Chapter 3

Thorne followed the luxury car toward the church.

The church where he was getting married today belonged to the Montier family's estate — St. Cain's Cathedral, said to be a sacred site left behind by the great Archbishop Cain.

The car pulled into the Montier Manor.

Escorted by several bodyguards, Thorne stepped into the ancient church.

A large crowd was already waiting for him inside — members of the Montier family of all kinds.

Inside the church, the Montier family had gathered around a doctor in a white coat named Jasper Miller. He seemed to have just finished a final examination of a patient. His expression was troubled, and he shook his head with reluctance.

"I'm sorry, Baron. Miss Montier's condition hasn't improved at all."

"The only hope of curing her might be finding that woman people talk about — Mrs. Blackwood."

Thorne had just stepped through the church doors when he caught that last name, and he froze.

Wasn't that his mentor's last name?

Could this man be talking about his mentor?

Thorne shot the doctor a quick, puzzled glance.

Jasper soon left the church, the doors swinging open and shut behind him.

"You're Thorne, from the Victor family?"

A harsh voice reached Thorne's ears.

It was the head of the Montier family — Adrian Montier.

Thorne confirmed that he was.

Adrian's face darkened. "You're the one who killed someone, went to prison, and did ten years?"

Thorne answered calmly that he was.

Adrian's anger flared. "The Victor family has some nerve. A convicted killer — you think you're worthy of marrying my daughter?!"

An old, raspy cough cut through the tension.

Adrian's father, the previous head of the Montier family, Viklian Montier, slowly wheeled himself forward in front of everyone.

He lifted his weathered eyes and looked Thorne over.

Then he spoke to the room.

"I approved this."

"Adrian, go ahead with the wedding as planned."

With his father having spoken, Adrian had nothing more to say. He only looked toward his daughter, his eyes carrying a trace of reluctance.

The wedding proceeded as scheduled.

As the music began, the priest started the ceremony.

A figure in a pure white wedding gown appeared in the church.

Supported on both sides by two attendants, a strikingly beautiful woman with a stunning figure walked down the aisle with a bright smile, stopping in front of Thorne at the center of the church.

Thorne stared, caught off guard. The bride was this beautiful?

He listened to the soft, muddled sounds she was making under her breath — he couldn't make out a single word, but he could tell her mental state wasn't like most people's.

"Pretty flowers... pretty, pretty flowers... hehe..."

The bride was happy. Thorne finally caught what she was saying.

Their eyes met, and the priest began his blessing.

"With God as our witness today, we gather to join these two in marriage. Thorne Victor, do you take this woman beside you to be your wife, to have and to hold, in wealth and in poverty, in health and in sickness, to cherish and stand by her for all the days of your life?"

Thorne looked at the woman before him and said calmly, "I do."

The priest turned to the bride, whose expression was vacant and childlike, and softened his voice. "Daisy Montier, do you take this man beside you to be your husband, to be with him and stand by his side for all the days of your life?"

The girl had no idea what was being said. She blinked blankly a couple of times, then turned and stared at Thorne with a silly grin. "Candy! I do, I do... that light is pretty!"

Watching her like this, Thorne felt a quiet helplessness. But the wedding was done now, and when he looked at her, something in his eyes softened.

He gently reached out and touched her forehead. "You're my wife now. From this point on, you belong to me."

"If God won't restore your mind, then I swear in my own name — I will."

And in that very moment, the instant his fingers touched her warm forehead, Thorne felt it — the demon sealed inside him, the one that had been constantly pushing against its chains, suddenly went completely still.

It was as if some force had seized it and locked it in place, unable to move.

He even heard it crying out in his mind, begging for mercy.

Thorne was stunned. This girl — his bride — had the power to subdue the demon inside him?

What shocked him even more was that it wasn't just the demon that was affected. For a brief moment, a flash of clarity crossed the girl's eyes, and the vacant, childlike look on her face seemed to ease — just a little.

She gazed at him, and then, she smiled.

Thorne smiled too. Because he knew — the fated partner his mentor had spoken of was almost certainly the girl standing in front of him. His bride.

The wedding went smoothly enough.

When it was over and the guests had gone, Adrian walked up to Thorne, his face dark.

"Listen up. You'd better treat my daughter right. If you don't, I'll show you somewhere a lot worse than prison."

But then he reached into his jacket and pulled out a black bank card.

"There's ten million dollars in here. Consider it compensation from our family."

"We'll also deposit one million every month going forward."

"But you take care of Daisy. If we ever find out she's been hurt while she's with you, you're finished."

"The nannies and staff are all experienced. They'll help you look after her day to day."

He dropped the card, let out a cold snort, said nothing more, and walked out of the church.

"That's just how Adrian is."

"Don't take it to heart. You're Thorne, right?"

"What a tall, handsome young man. Your parents called and begged me to make this happen."

"What they don't know is that I actually met you once when you were little."

The old man Viklian wheeled himself over to Thorne's side, his worn voice carrying the weight of a story.

"You're a good kid. A priest told me that if this girl could marry you, there'd be a chance she could come out of the state she's in."

"And this wasn't just any priest."

"He said Daisy didn't end up this way because of illness."

"It's a special gift she has — and what she's going through now is the effect of it awakening."

"I can only hope that old man wasn't talking nonsense."

The moment those words landed, something jolted through Thorne's mind.

He hadn't expected to find his fated partner this quickly.

And what surprised him even more was what the priest had said — that his wife Daisy wasn't mentally ill because of any disease.

It was because of some kind of special gift.

That lined up perfectly with what he had just felt.

Could it be a gift that suppressed demons?

The thought hit him, and Thorne made up his mind right then — he needed to look into his new bride's nature as soon as he got the chance.