The hospital lights were too bright. They bleached every color, every memory, every part of her that still believed things would be all right.
Ava sat beside her father's bed, watching the rise and fall of his chest. Machines hummed steadily, but the doctor's words refused to stop echoing in her mind."Without the operation, he won't last the month."
Her hands were cold. Her heart was colder. She had spent the night replaying Damien's offer in her head, over and over, until the words had carved themselves into her bones.One year. No emotions. Just obedience.
It sounded like a prison sentence wearing a diamond ring.
The door opened softly. Her father stirred as a nurse checked the monitors. "Miss Sinclair," the nurse said gently, "the bills for the next phase of treatment need authorization."Ava's stomach tightened. "I'll handle it," she murmured.
Handle it. As if there were still something to handle.
When the nurse left, Ava reached for her father's hand. "I'm going to fix this," she whispered. "I promise, Dad. Whatever it takes."
She didn't notice the tear that slipped onto his fingers.
The Next Morning
The limousine waiting outside the hospital looked out of place among the faded taxis and ambulances. A man in a black suit stepped out and opened the door for her without a word.
Ava hesitated only once before getting in.
Inside, the leather seats smelled faintly of cedar and control. A single white envelope lay on the seat beside her. Her name was embossed in gold.
She broke the seal.
Marriage Contract between Damien Cross and Ava Sinclair.Duration: Twelve months.Conditions: Confidentiality. Co-residence. Public appearance obligations.Clause 10: No romantic attachment or physical intimacy without mutual consent.Clause 12: Failure to comply results in termination of agreement and repayment of all debts.
Her throat tightened. Even love had a clause.
When she looked up, the skyline was already changing—the glass tower of Cross Enterprises glinting in the noon sun like a blade waiting for a victim.
The Meeting
Damien was waiting in his office, sleeves rolled, tie undone. He looked carved from shadow and precision."Miss Sinclair," he said without turning. "Have you read it?"
"Yes." Her voice barely carried. "It's… thorough."
"It's binding." He handed her a pen, black and expensive. "Sign, and your father's bills are cleared within the hour."
Ava took a slow breath. "What happens after a year?"
"You disappear," he said simply. "Your debt erased. My revenge complete."
"Revenge for what?" she demanded.
He met her eyes at last. "For trusting your father."
For a moment, the air between them vibrated with things unsaid. She saw, just for a heartbeat, the boy who once used to wait for her outside lectures with coffee and shy smiles. Then it was gone.
She signed.
The scratch of the pen sounded like thunder.
Damien reached for the document, folded it neatly, and slipped it into a leather folder. "Congratulations, Mrs. Cross-to-be. The wedding is tomorrow."
Her pulse stuttered. "Tomorrow?"
He nodded. "A public ceremony. You'll wear the dress my assistant sends over. Try not to look miserable—it ruins the photographs."
Ava bit the inside of her cheek. "You really hate me that much?"
He leaned closer, his breath cool against her ear. "Hate keeps me alive, Ava. Don't take that away from me."
She turned and walked out before he could see the tear that betrayed her calm.
That Night
The penthouse apartment they'd assigned her was silent except for the rain.A courier delivered a gown—white silk, heavy, perfect. It gleamed under the lamplight like a lie wrapped in beauty. Alongside it lay a velvet box. Inside, a wedding band shimmered with small diamonds and an attached note in Damien's handwriting:
Everything has a price.—D.
Ava held the ring in her palm until it warmed against her skin.If this was the price of saving her father, she would pay it.But one day, she promised herself, she'd learn what Damien had truly lost—and why destroying her family hadn't been enough for him.
Outside, lightning split the clouds.Tomorrow, she would walk into a marriage built on ruin.And somewhere inside that ruin, she intended to survive.
End of Chapter Two.