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CHAPTER ONE: The second chance
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2026-01-31 18:39:27Aria's POV.
The first thing I felt was that sharp and intense pain.
It wasn't the dull kind that comes with waking up from a very long sleep, instead, this one was fiercely sharp and somewhat painful. The feeling of a blade cutting between my ribs, the ironic taste of blood seeping through my mouth and the cold touch of the surgical table beneath my naked skin.
"So, you really thought I was on your side?"
Lydia's voice continued to sound in my head filled with extreme contempt.
"How pathetic."
My eyes snapped open as I stared upward directly at the white ceiling above me, then my gaze suddenly moved abruptly to the duvet on my body as I took in the faint scent of sandalwood and expensive leather that was unmistakably his.
I instantly jerked up, my heart beating so fast as I instantly turned towards the window.
Lucien Blackwood sat there, his body stunningly lit by morning sun, looking like a model that stepped out of a magazine spread. His body was elegantly adorned by the tailored charcoal suit that probably cost more than most people's yearly salary and a crisp white shirt with his dark hair perfectly styled. Even after what must have been an all-night vigil, he was still… flawless.
He was watching me with the stillness of a predator, beautiful and dangerous in equal measure.
Those steel-grey eyes held no warmth, just endless, patient vigilance. One hand rested on his temples while the other held a crystal glass of whiskey.
Geez, he was so beautiful, devastatingly, unfairly beautiful in a way that made my chest ache.
How had I spent five months looking at this man and seeing only a captor? How had I been so blind?
"You're awake," he said, his voice low and smooth.
I looked down at my wrists and I gasped in shock when I saw fresh bandages with spots of red seeping through it.
Then, almost immediately, the memories of last night crashed over me like a tidal wave. The memories of the bathroom, the cold press of the razor blade against my skin as I remembered my own voice, shrill and desperate, "I'd rather die than stay in this cage with you! Let me go, Lucien! Let me go or I swear I'll do it!"
I'd meant it as a threat, the final card I could play. I'd tried everything else over the past five months, crying, pleading, raging, destroying his priceless antiques, calling the police, even trying to seduce him into lowering his guard but nothing had worked.
Lucien never reacted, he never shouted, never showed anger or hurt or frustration.
He just... endured with that maddening calm that made me want to scream.
So last night, I'd escalated, I'd locked myself in the bathroom, found his razor, and pressed it to my wrist. Though it wasn't deep enough to actually die, of course, I wasn't that stupid but it was actually enough for me to bleed, enough to scare him, enough to finally break that iron control.
And surprisingly, it had worked.
I remembered the door shattering, the way Lucien had appeared in the doorway like an avenging angel, his usual composure cracked just enough for me to see something raw and terrified flash across his perfect features just for about three seconds. Then the mask had slammed back into place, and he'd simply lifted me effortlessly, like I weighed nothing and carried me to the bed. His movements had been fluid, controlled, almost graceful despite the blood on his hands… my blood.
He'd bandaged my wrists with steady, methodical precision, like he was performing a surgery, like this was just another problem to solve in his perfectly ordered wealthy life.
Then he had sat in that chair and apparently stayed there all night.
But mixed with those memories were others, ones that shouldn't exist yet. Memories of dying on a surgical table seven months from now, of Ethan's cold smile, of Lydia's satisfied eyes, of the moment before death when I'd remembered everything and realized I'd spent my last months destroying the only person who'd ever truly loved me.
"What day is it?" I asked, my voice rough.
"August 20th." He took a slow sip of the whiskey as I watched his Adam's apple move in his throat. Even that simple movement was graceful. "Five months since you woke up with no memory, five months since you started trying to escape from me."
There was no emotion in his voice, just facts stated calmly.
But I saw the tension in his shoulders, the tight line of his jaw. The way his fingers gripped the glass just a fraction too hard.
"Lucien…"
"Get up," he interrupted, setting down the glass with precise control. "Breakfast is ready, you need to eat." He said without leaving any room for choices.
He moved toward the door with that predatory grace, then paused without looking back.
"Don't try the windows, they're reinforced and alarmed. Don't try the service entrance, my security team is stationed there. Don't even try to call anyone, your phone is monitored." His voice was soft, almost gentle. "And don't try to hurt yourself again, because if you do, I'll have a medical team here 24/7. You won't have a moment alone. Is that clear?"
I should have felt threatened or angry at being treated like a prisoner but instead, all I felt was guilt.
Because he wasn't being cruel, he was just exhausted from five months of my escape attempts.
"Clear," I whispered.
He left without another word.
I got up on shaky legs as I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. I was so pale and hollow-eyed, the bandages on my wrists was stark white against my skin.
“This guy has such a bad taste. I won't even marry myself like this.“ I said as I shook my head in self-pity.
~~~
When I made my way downstairs fifteen minutes later, I found Lucien in the dining room.
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FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX — THE MATRIARCH'S SUBTLE REGRET
Aria's POVThe morning sun filtered through the high-performance glass of the medical wing, turning the sterile room into a soft, hazy gold color. Lucien was still asleep, his breathing deep and even for the first time in hours. I hadn't moved from his side. My head was rested on the edge of his mattress, my hand still tucked firmly in his.The quietness was shattered by the sound of heavy, rhythmic footsteps in the hallway. These weren't the silent, tactical steps of Chen or Marcus. They were deliberate and commanding.The door slid open, and Helena Blackwood stepped inside.She wasn't wearing her usual structured boardroom armor. Instead, she wore a simple black silk wrap, her silver ha
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE — A LOVE MEAL
Aria's POVI sat by Lucien’s bed for hours, my hand locked in his. The nurse’s words looped in my mind, Genetic. Chronic stress. Alcohol. I looked at his pale face. This man, who moved mountains to keep me in a gilded cage, was crumbling from the inside out. Every time I had fought him, every time I had looked at him with cold suspicion, I had been pushing him closer to this bed. The guilt was like a heavy weight in my chest, heavier than the wooden box still tucked in my jacket.I didn't want to ask about Vane anymore. I didn't care about the boy on the beach or the "J" on the compass. Not right now. I just wanted the man in front of me to breathe without a machine.Around 4:00 A&z
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR — UNFORSEEN DISCOVERY
Aria's POVI stood outside the glass doors of the private medical suite, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of Lucien’s chest. He looked fragile, pinned to the bed by plastic tubes and glowing wires. The high-tech hum of the monitors felt like a countdown I couldn't stop.Marcus stood by the door, his arms crossed over his chest. His suit jacket was off, his shirtsleeves were rolled up, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like a man who had been at war for forty-eight hours straight."He’s stable," Marcus said, though his voice lacked its usual iron. "But the doctors say the next few hours are critical. The strain on his heart was too much."I turned to him, the wooden box with the silver compasses still heavy in my pocket. "Marcus, talk to me. What really happened? You said it was the mission, but I saw the scars. That wasn't just shrapnel. That looked like a lifetime of trauma."Marcus tightened his jaw. He looked at
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE — THE UNEXPECTED COLLAPSE
Aria's POVLucien was still standing by the darkened television, his silhouette cast in jagged red by the emergency lights. He looked like a king standing amidst the ruins of his palace. His chest was heaving, his hand still white-knuckled around the grip of his gun."Lucien?" I stopped in my tracks as I called out.My voice was cold, filtered through the new layer of distrust I felt. I still had the wooden box tucked behind my back, the silver compasses biting into my palm. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to demand the name of the boy in the photo.But Lucien didn’t turn around.He stayed frozen, staring at the black screen where Vane’s face had been moments ago. Then, a strange sound came from him, a harsh, wet wheeze that sounded like air being forced through a crushed pipe.His gun slipped from his hand. It hit the thick carpet with a dull thud."Lucien!"My suspicion vanished, replaced by the sharp, electric jolt of my
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO — STRANGER
Aria's POVThe library was too cold. The air felt thin and clinical, like everything else in the high-tech prison Lucien called a home. I stood against the mahogany shelves, my fingers tightening around the small wooden box. Inside, the silver compasses clinked. The sound was soft, but in the dead silence, it sounded like a warning.I turned the bent compass over and I felt the tiny, jagged engraving on the back.J & A.The letters were old and faded. A was for Aria. That was me. But the J was like a hole in my life. My mind searched for a name, a face, or a voice but I found nothing. The amnesia was a solid wall, cold and unyielding.Lucien had told me I was alone. When I woke up in that hospital bed, he was the only thing I had. He told me my parents were dead. He said I had no siblings. He said he was the only anchor I had left in a dangerous world.Liar.The thought didn't come from my brain. It came from my
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE — THE SHADOW AT THE DOOR
Aria's POVThe silence following my question was more than just an absence of sound, it was a physical weight. Lucien’s hand, usually an immovable anchor of strength, was trembling against my waist. The "Dark Lord" who had just dismantled a boardroom full of predators looked like he was staring at his own executioner."Lucien," I repeated, my voice dropping to a whisper as I searched his face. "Who is Vane? Why are you reacting like this?"He didn't answer. He couldn't. He looked at Marcus, a silent command passing between them that I couldn't decipher. Without a word, Lucien hauled me toward the private elevator, his stride frantic and disjointed.As the doors hissed shut, plunging us into the high-speed descent, Lucien finally turned to me. His eyes were no longer silver, they had darkened to something terrifyingly black."Vane is a ghost I thought I had buried, Aria," he rasped, his voice sounding like grinding stones. "
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