LOGINKate POV“You’re not leaving.” he said. I was already halfway to the door when I heard him as I slowly turned around.Aiden sat in his wheelchair a few feet away, looking completely comfortable. Of course he did as he had been sitting there the entire time while I was standing in his study, holding a folder filled with my entire life.My childhood.My school.My hospital.My family.My life.And somehow, he was the calm one.I looked at him and then at the door. Then back at him.“I wasn’t planning to stay.” I replied which he lifted his eyebrow“You were holding my file.” he said. “So?” I replied. “So people usually leave with what belongs to them.” he replied. I looked down at the folder in my hands. “Exactly.”I hugged it against my chest “I’m taking it with me.”“You're not.” he muttered. “Are you serious?”“Very.”“You have pictures of me in here!”“I know.”“You have notes about me!”“I know.”“You even have information about my hospital shifts!”“I know, Kate.”“Stop sayin
Kate POV The mansion was quiet that evening. Too quiet.I wandered through the halls, trying to make sense of my new life. The walls were lined with paintings and awards I couldn’t even begin to understand. Servants moved silently in the shadows, their eyes on me, like I was something fragile— or dangerous. My heels clicked softly, the sound echoing off the marble floors, making me jump at every distant whisper.I had been told to rest, to settle in, to get used to the mansion. But I couldn’t. My mind was spinning too fast. Noah. My brother still in jail. My family… who had shoved me into this nightmare. And Aiden… cold, unreadable, terrifying Aiden.Curiosity—mixed with a reckless sort of fear—drove me forward. I found myself wandering into a corridor I hadn’t explored yet. At the end of the hall, a heavy wooden door caught my attention. No one had mentioned it. Something about it felt… off.I hesitated.And then, almost without thinking, I opened it.Inside was Aiden’s private stu
Kate POV I walked through the mansion like a ghost, my heels clicking softly against the marble floor. Every room was bigger than any house I had ever seen. Chandeliers hung like frozen waterfalls of crystal, and gold accents glinted in the soft lighting. It should have amazed me, but it didn’t.I felt… small.Servants hovered nearby, their eyes darting nervously toward me. They didn’t smile, didn’t speak unless spoken to. Almost like they were afraid of me— or maybe afraid of him. My stomach twisted.“Kate,” a young maid whispered softly as she adjusted a throw pillow on the couch. “If you need anything, just call.”I nodded, forcing a smile, but inside I was shaking. I didn’t belong here. Not really. This wasn’t home. I wasn’t his wife. I wasn’t anyone’s bride. And yet, everyone treated me like… like I carried a storm behind me.I wandered deeper into the mansion, trying to calm the storm of thoughts in my head. But as I passed the servants quietly preparing for the evening, I over
Kate POV The wedding… happened.I still can’t explain how it went so fast. One moment I was standing frozen at the altar, my heart hammering in my chest, and the next, the officiant was nodding, everyone clapping, and Aiden… Aiden was holding my hand like this was all perfectly normal.I felt trapped.Cold.Like a mouse caught in a cage.The vows were mechanical. Rehearsed. My words barely left my mouth, and his… his were even colder. He didn’t smile, didn’t fumble, didn’t hesitate. Just those sharp, piercing eyes boring into me as though this entire ceremony was some kind of transaction.And maybe it was.I barely had time to breathe before we were ushered out of the hall, through the curious eyes of the guests, and into a black limousine that smelled faintly of leather and something metallic. My hands were clammy, my legs weak.Aiden didn’t speak. Not a word. Just sat there, one hand resting casually on his lap, the other gripping mine with iron strength.“Where are we going?” I fi
Kate POV I froze where I stood, staring at him. The man in the wheelchair—Aiden Wolf—didn’t flinch, didn’t smile, didn’t give me a hint that he was even human. His eyes were sharp, icy, like they could cut through my soul. My heart thumped painfully in my chest.“Wait… this can’t be happening,” I whispered under my breath.“Kate,” my mother hissed from behind me, her voice tight and harsh. “Don’t ruin this opportunity. Move forward.”Move forward? I looked at her, aghast. “Mom! Don’t you get it? This isn’t supposed to be me! Lila… Lila ran away!”My sister, in all her perfect, fake smiles, had abandoned this wedding. And now, somehow, I was supposed to take her place.My mother didn’t blink. “I don’t care what your sister did. You’re the daughter we have. You will do this.”I couldn’t breathe. My family, the people I trusted most, had just shoved me into a nightmare I didn’t agree to. I tried to step back, tried to argue, tried to make them see how insane this was—but they weren’t li
Kate POV“Good morning, Mrs. Annie. Did you sleep well?”I wrapped the blood pressure cuff around her arm while giving her my usual smile. The old woman watched me like I was her favorite person in the world.“Oh Kate,” she said warmly, “you already know I always feel better when you are the one taking care of me.”I laughed softly while checking the monitor. “You say that every time.”“Because it’s true.” She pointed a finger at me. “You’re the only on here who doesn’t rush me like I’m wasting their time.”“Well,” I said, scribbing down her vitals on the clipboard, “I can’t rush you. You’re my favorite patent.”Her smile widened proudly.“See? I knew it.”I finished writing and placed the clipboard back at the foot of her bed.“Everything looks good today. Your vitals are stable.”She sighed dramatically. “Does that mean you’re leaving already?”“My shift is almost over,” I admitted.“Such a shame,” she teased. “The hospital should double your salary so you can stay longer.”I laughe







