Chapter 167
Annalise
He was being true to his word.
That was the worst part of all.
No matter how many times I tried to manipulate him, challenge him, twist his demand into something I could control—Demonis never wavered. His terms stayed the same. His stare never faltered. His smile, that cursed, knowing smile, always lingered on his lips like he knew I’d fold eventually.
And I had.
Not because I believed him. Not because I accepted this hell as home. But because I’d run out of time… and I was the one at a loss. He wasn’t. He could wait for eternity.
I couldn't.
So tonight, in the suffocating silence of my chambers, I stared at my own reflection—at the ghost of the girl I used to be—and finally made peace with the impossible decision I’d made.
I would marry him.
Not because I wa
