Evelyn's POV
The courthouse steps felt like climbing a mountain.
Three days since Vegas. Three days of hiding in Damien's penthouse while lawyers filed paperwork and my father's people searched for me. Three days of phone calls from numbers I didn't recognize, messages I didn't read, threats I ignored.
Three days of being almost-married but not quite legal.
Today, that changed.
"Ready?" Damien stood beside me, looking perfect in a black suit that probably cost more than my old car. His hand extended, palm up. An offering. A choice.
I could still run. Could still say no. Could still go back to my family and beg forgiveness and let them erase me completely.
Or I could take his hand and become someone new.
I laced my fingers through his. "Ready."
His smile was small but real. "Let's make you Mrs. Ashford."
