Chapter 1

Liana's POV

"Shut up! You don't get to say Lia's name!"

At the sound of my name, my husband Zane Gordon's expression darkened. He reached out and clamped his hand around his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Bailey's throat as she tipped her head back.

His brutal grip had her crying out again and again.

But Zane offered no comfort, only letting out a cold, mocking laugh.

"You can't even handle this? What Lia went through back then hurt a hell of a lot worse! Even if you paid with your life, you'd still have it coming!"

When I heard my name on his lips, my fingers tightened around the pregnancy test results, trembling uncontrollably.

It felt as though a crushing weight was pressing down on my chest, forcing the air from my lungs.

"My life?"

Vanessa laughed as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world, then rolled over and pinned Zane beneath her.

"If you really wanted me dead, why did you trick Liana into signing that letter of forgiveness five years ago? Why did you secretly transfer all the Bailey family's assets overseas and send my parents abroad to enjoy their golden years?

"For five years, you've come here to punish me every month, but you've never let anyone else lay a finger on me. Everything you send me, from the food to the clothes, is exactly what I like.

"Admit it, Zane. You can't bring yourself to treat me badly at all."

Those words—"letter of forgiveness"—slammed into me like a sledgehammer. The blood in my veins ran cold.

In all those five years, the only document I'd ever signed was the marriage agreement Zane had placed in front of me when I was barely conscious.

Back then, after everything that had happened, he'd been consumed by guilt.

To ease my mind, he had his lawyer draw up the marriage agreement overnight.

Out of hundreds of clauses, not a single one benefited him. Every line was written to protect me.

He'd even held my hand, guiding each stroke as I signed.

Zane's face turned deathly pale as Vanessa spelled out the truth he refused to admit.

Vanessa laughed smugly, trailing kisses along the hideous scar across his chest.

"But Liana can't blame you. You've been a neat freak since you were a kid. Even if you convince yourself to accept her, your body could never accept some used-up whore who's been passed around."

Her smile widened. "Besides, she lost a leg. She probably can't even get into this position with you, can she?"

As Vanessa spoke, she wore the same vicious expression from five years ago.

Five years ago, when Zane and his men found me in that remote mountain village, she'd worn that same smile, savoring every second as Zane lost his mind.

"Didn't you say that in your eyes, she was as pure as moonlight? Let's see if you still want a whore who's been gang-raped and is carrying another man's bastard."

Vanessa's words had pushed Zane over the edge. He'd nearly beaten every last one of those bastards to death.

While I lay barely conscious, Zane had knelt beside me, his hands shaking as he covered me with his coat before carrying me to the hospital.

Something cold dripped all over my face. I couldn't tell whether it was blood or tears.