The Game He Started
For five years, Elena believed she was the woman Xander Maddox would eventually marry. She gave him her love, her loyalty, and every reason to choose her.
Then, on the night she thought their future was finally beginning, everything fell apart.
One unexpected mistake brought her into the bed of the one man she should never have touched: Cole Maddox, her boyfriend's arrogant, dangerously irresistible brother.
By morning, Xander was preparing to marry someone else, and Elena's life would never be the same.
But the Maddox brothers aren't the only men capable of turning her world upside down. An old agreement between two powerful families threatens to bind Elena to the very man who has become her greatest complication.
Cole doesn't believe in love, and Elena has had enough of being the woman someone promises to choose someday. Neither wants this marriage, but walking away may cost them more than either is willing to lose.
Now, trapped in a game neither of them planned to play, desire and resentment begin to blur the line between revenge and something far more dangerous.
Cole thinks he knows how to win.
Too bad Elena is holding the better cards
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Chapter: Chapter 10-Two lines on the stripELENA“Elena, come out already!” Sophie called impatiently from the bedroom.I sat frozen in the bathroom, staring at the pregnancy strip in my hand.Two lines?What did that mean?I quickly grabbed the package and reread the instructions, my eyes stopping at two words.Positive. Pregnant.“Oh my God,” I whispered.It’s just two weeks of marriage and I had been feeling sick for days. When I told Sophie about my symptoms, she insisted I take a pregnancy test. I had doubted it would be positive, especially since Cole and I hadn't been intimate again since our wedding night, but here I was, staring at a result that had just turned my entire world upside down.I was going to be a mother.A tiny life was growing inside me, a part of me and Cole, and yet I couldn't bring myself to smile.Would he be happy about it? Would he even want the baby?My fingers tightened around the strip as I lowered my head, fighting the tears gathering in my eyes.“Elena, if you don't come out now, I'll break th
Last Updated: 2026-10-29
Chapter: Chapter 9-cold shouldersELENA“Does this marriage mean anything to you?”I asked just as he reached the door, and the way he paused gave me a little hope.I had been the one trying all night to make this marriage work, but it seemed he didn't care about it as much as I did.He turned slowly, his expression more serious this time.“I think you should ask yourself that first.”I stood up at once and walked towards him.“What do you mean?”He only shrugged.“The message is clear, but don't bother your little head about it. I'll try my best to be your husband, just not when we're alone.”Before I could ask what he meant, he opened the door and walked out, slamming it in my face.“Oh, what a wonderful wedding night,” I exclaimed sarcastically, throwing my hands into the air.I sat on the edge of the bed, replaying his words in my head.Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life?I tapped my foot nervously against the marble floor, trying to figure out why he was being so hostile. Had I done something wrong?I
Last Updated: 2026-10-29
Chapter: Chapter 8-First night and temptationCOLEAfter playing my part at the wedding, it was finally time to go home.The car remained quiet throughout the drive, and I stole a few glances at Elena, who seemed lost in her own thoughts. I wanted to ask her if she really saw me as her second option, if she truly believed she was settling for me because my brother had chosen someone else.But my ego wouldn't let me ask.I wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much that message had gotten under my skin.When we arrived, I stepped inside, and she followed close behind me.“Wow.”Her quiet exclamation made me turn towards her. I glanced around my living room, wondering what could possibly have impressed her. My house wasn't even half as grand as my father's mansion.“What?” I asked.She barely spared me a glance as she continued looking around. “You're one neat freak, huh?”“And you're what? The dirty one?”She pouted. “I'm not dirty. I just don't like cleaning.”I scoffed. “Well, that brings me to rule number one
Last Updated: 2026-10-29
Chapter: Chapter 7-Perfect groomELENA I took what felt like my fiftieth deep breath as I stared at myself in the mirror, dressed in a graceful white gown with a bouquet clutched in my hands. My dream wedding day was finally here, yet instead of feeling overwhelmed with happiness, I could barely manage a smile. Part of me was uncertain about the marriage, while another part couldn't stop mourning the future I'd once imagined with Xander. I was about to become someone else's wife, and I wasn't even sure my groom would show up. Cole had barely spoken to me since our last family meeting. He'd ignored my message, stood me up on our dinner date, and left his father to make excuses whenever anyone asked about him. I had tried not to let it bother me, but as I stood there in my wedding dress, one terrible thought refused to leave my mind. What if he didn't come? “Elena, it's time.” Sophie popped her head through the door, but she paused dramatically when she saw me before finally stepping inside. “Oh my God! You loo
Last Updated: 2026-10-29
Chapter: Chapter 6-SilenceELENAMaybe Xander was right in the garden. Maybe I really didn't have to do this. I barely knew Cole well enough to consider spending the rest of my life with him, and perhaps this was my last chance to call off the wedding before it was too late.I sat quietly on my bed, turning the decision over in my mind. My father's company would suffer a great loss if I pulled out now, especially with the wedding preparations already underway, and I couldn't bear the thought of becoming the reason everything he had worked for fell apart.I picked up my phone, which Xander had returned that morning, and stared at it for a while. Sophie was the only person I could talk to about everything weighing on my mind, but I could already predict her response. She would tell me to go ahead with the wedding and give Cole a chance.I dropped the phone and slipped beneath my duvet, hoping sleep would quiet my thoughts, but my eyes refused to close.Perhaps I should talk to Cole first. At least then I could he
Last Updated: 2026-10-29
Chapter: Chapter 5: In the gardenCOLEIt was finally time to meet my bride's family, and was I nervous? Of course not. There was no one I was looking forward to impressing. If anything, I'd prefer they didn't see me as their ideal son-in-law so they wouldn't expect much from me. I really would have loved to wear my usual stylish shirt and trousers, Dad had sent me back to change into an uncomfortable suit with a tie that felt like it was choking me.I stared out of the window as Elena's face flashed through my mind. As much as I looked forward to seeing her again, I still hated the arrangement.“You look too calm for someone who's about to meet his in-laws,” Xander said beside me, drawing my attention away from the window.The expression on his face made me question his claim that he no longer had feelings for Elena.“And you're looking almost as though they're your in-laws we're about to meet,” I replied, noticing the beads of sweat on his forehead despite the air conditioning.He laughed, but I could still hear th
Last Updated: 2026-10-29
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