Chapter 2

A voice message came through right after.

Her tone was low, sultry—and laced with venom.

“This time, I’m really pissed. Making her face the wall and read your precious Cohabitation Rules? Not enough.”

David responded almost immediately.

David: Then what do you want me to do?

Celia Davis: I want her humiliated. So ruined she can’t even look anyone in the eye again. Ever.

David: Okay.

That was all it took. One word. And my world shattered. My chest tightened, vision swimming.

So that’s how it happened. That’s how my private photos ended up online—circulated like cheap tabloid trash.

They were taken from hidden angles—some in my bedroom, others… in the bathroom. A cold nausea rose in my throat.

Why? Why would he do this to me?

David and I had known each other since we were kids. Our families were old-money royalty, the kind who kept power tied together through contracts and convenience.

The engagement had never been about love—it was about business. A merger in the form of a ring.

But neither of us had ever taken it seriously. Not really. To be honest, it felt like a relic from a time that should’ve died out long ago.

Still, our grandfathers refused to budge. To them, loyalty, bloodlines, and legacy were everything. Breaking off the engagement meant unraveling years of investment and connections.

Grandpa had told me, “Even if we end it, we can’t rush. It'll take time to untangle everything without blowing up the Whitmoor family’s foundation.”

So, I’d agreed. We’d get engaged, play pretend until the business side cooled off, then walk away clean.

That had always been the plan. I assumed David knew that too.

But instead, he thought I’d forced him into it. That I’d manipulated him.

Delusional.

But finally, the end was in sight. The Whitmoor family had been publicly stepping back from joint ventures. Our merger was dead in the water.

I picked up the phone and called Grandpa.

“Let’s call it off,” I said. “Let’s end the engagement.”

There was a long sigh on the other end.

“I didn’t know he’d turn out like this,” Grandpa said, his voice thick with regret. “If I had… I’d never have let it go this far.”

“It’s alright,” I whispered. And then I hung up.

That night, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. At least… until I felt someone hovering near my bed.

I opened my eyes, heart pounding—and there he was.

David Ashcroft.

His expression was softer than usual, lips curled into something that might’ve been a smile.

"You..." I started, throat dry.

But he cut me off, voice low and suggestive.

“I don’t think I hate you as much as I thought,” he murmured. “Maybe we should try... something tonight.”

Every hair on my body stood on end.

The look in his eyes wasn’t affection. It was hunger. The kind that made your skin crawl.

He leaned in, close enough that I could feel his breath brush against my lips. And that’s when instinct kicked in.

I shoved him hard.

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, my voice cracking.

He laughed, like it was all some kind of game.

“Oh, come on. Still pretending to be pure? You’ve been dying for this, haven’t you?”

I backed up on the bed, the sheets twisting around my legs.

“Our wedding is coming up,” he said casually. “You can stop playing the blushing virgin now.”

And then, without warning, he lunged.

He pushed me down, tearing at my clothes like an animal.

I fought, screamed— “Get off me! Stop it!”

Tears streamed down my face, hot and silent. And just like that, he stopped.

He stood, expression unreadable. Then, he flicked on the light—and lifted his phone.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

I screamed, yanking the comforter up to cover myself.

“Don’t! Stop! Please—don’t take pictures!”

But his smirk just deepened.

“They were right,” he said, his voice almost admiring. “You’ve got a killer body.”

I trembled, clutching the blanket tighter.

“Relax,” he added. “I’m not gonna leak them. These are just for me.”

He leaned down again, brushing his lips against my ear. “You’re going to be my wife, remember? Don’t be so petty.”

My entire body shook. Not from fear. Not from shame. But from the dawning realization that the man I was once supposed to marry…was nothing but a monster.