Trigger/Content Warning: This story contains mature themes and explicit content intended for adult audiences (18+). Reader discretion is advised. It includes elements such as BDSM dynamics, explicit sexual content, toxic family relationships, occasional violence and strong language. This is not a fluffy romance. It is intense, raw and messy, and explores the darker side of desire.

“Kiss me, Vivian.”
“Why here?”
“Because your ex is taking our coats,” he said, his gaze cold. “And I want him to know you belong to me now.”
Vivian Abel was supposed to marry the love of her life. Instead, she walked in on him buried deep inside her identical twin sister.
One shot at the bar led to another. One hazy night blurred into a binding decision. And one man’s proposition became a contract, sealed with a diamond ring and her trembling signature.
Liam Simon is the devil in a bespoke suit. A commanding billionaire, ruthless and possessive. A man forged by a legacy of power and secrets. He lives with a rare condition that leaves him numb—to pain, to pleasure, to a lover’s caress.
Until Vivian’s skin meets his, and the world ignites at his fingertips. And now, he possesses her. With a contract and in his bed. She craves the ruin only he can offer. He demands her submission, her loyalty… and her trust in his plan for revenge. Their arrangement was meant to be simple, but it unravels into a storm of raw obsession.
Buried family secrets and a vindictive ex with a shocking connection to Vivian’s bloodline threaten to shatter their fragile bond.
Liam Simon never shares what is his. Not his empire. Not his wife. And especially not his revenge.


I stared at my laptop screen, completely bewildered by how I'd gotten here.


Minutes ago, I'd been researching psychiatric institutions within driving distance. Yes, despite telling Liam I was done caring about my sister's fate.


Now I found myself scrolling through online degree programs.


College courses I could complete from home.


I had zero clue how my browser had led me down this rabbit hole.


Exhaling slowly, I pushed my glasses up into my hair and rubbed my tired eyes.


Returning to school hadn't crossed my mind since Abby forced me to abandon my education. But when Liam mentioned it earlier, something twisted uncomfortably in my chest. Not just embarrassment that he knew about my failure, but genuine shame over the circumstances that caused it.


This man embodied everything I wasn't. Gorgeous, brilliant, wealthy beyond imagination, accomplished in ways I couldn't fathom.


Chapter 28 - Chapter 28 The Things We Hide