LOGINToday was my birthday—the day Jason promised he would propose. Instead, I found him in bed with my cousin. My heart shattered into a million pieces. I had grown up in my uncle and aunt’s house after losing my parents, enduring their cruelty and coldness, and Jason had been the only light in my dark world. Now even he sided with the people who had tormented me the most. As if betrayal weren’t enough, my own family drugged me, planning to hand me over to some man to secure a business deal. I thought my life was over—until fate intervened. I ended up in the bed of Adrian, Jason’s untouchable, powerful uncle. One night changed everything. I had decided to bury it forever in my heart, but he grabbed my wrist and said slowly, “If all you need is a marriage… how about we get married?”
View MoreLILA’S POVTHREE YEARS LATER The first thing I heard on my wedding morning was Ellen crying.Not loudly… just soft sniffles from the corner of the bridal suite, where she stood with a tissue pressed under her eyes and a glass of champagne untouched in her other hand.“Aunt Ellen,” I said, turning away from the mirror. “If you start, I’ll start.”“I’m not starting,” she said quickly, then sniffed again. “I’m just breathing emotionally.”That made the whole room laugh.My bridesmaids were fussing with flowers, earrings, perfume, the veil, the little emergency kit no one needed but everyone kept opening anyway. The suite overlooked the gardens of Ambrosia’s oldest hotel, the first property Adrian’s father had ever bought before the company became a global name.It had been Adrian’s idea to marry here.“This place started everything for my family,” he’d told me. “It should witness the start of ours properly.”Properly.That word had stayed with me.The first time we got married, I had w
LILA’S POVFor the first ten minutes of the drive, I said nothing.The city slid past the window in a blur of glass buildings, traffic lights, and people living normal lives. Some people talking busily on phones, some relaxing in a cafe, all of them living their own interesting, varied lives. Everything outside looked ordinary, which made the mess inside my chest feel even worse.I pressed my fingers into my lap until my nails left small half-moon marks on my skin.Taylor drove in silence. He was good at that. Most of Adrian’s people were good at silence. They moved quietly, always knew too much but said little. But this time, I needed someone to say something.“Taylor,” I said.His eyes flicked to me in the rearview mirror. “Yes, ma’am?”“Is it true?”“Is what true, ma’am?” I sighed. “About Jason?” I asked. “Did you keep him at the lakehouse?”For a few seconds, only the sound of the road filled the car.Then Taylor said, “We did, ma’am.”My breath caught, even though some part o
ADRIAN’S POV“Goodbye, Adrian.”For a moment, I could not move. Lila stood in front of me with tears on her face, her shoulders straight, her eyes full of pain I had put there. She looked smaller than she should have in the middle of that hallway, but not weak.“Lila,” I said quietly. “Don’t go.”She turned away.I followed before I could stop myself. “Please. Stay. We can talk about this properly.”“There’s nothing to talk about.”“There is everything to talk about.”She kept walking toward the stairs.I stepped in front of her without touching her. “I made a mistake. I should have told you. I know that now.”She looked up at me, eyes shining. “You only know it because I found out.”I deserved that.“I was going to tell you tonight.”She gave a broken little laugh. “That makes it worse.”“Lila—”“No,” she said. “You don’t get to explain it until it sounds reasonable.”I wanted to argue. God help me, I wanted to say everything at once. But nothing I’d say would help my cause, because
LILA’S POVI dropped the dress and ran. By the time I reached the stairs, the front hall was already a battlefield.Adrian stood near the entrance, still in his suit from work, his jaw tight and his eyes sharp with fury. Luke stood a few feet away, looking calm on the surface but tense in the shoulders. Taylor was nearby, watching both men like he was ready to move if one of them so much as breathed wrong.Vanessa had disappeared, probably wanting no part of this. I was glad for that. “What are you doing on my property?” Adrian demanded.Luke lifted his chin. “Lila was upset; I drove her home.”“And that gives you permission to stand in my driveway?”“No,” Luke said. “But I don’t know what happened, and I don’t know you. All I know is she was crying, and somehow you are at the center of it.”The air seemed to snap.Adrian stepped forward. “Careful.”Luke did not back down. “I am being careful. That’s why I’m still here.”I saw Adrian’s hand curl into a fist. I knew what would follow…
LILA’S POVMy heart was beating so hard it felt painful, but I refused to let anyone see that. Not here. Not in Tra Que’s glass conference room, where anyone passing by could look in and see my personal life falling apart again.I took a breath and looked at Jason. “We’ll talk. But not here.”His
LILA’S POV“The number you are trying to reach is currently switched off.”I lowered my phone.It had been two days since Jason publicly declared he still loved me, and the city decided my life was a romance drama that needed audience voting. Two days since I decided, against my better judgment, th
ADRIAN’S POVI stood at the head of the conference table in my Ambrosia office, sleeves rolled up, eyes moving across the latest ownership transfer plan for Montero Construction while my legal team sat around me.Jackson Hart, one of the senior corporate lawyers, adjusted his glasses and looked dow
LILA’S POVThe seconds that passed felt like hours. “How… how is that possible?” Aunt Maggie whispered, finally.Uncle Andrew’s gaze swung to me like a searchlight.Ice slid down my spine.“What the hell did you do?” he asked accusingly. “I—I don’t know. Can we please talk somewhere private?” I p












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