Noa’s POV
I was kidnapped by my mafia husband’s rivals—and he didn’t rush to save me. Wait for me, he said. He was too busy looking after his dead nephew’s wife, Harper. So I waited. Days turned into weeks, then months. Nearly a year passed before I finally got tired of waiting… and escaped on my own.
The second I stepped into the Ward mansion, I knew something was wrong.
Streamers hung from every window. Champagne glasses clinked. Laughter drifted on the spring breeze.
It was a party. A one-month celebration. For a baby girl named Lila.
I watched, frozen, as Elias, my husband, and Harper, his nephew’s wife, swept into the courtyard, hand in hand. The crowd erupted in cheers, clapping like trained seals. In Harper’s arms, dressed in a froth of pink lace, was a newborn.
It must be Lila.
Harper wore white—a soft, dreamy thing that made her look like an angel. Elias matched her, an all-white suit clinging to his tall frame, his hand protectively on her back.
Elias lifted his champagne glass, the crowd falling into a reverent hush.
“Today,” he announced, “we celebrate my daughter Lila’s one-month. And—” he smiled, proud, radiant, “—we have more good news. Harper and I are getting married. The wedding will be held at the Ward Casino. I hope to see you all there.”
So this was what had kept Elias too busy to come rescue me from his rivalry.
Elias’s gaze swept the crowd—and landed on me.
For a second, his face cracked. Shock. Relief. Maybe even joy. His body shifted forward, instinct pulling him toward me—
Until Harper caught his arm. Whispered something urgent into his ear.
And just like that, he stayed put.
Around me, the crowd started to murmur.
“Who’s the filthy woman?” someone whispered.
“Looks like Noa, doesn’t it?” another said. “But Noa’s dead. Elias said so. Eight months ago—he said one of his enemies took her out.”
“Right,” someone chimed in. “That’s why he and Harper got together. They were grieving. Bonded over their loss. A love story, really.”
