Chapter 110 FINAL TEST.

Chapter 110 FINAL TEST.
THANE’S POV:
I’d never known fury could feel like this, so sharp it burned through my veins like acid.
The walls seemed to close in on me, four gold-painted cages mocking the man I’d become. My knuckles were raw, blood crusting where I’d slammed the door too many times. Every breath felt like smoke inside my chest, every heartbeat a reminder that she was somewhere beyond these walls… and I couldn’t reach her.
For three endless days, I’d been trapped in this damned room. Three full days without sunlight, without Madison, without answers. I didn’t know if they’d told her some lie about me leaving. Didn’t know if she was locked up too or if they’d made her believe I’d walked away.
Every few hours, a tray of steaming food slid through a slit at the bottom of the door, like I was some prized animal they wanted to keep alive but not free. No faces. No words. Just the sound of the tray clinking against the floor before the slot shut again with a finality that made my blood boil.
No guards entered. No attendants. No one I could talk to, bribe, threaten, or reason with.
“KWAME!” I slammed my fist against the door for the hundredth time. “LET ME OUT OF HERE!”
The heavy wood rattled in its frame but didn’t budge. Solid. Built to withstand much more than one furious hockey player.
“Open this damn door!” I shouted, slamming my palm against the steel. “You can’t keep me here! Do you hear me, Kwame? You can’t keep her from me!”
My voice echoed, bounced back at me like mockery.
“If you think you can lock me up and I’ll just sit here, you’ve got the wrong man.” My jaw clenched so tight it hurt.
I kicked the door hard enough to make it tremble. My breath came in ragged bursts.
“I swear to God, when I get out, I’m going to deal with every single person who kept me in this room! Do you hear me? EVERY. SINGLE. ONE!”
Silence answered. As it had for three days.
I grabbed the handle, shook it violently. The lock held. Of course it did. This was a palace. Security was probably laughing at my futile attempts.
“You can’t keep my wife away from me!” I kicked again, pain shooting up my leg. Didn’t care. “I’ll go to any length! I’ll tear this place apart brick by brick! I’ll—”
My voice cracked. I leaned my forehead against the wood, panting.
I was gasping, chest heaving with rage.
If only I’d known… If only I’d known that finding these people, the ones who shared Madison’s blood, would turn into a nightmare, I’d have left the past buried. I thought I was giving her a gift, finding her roots. Instead, I handed her over to strangers who wanted to clip her wings.
We could’ve been in the Netherlands right now, planning our ceremony without interference, building our life without kingdoms, traditions, and royal fathers who thought they knew better.
I ran my hands through my hair, the sting of regret in my chest. “I should’ve known,” I muttered. “Power always comes with a price.”
“If they’ve hurt her…” I whispered to no one. “If they’ve made her cry, there won’t be a palace left standing.”
The click sliced through the silence. For a moment, I thought I’d imagined it. My pulse froze, every muscle going still before instinct kicked in. I stepped back, fists curling tight. I was done with tests and traditions and—
The door swung open.
President Kwame stood there, First Lady Liana beside him. Both dressed formally. Both wearing expressions I couldn’t read.
“You—” Fury exploded through me before I could think. “You have some NERVE showing your face after locking me up like a—”
“Thane.” Kwame raised his hand. “Calm down.”
There was something in his tone—not command, not authority—something almost weary. A father’s exhaustion, not a ruler’s power.
I snapped, voice shaking with anger. “Calm down? CALM DOWN?” I moved toward him, ready to— what? Attack a president? Great plan.
“You kept me away from Madison for three days! You made me think—you made HER think—”
He exhaled deeply, holding my gaze. “Calm down, son. All this anger isn’t good for your wedding.”
My rage faltered, my mouth falling open. “My—what?”
I stared at them both. “Am I hallucinating, or did you just say wedding?”
Kwame actually chuckled. “You heard me.”
First Lady Liana’s eyes softened. “Don’t you have a ceremony to catch?” Her smile was gentle, warm. “Or did you forget what tomorrow is?”
“I—of course I didn’t—” My brain scrambled to catch up. “Wait. What?”
Kwame said calmly, “And we need to leave immediately if you’re going to make it on time.”
I blinked, half expecting hidden cameras to pop out of the ceiling. “You locked me up for three days… and now you’re talking about a wedding like we just had brunch?”
Kwame stepped into the room, his hand landing heavy on my shoulder. “You have my blessing. Both of you do. To marry. To build your life. To love my daughter the way she deserves.”
I gaped between him and the room that had been my prison. Checked my own sanity because this made no sense. “Kwame, are you messing with me?”