Chapter 1

For six years, my stepbrother Draven, the heir to a mafia family, and I have been in a secret relationship.

Every night, his hands would trace every curve of my body with desperate hunger.

The way he would look at me in those intimate moments made me believe I was the only woman who could ignite such passion in him.

Until a month ago, when I found out I was pregnant.

The day before Valentine's Day, I snuck into his study, planning to surprise him.

Through the crack in the door, I heard him talking to Nico, the family's consigliere.

"Aren't you tired of your little stepsister, Jasmine? The engagement is right around the corner. You haven't actually fallen for her, have you?"

A cruel smirk played on his lips.

"Fall for her? She was an easy target who fell right into my lap. It would've been a waste not to take a bite."

"Her mother drove mine to an early grave. These six years have been her penance. And she's deserved every moment of it."

"Besides, I've said it before. My wife will be Bianca Tyler, and no one else."

"Marrying her secures the Tyler family's port smuggling routes. That's all that matters."

So, what I thought was love was nothing more than an elaborate act of revenge.

Every one of his embraces was a calculated lie.

Fine. It was time for me and our unborn baby to disappear from his world completely.

...

"Stop worrying about her and focus on planning the engagement ceremony with Bianca. As for Jasmine Blakemore... I have my ways."

"Picture the scandal. A girl so infatuated with her own stepbrother, she crawls into his bed every night."

"When a sordid affair like that gets exposed in front of everyone at the engagement party, how could she ever show her face in public again?"

"If she comes begging me then, I can just set her up somewhere else. She'll be my secret lover forever, a permanent penance."

Nico's voice softened with pity as he tried to reason with him.

"Even if her mother did what you say, Jasmine was just a child back then. What does that have to do with Jasmine?"

"She'd just turned eighteen. Besides, she's never been involved in the family business, never even held a gun. She doesn't understand any of this."

"Aren't you going a little too far, tormenting her like this?"

"Everyone can see how much she loves you. If she finds out the real reason you got close to her, you'll destroy her."

Draven let out a harsh breath. His jaw clenched as he ran a hand through his hair.

A flicker of guilt crossed his features before he quickly masked it.

The soft click of a metal lighter followed, his movements more agitated than usual, as if even he was beginning to question the path he'd set himself on.

"So what?"

"Don't talk to me about her being innocent. Was it innocent when that bitch stole my mother's husband and left her to die of a broken heart?"

"Her sin was being born to that woman."

"If she was really so pure, she wouldn't have climbed into my bed six years ago. She made her choice."

Nico let out a long sigh, making one last attempt.

"That may be so, but after six years together, I can't believe you haven't felt a single thing for her."

"Draven, I have to remind you. Some things, once done, can never be undone."

Draven's face darkened, and he shot Nico a vicious glare.

"Fall in love with my enemy's daughter? What kind of pathetic fool do you take me for?"

"As tempting as she is in my bed, it doesn't change the fact that she's a sinner's daughter."

" I know exactly what I'm doing. "

"Once I've avenged my mother, I'll send her away immediately."

Nico seemed to give up. I heard him stand up.

The footsteps grew closer.

I panicked and tried to hide, but a wave of dizziness washed over me, and I stumbled back against a console table in the hallway, instinctively cradling my stomach as a heavy vase crashed to the marble floor.

Crash!

Nico pulled the door open. When he saw me, his eyes filled with shock and sympathy.

Draven rushed out at the sound.

He saw the shattered porcelain at my feet and me, a pathetic mess amidst the spilled water.

Panic flashed across his face as he scrambled to help me up.

"Jasmine? What are you doing here? When did you arrive?"

I tried to force a smile, but the tears came first.

"Just got here. I wanted to surprise you, but I slipped."

He thought I was crying because of my own clumsiness and pulled me to his side with a patronizingly fond smile.

He casually ordered his men to clean up the mess, then led me into his study.

The moment the door closed, he pinned me against it, his hot body pressing against mine.

The contact, combined with the faint, lingering nausea, sent a chill through me.

"I've told you a thousand times, you don't need to give me any gifts. Jasmine, your presence is the greatest gift of all."

"You must be tired from the trip. Rest for a bit. I'll take you home after I'm done with family business."

He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

Every gesture was as tender as it had been for the past six years.

But I no longer felt an ounce of warmth.

I never knew a person could be such a convincing actor.

I remembered that rainy night, not long after I had first arrived at the Langley estate. I'd felt suffocated and snuck out.

In a dark alley, I was cornered by the Langley family's rivals. I was trembling with fear.

It was Draven who emerged from the shadows like a god. With swift, clean movements, he saved me at gunpoint.

Then he walked straight to me, taking off his suit jacket and wrapping it around my shaking body.

Even though his arm was bleeding, he comforted me in a low voice, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. No one will dare touch you again."

In that moment, I believed him. He was my only salvation.

I lost myself completely in the gentle fantasy he had created.

I never knew my salvation was just another hunt he had so carefully planned.

He was the one who had thrown me into hell with his own two hands.

While Draven was busy with his business, I sent an encrypted message to my mother.

"Mom, I want to leave this place."

"Don't tell anyone yet."