Chapter 1

It took me ten years to help my fiancé, Ethan Blackwood, reclaim his place as head of the family.

Then I was diagnosed with a heart condition. There was a good chance I wouldn’t live to see thirty.

The man who hadn’t even blinked with an enemy’s gun pressed to his head spent the entire night crying on the balcony where I couldn’t see him.

The next day, he invested $800 million in a biomedical research institute.

All to develop an artificial heart that could keep me alive.

“I can always make more money. But there’s only one Claire. No one could ever replace you.”

Three years passed in a flash, and the institute finally had good news.

Ethan brought me home from the private island treatment center and settled me into his hot springs villa.

But the day before my surgery, his stepsister, Lily Foster, barged in.

The moment she saw the ring on my finger, her eyes burned with jealousy.

“Everyone knows Ethan doesn’t mess around with women. He has one fiancée, and she’s recovering on a private island. How dare you take advantage of that and pretend to be her, you bitch!”

“Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson for her, you shameless, gold-digging knockoff!”

She stripped me, took pictures, and dragged me into the water to torture me.

Then she took me away to use as a human test subject, locking me up with over a hundred lab mice.

When Ethan came looking for me, Lily gazed at him adoringly, eager for praise.

“Ethan, I took care of that woman pretending to be your fiancée!”

The phone on the couch had rung three times, but Ethan was still carefully blowing on a spoonful of soup before bringing it to my lips.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. We’d practically been an old married couple for years, yet he was still this clingy.

“I’m not made of glass. If you have something to do, go take care of it.”

Ethan glanced at the phone, still buzzing on the couch, and said in disgust, “If this isn’t important, those idiots are going to regret it.”

When his brow furrowed, I reached up to smooth it.

“Come on. I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere. There’s supposed to be a seven-planet alignment tonight, and my surgery is tomorrow. Finish early and come home. We can make a wish together.”

Ethan sighed. The fierce look in his eyes softened instantly as he gazed at me, turning almost watery. He looked like an abandoned puppy. A very large one.

“We’ve barely had any time together, and you’re already kicking me out?”

I burst out laughing and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Yes, yes. It’s been two whole hours since we got out of bed. I’ve missed you terribly.”

His lips curved. He wrapped an arm around my waist and demanded enough kisses to satisfy him before reluctantly letting go.

“Fine, I’m leaving. I’ll bring you a present.”

I got up to fetch his coat. He put it on and made it a few steps out the door, then abruptly turned back and swept me into his arms. He held me so tightly it felt as if he wanted to make me part of him.

“Once your surgery is over tomorrow, I won’t have to spend every day terrified of losing you.”

My heart ached.

“Yeah. We’ll be together forever. We’ll grow old together.”

Over the years, I had stood beside Ethan as he rose from nothing to the top. I had taken a bullet for him, and he had nearly died for me more than once.

To everyone else, Mr. Blackwood was a ruthless wolf.

With me, Ethan was a devoted puppy who wanted nothing but kisses and cuddles.

I was his childhood sweetheart, his first love, and the only woman he’d ever dreamed of.

Only I could soothe the darkness and rage left behind after he’d witnessed his mother’s suicide as a child.

After seeing Ethan off, I stretched out on the chaise in the study and read for a while.

Suddenly, the roar of a sports car came from outside.

To give me peace and quiet while I recovered, Ethan had bought every property in the area. He’d forbidden the rich kids who raced their cars from coming anywhere near it, and he never drove a sports car home himself.

Puzzled, I walked into the living room. A jumble of voices and footsteps drew closer.

“I’m going to see which shameless bitch thinks she can seduce Ethan!”

“Calm down, Lily. She’s not worth getting upset over…”

“Ethan has never even let me come here. How dare that bitch!”

“But Mr. Blackwood banned us from this place. You know his temper. If he finds out, we’re dead…”

“What are you afraid of? I’ve already sent his people away. I’m a Blackwood. I can do whatever I want! Besides, Ethan only has a temper with outsiders. He adores me. Have you ever heard him yell at me?”

“No! Never!”

I frowned, a terrible feeling settling in my stomach.

With a bang, the front door was kicked open. I looked at the hostile group charging inside. Their leader glittered with jewelry, her eyes vicious.

I recognized her immediately. It was Lily Foster, the daughter of Ethan’s stepmother!