THE RUIN OF A HEART
PROLOGUE !

THE ROOM WAS SILENT except for the steady, maddening tick of the clock. It echoed throughout the room, each sharp click was a needle in Adina Solomons' skin, marking time she could not reclaim. She stood motionless before the full-length mirror, the sight of her own reflection like a stranger's ghost staring back at her. The dress clung to her, intricate lace and fine fabric hugging her figure in ways that felt suffocating rather than flattering.

Her hands gripped the edges of the vanity in front of her, the polished wood cool against her damp palms. She leaned forward, her eyes scanning the mirror as if she might find some clue to her own escape. But all she saw was her own face, pale and taut, framed by a veil she wanted to rip off.

She was no stranger to strategy. She had grown up watching her brother orchestrate power plays in the shadows of London's underworld. But never—never—had she imagined she would become one of those plays.

And yet here she was.

She took a shaky breath, the corset beneath her dress squeezing her ribs as if the very garment conspired to suffocate her. The room smelled of lavender and dust, a saccharine combination that only added to her nausea. Outside, she could hear the faint murmurs of voices—the guests gathering, the Peaky Blinders already rousing up a little mischief by cracking jokes, the hum of a world moving forward without care for her misery.

The young Solomons woman pressed a hand to her chest, willing her heart to calm. She hated this. The waiting. The panic that swarmed her every vein. The knowledge that her life, her choices, had been signed away in ink on a contract drawn up without her say so.

Her brother had done this. He had offered her up like a bargaining chip, a sweetener to seal his alliance with the Peaky Blinders. He would do anything to best the Italians. But alliances required trust, and what better way to ensure loyalty than to tie two families together?

Adina's fists clenched at the thought. She could still hear Alfie's voice in her mind, gruff and unapologetic, explaining why this had to be done. "Business, Adina. You've got to see the bigger picture."

She wanted to scream at him. To claw at his face and make him feel the helplessness he had thrust upon her. But she hadn't. She couldn't. Because Alfie was the only family she had, and even through her anger, she couldn't bring herself to hate him completely.

The door creaked open behind her, and Adina stiffened, her hands gripping the vanity once more. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The heavy, uneven tread of boots on the floor was as familiar as her own heartbeat.

"Well," Alfie's voice rumbled, low and rough, like gravel underfoot. "Don't you look the part, eh? Like a queen."

She spun on her heel slowly, her veil brushing her shoulders as she moved. Her brother stood in the doorway, his imposing frame filling the room. His beard was neatly trimmed for the occasion, but his hat was tilted at a casual angle, as if he were merely here to oversee another business deal.

"Is that you can say to me?" Adina questioned, her voice sharp but trembling.

Alfie met her gaze, his expression unreadable. "I did what needed doing." He replied, his tone softening just a fraction. "You think I wanted this? You think I don't know what it cost?" Adina's chest heaved with the effort to hold back tears.

"I know you can do this." Alfie suddenly took a step forward, his voice thick with something that might have been regret. Might have been. "That's why it's you. Because you're strong enough to make it through this."

            She laughed bitterly, the sound hollow in the small room. "And if I'm not? If this ruins me?"

            "It won't." Alfie uttered, his hands twitching at his sides as if he wanted to reach out to her but didn't dare. "You're a Solomons. You're my sister and as long as this deal remains in place, I will be there for you."

             Adina shook her head, her heart pounding in her chest, blood pounding in her ears. She didn't want to be strong. She didn't want her choices made for her. She wanted freedom, a life of her own choosing.

             But that life was gone now, and in its place stood the unyielding figure of her brother.

            "They're all waiting." Alfie said after a moment, his voice quieter now.

            She chuckled humourlessly. "Well, we wouldn't want that, now would we?" Adina turned back to the mirror, staring at her reflection one last time. She straightened her shoulders, lifting her chin as she swallowed the knot in her throat. "God forbid."

            Without another word, she spun on her heel then stepped past Alfie. All the while the sound of her heels on the wooden floor a steady counterpoint to the ticking clock. Behind her, Alfie followed, his shadow a reminder of the burden she now carried because of him.

            In mere moments from now, she would see him. Dressed up in a fancy suit at the alter. Her husband to be. Thomas Shelby.

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jamielee's thoughts.
prologue, not proofread.
i was talking to my friend and we both just knew I needed to write this fic so I hope you enjoyed <3