HER REPLACED GROOM

"You ruined me," I confess, my voice a rasp against her skin. "I can't fucking breathe without you. I can't think. I can't exist." My fingers trail down, skimming the curve of her hip. "And it's killing me."

She trembles but doesn't push me away.

Her silence is my undoing.

I slam my hand against the wall beside her, caging her in, my breath ragged. "You want me to walk away? Tell me. Say it, and I will."

Her lips part, but no words come.

I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "You can't, can you?" I tilt her chin up again, forcing her to meet my gaze. "Because you're just as ruined as I am."

And then I kiss her.

Hard. Desperate. A collision of everything we've denied ourselves.

Because no matter how much I fought it, no matter how much I wanted to hate her-

She's mine.

And I'll burn down the whole damn world before I let her go.