Se connecterLaura Sterling once ruled a corporate empire. Now she’s a broken shadow of herself... paralyzed, betrayed, and fresh out of a five-year prison sentence orchestrated by the man she loved. Derick Cole didn’t just destroy her life. He drugged her, framed her, and left her for dead. When she’s finally released, Derick’s ruthless older brother makes her an offer she can’t refuse: One year she's now with Aaron Cole under a marriage contract. She has to Sleep under his roof and has to fall in love with him. If she succeeds, he’ll destroy Derick and set her free forever. If she fails… he’ll hand her back to the monster who nearly killed her. Aaron is cold, ruthless and dangerously obsessed. He doesn’t just want her heart ... he wants her complete surrender. But as Laura fights to reclaim her strength and uncovers the dark secrets behind the Cole brothers’ twisted rivalry, she realizes something far more terrifying: She’s starting to crave the man she swore to hate. With a jealous ex-lover circling, a dangerous new threat in the shadows, and her own treacherous body betraying her every time Aaron touches her… how long can Laura resist before she loses herself completely? One year. One contract. One deadly choice. Will she steal his heart… or let him steal what’s left of hers? **Trigger warning**This story contains explicit sexual content, mature themes, and scenes that may be triggering to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.
Voir plus**Trigger warning*** Smut*18+ content
Laura Sterling “You promised you’d always be here… Why did you leave me?” My voice shattered into a broken sob as I clutched the silver-framed photograph against my chest like it was the only thing keeping my heart from splintering completely. My parents smiled back at me...Daddy’s proud, steady gaze, Mom’s soft warmth, my brothers standing tall and full of life. They were supposed to be my anchor. Now they were gone, ripped away forever in that merciless plane crash, leaving behind a silence so deep it swallowed me whole. “I can’t breathe without you,” I whispered, rocking slowly in my wheelchair, tears streaming hot down my face. “Every day feels like dying. Please… come back to me.” Then the bedroom door slammed open with a violent bang. I flinched hard, my frail body jerking as I hastily wiped at my soaked cheeks. Derick Cole...My cruel husband.... lurched in, reeking of whiskey and that sickeningly sweet cheap perfume. He had bright red lipstick stains smeared across the collar of his white shirt like a cruel taunt. His eyes were bloodshot, and his tie dangling loose like a noose. My stomach churned with fresh dread. “Derick…” I rolled my wheelchair forward a few painful inches, my weak arms trembling with the effort. My voice came out raw and pleading. “Where have you been? It’s been hours. Today was the memorial for my family. I needed you there… I needed you to hold me.” He swayed on his feet and let out a low, mocking laugh that cut deeper than any knife. “Needed me?” Derick sneered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Look at you...so pathetic. Don't tell me you are still crying over ghosts. When are you going to get it through that stupid head of yours? They’re dead, Laura. Dead and rotting. Get over it.” The words landed like blows. I recoiled, my breath catching in a fresh wave of agony. “Please,” I begged, my voice cracking into a whisper. “Just let me go to the memorial...for one hour. That’s all I’m asking. Let me say goodbye properly… I’m begging you.” His face twisted into something ugly and vicious. In two unsteady strides he was on me, his hand cracking across my face with brutal force. The slap echoed through the room. I felt pain explode across my cheek, burning hot, but it was nothing compared to the black hole of grief ripping open inside my chest. I gasped, my head snapping to the side as fresh tears spilled over. “You think I’m letting you crawl out there like some broken widow, fishing for pity?” he growled, his breath hot and foul. “So everyone can whisper about poor little rich Laura? No. You will stay locked up here where you belong, you worthless cripple.” Tears poured down my face as a wave of raw regret crashed over me, drowning me in its depths. ’Oh God, how did I let this happen? Daddy begged me on his knees the night before the wedding. “Laura, please.....don’t marry him. Don’t make him CEO. He’s not the man you think he is. He’ll destroy you and everything we built.” His eyes were so full of fear for me. I laughed it off and called it true love. I handed Derick my empire, my fortune, my soul on a silver platter. And this… this is what I traded my life for. A monster who enjoys breaking me.’ “I should never have married you,” I whispered through choking sobs, the truth tearing out of me like blood. “You’re a monster… I hate what I’ve become because of you.” Derick’s laugh was ice-cold and vicious. He seized the handles of my wheelchair and yanked it forward with savage force, flipping me out onto the floor. I cried out as my body slammed against the carpet, my useless legs crumpling beneath me like dead weight. I hated being on the wheelchair, I hated being so sick that I could not be useful anymore. He towered over me, his shadow swallowing what little light remained in the room. “Monster?” he snarled, dropping to his knees and ripping my blouse open with brutal hands as my breasts almost got exposed to the cold air...The buttons flew everywhere, scattering like my shattered dreams. “You made me this, you stupid bitch. You wanted equality, remember? Well, here’s your equality....your only duty now is to please your husband. Your dead family can rot in hell for all I care. They’re not here to save you.” I sobbed uncontrollably, my hands weakly pushing at his chest as he tore the rest of my clothes away, exposing me completely. The cold air bit into my skin like teeth, but the real pain was deeper than my regret. “Please… not tonight,” I pleaded, my voice fracturing into desperate, broken whimpers. “I can’t… I’m still mourning them. It hurts so much… have some mercy....” “Shut your mouth!” Derick snapped, pinning my wrists above my head with crushing strength, his face inches from mine. “You don’t get to mourn. You don’t get to feel anything unless I allow it. You’re mine now....body, money, everything. And you’ll spread your legs whenever I want, grieving or not.” He fucked me mercilessly without even asking if I wanted it. I cried my eyes out, begging him to stop ..but he didn't... of course he didn't. Because this is what he always did, he made me his little sex toy and I was too helpess to defend myself. Who would believe me? To the world, he was a loving husband with a sick and disabled wife...but in reality, he was worse than the devil. When Derick finally pulled back, his breathing ragged and satisfied, he zipped up his pants with a slow, mocking smirk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small white pills...the ones he forced on me every day...He said they were supposed to help my legs get better....In truth, they felt like poison that slowly drained my strength, clouding my mind, and keeping me trapped and helpless in this wheelchair. For six years, I believed they would help. I believed the man I once loved...Now I had questions that had no answers. I hated them with every fiber of my being. They made me feel weak, dizzy, and disconnected from myself, like I was slowly fading into nothing. There was no enjoyment, only dread and disgust. Every swallow felt like swallowing another piece of my own destruction. “Open your mouth,” he ordered, his voice flat, emotionless, and terrifyingly calm. I turned my head away, tears streaming silently onto the carpet, my body still trembling from the violation. “I said open it,” he growled, gripping my jaw with bruising force and forcing the pills past my lips. “Swallow. You know exactly what happens if you don’t.” I choked them down, the bitter taste burning my throat as violent sobs wracked my entire frame. The pills slid down my throat... already promising the familiar fog and weakness that would follow. Derick wiped his hands dismissively on his stained shirt and stared down at me with cold, empty eyes. “Good girl. Now stay on the floor where you belong… exactly where a worthless piece of trash like you deserves to be.”Laura SterlingThe afternoon dragged on slower than I expected.I tried to focus on the files, but Amelia’s words kept slipping back into my thoughts like poison. I pushed them away each time, forcing myself to read line after line, making notes with a pen that felt heavier than it should.My stomach growled loudly around 1 PM. I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, and the stress had drained me more than I wanted to admit.The door opened without a knock.Aaron walked in carrying a tray with two covered plates and two glasses of water. He looked calm, but his eyes scanned me carefully as he set the tray on the small meeting table in the corner of my office.“You haven’t eaten,” he said simply. It wasn’t a question.I leaned back in my wheelchair, watching him. “I was working.”He pulled out a chair for himself and sat down, uncovering the plates. Grilled chicken, vegetables, rice ... simple but smelled incredible.“Eat with me,” he said. His tone left little room for argument.I
Laura SterlingAaron stayed with me for almost twenty minutes after my panic attack. He didn’t say much more about Amelia, but he kept one hand on my back, rubbing slow circles until my breathing finally evened out. When I finally sat up straight again, he crouched in front of my wheelchair, studying my face.“You sure you’re okay to stay?” he asked.I nodded, wiping the last traces of tears from my cheeks. “I didn’t come here to hide in your arms all day. I came to work.”He gave a small nod, but I could see the worry in his eyes. He stood up and adjusted his suit jacket.“I’ll be next door if you need me. Door’s open.”As soon as he left, I tried to throw myself into the files. For the next hour, I managed to review market reports and even made a few notes. It felt good — normal, almost. Like I was slowly getting pieces of myself back.Then my office door opened again.Amelia stepped inside, this time carrying a small box of pastries and wearing an innocent smile.“I brought peace
Laura SterlingI couldn’t stop shaking.Amelia’s words kept repeating in my head like a broken record. *“He will never love a broken woman like you.”*I tried to push them away. I wasn't even sure if I even wanted love and emotions, we were only in a contract marriage. But why do her words hurt me this much.I opened the file on my desk and stared at the numbers, but they blurred together. My breathing was too fast. My chest felt tight, like someone was sitting on it.“Focus, Laura. Just focus.“I picked up a pen and tried to write notes, but my hand trembled so badly the words came out crooked. The office suddenly felt too small. The walls were closing in. My legs, still heavy and useless in the wheelchair, felt even more like dead weight.“She’s wrong. She has to be wrong.“But what if she wasn’t?What if Aaron really saw me as nothing but a broken project? A responsibility? A temporary fix for his guilt?My breathing grew faster. Short, shallow gasps. My vision started to blur a
Laura SterlingI sat behind the large desk in my new office on the 28th floor, staring at the nameplate that read “Laura Cole as Strategic Advisor.” The words still felt strange, like they belonged to someone else. The office was modern and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Aaron had made sure everything was ready .... files neatly arranged, a new laptop, even a small vase of fresh flowers on the corner of the desk.This was my first official day back in the corporate world.I took a deep breath and opened the first file. My hands were still a little unsteady, but I forced myself to focus. I had missed this .. the structure, the purpose, the feeling of doing something meaningful again.A few minutes later, Aaron stepped into my office. He looked sharp in his dark suit, as always.“I have a meeting in ten minutes next door,” he said. “My office is right beside yours. If you need anything, just call me.”I nodded. “I’ll be fine.”He paused at the door, look
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