Chapter 1

Morning light slipped in through the gap in the curtains and landed on Olivia Reed's face, making her delicate brows knit together.

She raised a hand to block it, turned over, and instinctively shifted sideways. Her right arm reached out to hug the person who should've been beside her, only to meet empty air. That was when she blinked her sleepy eyes open in confusion.

The moment she woke up, memories of last night flooded back. A rush of indescribable sweetness surged up from deep inside her chest, and she couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips.

Last night, her boyfriend of three years, Cedric Jamison, had finally proposed.

He'd held her close amid love so intense and scorching it felt like a tide. He'd watched her body tremble and the corners of her eyes turn red as he'd compelled her, over and over, to tell him she loved him.

He'd always been domineering, even rough around the edges, when it came to intimacy, but Olivia had never found it off-putting. If anything, every time she thought back on it, her face would burn, and her heart would race.

And right now, the thing that made her heart race most was the sentence Cedric had murmured in her ear in the middle of all that pleasure.

"Olivia, marry me. Will you?"

At that moment, Olivia had been so overwhelmed she'd actually cried. Cedric had no idea she'd waited three whole years to hear those words.

Olivia burrowed deeper under the covers and lay there for a long time before finally managing to force down the smile that played on her lips. Then, she stretched lazily and got out of bed to head out of the bedroom.

She was so sure that, just like always, Cedric would already be in the kitchen making breakfast. She'd originally planned to sneak up on him and playfully cling to him for attention, but as soon as she reached the bedroom door, she heard his low voice coming from outside.

He was standing by the window. From where she stood, she couldn't see his expression, but the chill in his tone, along with the mocking voice on the other end of the line, slid into her ears like a snake.

"Ced, it should be soon, right? Honestly, it'd be the easiest thing in the world for you to knock her up. She loves you so much—forget about protection, she probably wouldn't say a word even if you didn't pull out and came in her.

"And that photo book, man. We all thought that with her personality, there was no way she'd agree to something like that. But you said the word, and she agreed on the spot. The more well-behaved she is, the more exciting it'll be when she finally gets the big surprise, you know?

"I mean it, Ced. When are you planning to release all that stuff? We've all been waiting for the show."

Cedric listened to his friend's crude commentary without batting an eye. He sounded almost bored as he replied, "What's the rush? Things like these will only hit the mark when they're revealed during the engagement party, in front of her parents and a room full of friends and relatives. Don't you think so?"

"True. I'm honestly dying to see it. What do you think Horace Reed's face will look like when he finds out his precious daughter has such a dirty and naughty side?"

"We'll find out when the time comes." Cedric's voice was icy to the core when he said that.

Olivia's hand went rigid on the doorknob and turned cold. Instead of opening the door and stepping out, she staggered back a few steps and collapsed onto the bed, her mind buzzing.

She could not, no matter how she tried, believe that those words had come out of Cedric's mouth. They'd been together for three years; she'd always believed they were in love and that their feelings were mutual. Even having heard it straight from him, she still couldn't wrap her head around any of it.

They were childhood sweethearts—they'd known each other since they were kids. When his family had gone under back then, it was her father who'd taken him in while everyone had avoided him like he was the plague. Her parents had raised him as if he were their own.

So why would he do this to her? What had the Reed family ever done to him that he would go this far? He'd gone to the trouble of planning an elaborate engagement party just to publicly humiliate them.

Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and she couldn't make any sense of them before she heard footsteps outside.

Olivia had no idea how she was supposed to face Cedric now. In a panic, she lifted the quilt and dove back under the covers, forcing herself to pretend to be asleep.

His footsteps slowed noticeably as soon as he entered the room. He must've still seen her lying in bed. He chuckled and walked slowly over to her side.

Just as Olivia was hesitating over how she ought to react, a warm kiss landed gently on her forehead, just like always. Her body tensed almost imperceptibly. Her eyes burned, and before she could stop herself, she opened them.

Cedric leaned down and lightly tapped the tip of her nose with his finger, his voice full of affection as he said, "Time to get up, sleepyhead."

Her chest felt tight with a bitter, aching grief. She suspected that she might burst into tears at any second.

Afraid that he would notice something was wrong, Olivia quickly rubbed her eyes and mumbled, "Why are you up so early?"

"You tell me. We're supposed to go try on our outfits today, remember?" he reminded her, his tone just as gentle and indulgent as ever.

Noticing the redness around her eyes, he bent down and stroked her cheek tenderly. "Did I overdo it last night? Are you worn out? Do you want to reschedule the fitting?"

On any other day, Olivia would have swatted at him for teasing her like this, pretending to be annoyed while secretly delighted. But right now, all she could think about was last night.

Cedric had been completely in control. By the end, she hadn't even been able to think straight; her mind had gone blank. She honestly had no idea whether he'd used protection.

A cold sweat broke out on her back. Under the covers, her hand curled into a fist so tight that her knuckles turned white. She had to fight for a long moment just to keep her emotions from spilling over.

She had no idea why Cedric was doing this. But after hearing what he'd said on the phone, she didn't dare take any risks. She couldn't bet her entire life and her family's reputation on one man's supposed love.

If the last three years had been nothing but a performance and an elaborate act of revenge on his part, then she was the one who had to end the show.

"No, it's fine. It was hard enough getting this appointment. Just give me a minute to get dressed," Olivia said, lifting the blanket and getting out of bed. She headed for the walk-in closet.

Her mind was still a chaotic blur, but she could hear Cedric's footsteps closing in behind her. Not daring to waste time, she quickly grabbed a random dress from the closet and pulled it on.

She'd just finished changing when the door opened, and Cedric walked in. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her from the back, one large hand gripping her narrow waist before slowly sliding down to rest over her lower belly.

"How are you still so skinny? There's no meat on you at all," he said, his voice dripping with tenderness. "You're so thin that I'm almost afraid to imagine what you'd look like with a baby in here."

He'd said this kind of thing countless times before, but this was the first time the words terrified Olivia.

She forced out a small smile and gently pushed at his hand. "Okay, that's enough. We should hurry. Didn't you say this designer is hard to book? I don't want my engagement gown to end up with any flaws."

As she spoke, she watched him smile indulgently and turn to head out of the room. The smile in her eyes vanished the instant his back was turned.

The engagement party was only ten days away. That meant she had a mere ten days to figure out what was really going on. Still, no matter what she uncovered, she wouldn't let the scene Cedric had described over the phone ever come true.

She had to erase every piece of leverage he might hold over her in these ten days. The most urgent problems were the photo book and the possibility of a pregnancy.

So that day, she had to find a way to shake him off for a bit and go to the hospital to get checked.

As for the engagement party…

If Cedric really wanted to see her humiliated that day, then she would just have to make sure the "show" turned into a "surprise" from her instead.