CHAPTER 1

~ Leah ~

I pressed my back against the cold kitchen shelf and pulled my knees tightly to my chest. Every breath felt painful. Just a few feet away, the heavy sound of Luke Paul's shoes echoed across the marble floor.

"Leah! Baby! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

His voice wasn’t a normal shout. It was soft and almost playful, but it sent chills down my spine. The hairs on my arms stood up. I covered my mouth with both hands, trying to stop myself from making a sound. My ribs ached with every beat of my heart. If Luke found me now, I knew I wouldn’t live to tell anyone what happened.

We were supposed to get married next month. It wasn’t a love marriage. Our engagement was arranged before I was even born. Our grandparents had made a deal to unite their companies by marrying the first grandson and granddaughter born into the two families. Five days ago, my parents packed my bags and sent me to stay at Luke’s family mansion for a week so I could “bond” with my future husband.

But the man the world saw—the handsome, charming billionaire known for helping others—wasn’t the real Luke. The moment the doors of his private penthouse closed behind us, the kind, perfect man disappeared. In his place was a monster.

For five days, I became Luke’s personal punching bag. He never needed a reason to hurt me. A glass placed in the wrong spot, a look he didn’t like, or even a simple sigh was enough to make him hit me.

Yesterday was the worst.

I was talking to my mother on the phone, just wanting to hear her voice, when Luke snatched it from my hand. He accused me of trying to ruin his perfect image. Then he smashed my phone against the wall and beat me until morning. Thank goodness the phone still worked, even with its broken screen.

Now my body was covered in dark purple and black bruises.

He had lied to me. He told me we would spend only one night at the penthouse before moving to the main Paul family mansion, where his paralyzed mother lived. But instead, he kept me trapped here. There were no servants, no neighbors, and no one to hear my screams. I was completely alone, hundreds of miles away from home.

With my sweaty, trembling hands, I pulled my cracked phone from my pocket. My hands shook so badly that I almost dropped it on the tiled floor. I took a deep breath, held it tightly, and called the one person who was supposed to protect me.

My mother.

The phone rang once.Twice.Three times.

Please, Mom… please answer.

"Hello? Leah?" her voice finally drifted through the speaker.

"M-Mom..." My voice tore from my throat, a broken, trembling thread. "Mom, please..."

"Leah? Why on earth are you whispering? Why is your voice shaking like that? Are you causing trouble?" Mom asked. She sounded more annoyed than worried.

“Mom, I’m dying here,” I sobbed, pressing my hand over my mouth to keep my voice down. Hot tears ran down my cheeks, mixing with the dust and dried blood on my face.

“I can’t do this. I can’t marry Luke. Please, come and get me. I can’t marry him!”

"Honey, what foolishness are you talking about?" Mom sighed loudly, and I could hear the rustle of papers in the background. "Your father is right here with me. What do you mean you can't marry Luke? The wedding invitations have already been sent.”

“Mom, he beats me!” I cried. The words came out before I could stop them. “He hits me every day! He locks me inside the house. Mom, I’m like a prisoner. I’m so scared.”

For a few seconds, there was only silence.

“Leah… are you sure you’re not exaggerating? Luke would never do something like that. We all know he’s a good man,” my mom said.

“Mom, you know I would never make something like this up. Luke has been beating me ever since I came here,” I cried.

My father’s cold voice came through the phone.

"Leah, stop being so dramatic," Dad said in a calm, emotionless voice. "Every marriage has problems. That's not a reason to cancel a wedding this important. You need to learn how to deal with your future husband."

“Dad, he tried to rape me!” I cried into the phone. The memory made my stomach twist with fear. “Just a few minutes ago! I had to fight him off and run away. Right now, I’m hiding behind a kitchen shelf while he’s looking for me. He’s going to harm me!”

“Leah, watch your mouth!” Dad snapped. His voice was cold and angry—but not at Luke. It was directed at me.

“Luke has every right to do whatever he wants with you. We are not calling off this marriage with the Paul family. Do you have any idea what’s at stake? Your grandparents made this agreement years ago. If we back out now, the Paul family will pull their billions out of our business. Our company will collapse, and we’ll lose everything. We’ll be bankrupt by morning. Is that what you want? Do you want us to become poor?”

I stared into the darkness behind the shelf, too shocked to speak. My mouth slowly fell open.

“Dad… I just told you my life is in danger. And you’re talking about money?”

Mom spoke again, her voice gentle, but her words were colder than any slap.

“Sweetheart, you just have to endure it. Be smarter. Find out what makes him angry and stop doing it. Every marriage has its good and bad moments. No marriage is perfect. You’ll get used to it.”

I haven't even married Luke yet, and my life is already a nightmare. What will happen after we get married?

A bitter laugh almost escaped my lips.

If I didn’t look so much like my mother, I would have believed I was adopted. What kind of parents hear their daughter crying for help and tell her to get used to it?

“So… that’s it?” I whispered. The last bit of hope I had left broke apart. “You’re really telling me to stay here and die at the hands of this monster just so you can keep your money? You’re choosing your wealth over your own daughter’s life and happiness.”

My chest tightened so much that I could barely breathe. My parents' betrayal hurt far more than any punch Luke had ever given me.

"Leah, enough of this childish tantrum!" Mom shouted through the phone, her patience completely gone. "You are twenty years old, start acting like an adult! Even your little brother, Adam, who is only ten, wouldn't act this pathetic and embarrassing. Stop ruining our evening."

The line went dead.

"Hello? Mom? Hello?!" I whimpered, staring at the blank screen.

Even Adam wouldn’t act this pathetic and embarrassing.

The thought kept repeating in my head.

I was never their daughter. I was nothing more than a tool. They had handed me over to the highest bidder to protect their wealth and luxury, while Adam remained the loved and protected child.

I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of my bruised hand. I couldn’t waste time crying anymore.

If my parents weren’t going to save me, then I had to save myself.

Tonight, I’ll wait for the perfect chance to escape.

I would run and I would never look back.

The heavy kitchen door slowly swung open, cutting off my thoughts.

“Leah, baby…” Luke’s voice was so close that it sent fear through my body. I heard the soft sound of his clothes as he walked past the kitchen island. “I know you’re in here. Come out now. Because I swear, if I have to find you myself, you’ll regret it.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and curled into the smallest ball I could, pressing myself against the wall. I held my breath until my lungs started to burn.

His footsteps grew louder. He was walking straight toward my aisle of shelves. My heart hammered against my ribs so loudly I was terrified he would hear it.

Just a few more steps and he'll see me, I thought wildly, praying for a miracle.

Then, the universe played its cruelest joke.

In the dead silence of the kitchen, my phone screen suddenly lit up. The loud, blaring blast of my ringtone shattered the air.

Oh my God.

Luke’s footsteps stopped.

Then I heard him slowly turn toward my hiding place, a low, vicious chuckle rumbling in his throat.