LOGINThey say betrayal cuts deepest when it comes from the one you love. Larissa learned that the hard way. One slip of the tongue. Four deadly words. “It was an accident.” In a moment of blind trust, Larissa took the fall for a crime she didn’t commit—believing her fiancé would fix it. Instead, he turned his back on her and watched her get locked away. Now out on parole and drowning in shame, Larissa’s last chance at justice comes from the last man she should trust—his brother. Cold. Calculated. Dangerous. Everything about him screams don’t play his game. But he wants revenge just as much as she does. And he has a plan that starts with one forbidden rule: Marry me, and we ruin him together. Trusting a Patterson destroyed her once. Trusting another might cost her more than just her freedom. But this time, Larissa isn’t playing to survive—she’s playing to win. Because love is messy. Loyalty is dead. And revenge? That’s the most forbidden game of all.
View MoreLarissa's POV Claire started crying before we’d even pulled into the hospital parking lot.She’d been fine at breakfast, nibbling pieces of pancake and humming to herself. But the moment Brayden had said the word hospital and Stephanie had made a poorly timed joke about shots, she’d stiffened. By the time we tried loading into the car, she'd already started wailing, determined to fight us every step of the way.“No shot!” She cried, hiccuping between sobs.“You’re not getting a shot.” Stephanie promised, over and over, rocking her gently in the backseat. “It’s just a quick check. No shots.”Claire didn’t believe her. To Claire, hospitals meant needles, and needles meant betrayal. She screamed the whole drive, the sound vibrating through the car that I was surprised our eardrums didn't burst.By the time we arrived at the hospital, she was still wailing and flailing around in Stephanie’s arms in an effort to escape.Inside, the hospital smelled like antiseptic and faint lemon cleaner.
Larissa's POV I don’t think I’d ever hated the press more than I did that morning.Even before we reached the courthouse steps, the air was electric with anticipation. Flashes lit up the gray sky like lightning, and reporters shoved their microphones so close that our driver had to honk twice just to inch us forward. But the cameras weren’t on Brayden or me today. Not even on Benjamin.They were here for Claire.The child Benjamin claimed didn’t exist.Stephanie carried her out of the car, holding her firmly against her hip. Claire was dressed in a pale yellow dress with little white shoes, and sunflower-shaped shades. She was too young to know she was at the center of a legal battlefield. But that also meant she wasn't fully aware of what was going on so she was waving at everyone as we made our way up. She thought this was all just some fun parade.Brayden glared at them all like he could set them on fire through sheer force of will. I don't think he had stopped drowning since the
Larissa's POV Stephanie strode up with the kind of confidence only she could muster in a courtroom full of people itching to see blood. She swore in, sat, and crossed her legs as though she were on a talk show rather than the witness stand.Benjamin frowned when he saw her; it was barely perceptible, but it was there. In return, Stephanie just smiled sweetly at him.“Ms. Sylvester, how would you describe Mr. Benjamin Patterson?” Carter began.Her lip curled. “Manipulative. Arrogant. The kind of man who believes consequences don’t apply to him. He carried himself like he believed he was better than everyone else. It was exhausting to watch.”“Could you explain that?” Carter asked.“Objection. Leading.” Harrington countered.“Overruled.” Judge Henderson said. “Go ahead and answer the question.”“When Benjamin and Lara started dating, he came to our place a couple of times. It was the house that we had grown up in and we inherited it after our parents passed.” Stephanie explained. “One
Larissa’s POV Two days later, I was back in that suffocating courtroom, and the weight in my chest hadn’t lessened. If anything, it had grown heavier.Carter had explained what would happen: today was the defense’s turn. Today, the jury would hear our side, our witnesses. But knowing that didn’t make it easier to sit under the fluorescent lights, knowing I’d soon be the one in the witness box.Carter had told me not to rehearse too much so that I wouldn't sound scripted and fake. But I couldn't help it. How else was I supposed to stay calm and deliver my testimony without stuttering if I didn't practice? I'd paced a hole in the bedroom floor, anxiously going over what I would say until Brayden had dragged me to bed and held me down until I'd fallen asleep in his arms.“Don’t worry. You'll be brilliant.” Stephanie had said as I’d helped her with her hair that morning.It was easy for her to say. She wasn't the murder suspect. And Stephanie had her unadulterated rage for Benjamin to fu






Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.