She's Her Newlywed Husband's Leash
On the day Nerissa Reese regains her hearing, she also finds out that her boyfriend, Samuel Judd, hasn't exactly been completely loyal to her. After dumping him and slapping the other woman a couple of times, she agrees to replace her stepsister, Jennifer Reese, and marry Lincoln Hamilton, who is rumored to be ruthless and volatile.
Everyone says he's severely ill. They claim he's a violent man and that once she marries him, she'll live like a widow. But on their wedding night, he grips her by the waist and presses her against the floor-to-ceiling window. "I heard you think I can't get it up."
Over the next three days, Nerissa is taught a lesson that leaves her legs weak. She now knows that rumors can never be trusted.
Later on, at an event, a red-eyed Samuel begs her to take him back.
Lincoln slowly pops a few pills and munches on them, saying, "Fetch me a knife, Albert. I feel a breakdown coming on, which means I can plead insanity even if I rip his heart out."
Everyone fears him for being an unpredictable demon. She's the only one who knows about the burning love for her that is hidden beneath his aggressive demeanor.