead mother's grave. Chace, confident her father's debts trapped her, forced her from their shared penthouse.

He then used a fake "Help. Sick." text to lure Ember to a club, only to humiliate her further, calling her "loyal like a dog." Karyn ordered a soldier to "touch" Ember while Chace watched, indifferent. With no other choice, Ember drank a punishment cup containing wine she was severely allergic to.

She collapsed, suffocating on the club floor, as Chace and Karyn watched, annoyed. Waking in a sterile hospital room, her throat raw, she faced Chace's cold relief and Karyn's dismissive cruelty. The betrayal was absolute, the injustice sickening.

But moments before, in her despair, Ember had invoked a Blood Oath. She texted Keith Mosley, the ruthless Don, accepting his price for her father's debt: marriage. She would become his, and she was ready to pay.

Chapter 1

Ember's POV

For four years, I traced the bullet scar on Chace's chest, believing it was proof he would bleed to keep me safe.

On our anniversary, he told me to wear white because "tonight changes everything." I walked into the gala thinking I was getting a ring.

Instead, I stood frozen in the center of the ballroom, drowning in silk, watching him slide his mother's sapphire onto another woman's finger.

Karyn Warren. The daughter of a rival family.

When I begged him with my eyes to claim me, to save me from the public humiliation, he didn't flinch. He just leaned toward his Underboss, his voice amplified by the silence.

"Karyn is for power. Ember is for pleasure. Don't confuse the assets."

My heart didn't just break; it incinerated. He expected me to stay as his mistress, threatening to dig up my dead mother's grave if I refused to play the obedient pet.

He thought I was trapped. He thought I had nowhere to go because of my father's massive gambling debts.

He was wrong.

With shaking hands, I pulled out my phone and texted the one name I was never supposed to use.

Keith Mosley. The Don. The monster under Chace's bed.

I am invoking the Blood Oath. My father's debt. I am ready to pay it.

His reply came three seconds later, buzzing against my palm like a warning.

The price is marriage. You belong to me. Yes or No?

I looked up at Chace, who was laughing with his new fiancée, thinking he owned me.

I looked down and typed three letters.

Yes.