Cassia thought surviving the arena was the hardest part. But freedom, it turns out, comes at a cost. Now engaged to a man she does not love, confined to a life chosen for her, and silenced by the very name she bears, Cassia walks a line between obedience and defiance. Every smile is a mask. Every step, a calculation. And every night, she whispers a name Rome wants her to forget. Ronan is no longer a slave-but he is not free. Hidden from the public eye, erased by decree, he remains a symbol too dangerous to kill and too powerful to release. But Cassia remembers. And Ronan-scarred, silent, still burning-remembers her. As rebellion simmers beneath the marble surface of the empire, Cassia must decide if love alone is worth the fall. Because some vows are spoken. Others are carved into the soul. And beneath the laurel moon, nothing stays hidden forever. A sweeping, slow-burn romance of forbidden love, quiet rebellion, and a girl who dares to want more in a world that expects her to disappear.