Chapter 3 The Kiss That Shouldn't Have Happened

The night of the gala came too fast.

Liana sat still as a team of stylists prepped her for the evening-foundation to cover her pale anxiety, lipstick in a shade called "blood promise," hair twisted up into an elegant knot that made her look like someone else's wife.

Leona's substitute.

And maybe... someday Killian would notice.

"Do not speak to reporters," Mara reminded her sharply. "Smile, pose, nod politely. Let Mr. Thorne do the talking."

Liana nodded like a doll.

Her dress shimmered gold beneath the lights-strapless, slit at the thigh, dangerously fitted. She barely recognized herself in the mirror. She looked powerful. Poisonous.

Perfect.

Killian hadn't seen her yet.

He'd been buried in meetings all day, locked behind his office doors. She hadn't heard his voice in over 24 hours-not since the cold instructions over breakfast.

---

By the time the car pulled into the marble driveway of the Blackstone Grand Hotel, Liana felt like she'd rehearsed for war.

Paparazzi waited outside like vultures-flashes erupting the moment their limousine door opened. Killian stepped out first, tall and immaculate in black. His cufflinks caught the light like polished blades.

Then he turned-

And saw her.

For a moment, he said nothing.

No cold remark.

No lecture.

Just a long stare that made her skin prickle under the dress.

"Walk with me," he said at last, offering his arm.

She hesitated.

Then took it.

His grip was firm, possessive. Cameras snapped like machine guns as they stepped onto the red carpet. Whispers followed them:

"That's his wife?"

"She's not what I expected."

"Wasn't he supposed to marry someone else?"

Liana kept her face composed, her eyes ahead. Inside, her heart beat wild and uneven.

The ballroom was a garden of wealth-gold chandeliers, live orchestra, crystal flutes brimming with champagne.

Killian guided her to the center of it all.

He introduced her to CEOs, politicians, royalty. Each one greeted her with polite smiles, thinly veiled curiosity, and questions that stung.

"So, how long have you and Mr. Thorne known each other?"

"What drew you to him?"

"Will there be a formal reception later-or was the ceremony too rushed?"

She answered as best she could, spinning vague smiles and practiced silence.

Killian never corrected her.

Never touched her.

But he didn't leave her side either.

---

Halfway through the night, Liana stepped out onto the terrace just to breathe.

The winter air bit at her bare shoulders, but it felt better than the ballroom's heat. She leaned on the railing, staring out at the city lights glittering like promises no one kept.

And then she heard him.

"You handled yourself well tonight."

She turned.

Killian stood in the doorway, his tuxedo jacket draped over one arm, shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows.

She blinked at the compliment. "Thank you."

He stepped closer. The wind tousled a strand of hair from her updo. He reached out-without thinking-and tucked it behind her ear.

She froze.

So did he.

Their eyes locked.

"I thought you hated surprises," she whispered.

"I do," he said softly. "But you're... difficult to categorize."

Her breath caught. "I'm not the woman you think I am."

"I know," he said, surprising her again. "You're more than you let on."

She looked down. "Sometimes I wish I could tell you everything."

Silence stretched between them.

Then, as if pulled by something neither of them could stop, Killian reached out again-slowly, deliberately-and touched her cheek.

"I shouldn't," he muttered.

"But you will," she whispered back.

And he did.

---

The kiss wasn't soft.

It was sharp. Hungry. Confused.

Like a man trying to drink from a well he didn't believe existed.

Liana melted into it, her fingers curling into his shirt, her body pressed against his as if she belonged there.

But she didn't.

Not really.

She was a stranger in his life.

A stolen bride with a ticking secret.

Still, she kissed him like it was real.

Because for one terrifying second... it felt real.

When they pulled apart, Killian's breath was shallow.

His jaw clenched. His gaze burned into her.

"This changes nothing," he said roughly.

Liana nodded. "Of course."

But it had.

They both knew it.