Chapter 2

Years ago, Ethan had brought me back to the Blackwood estate, avenged his mother, and taken control of the family from his scumbag father. He’d confined his father and stepmother, Diane Foster, to a residential care facility.

But he hadn’t let them off that easily. He’d thrown a paternity test in his father’s face proving that Lily wasn’t his biological daughter, then left him and Diane to tear each other apart.

One had suffered a stroke from sheer rage and could no longer care for himself. The other had been tormented into insanity.

Around that time, I’d been diagnosed with my heart condition. And Lily’s heart was a match for me.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ethan had wanted to give me her heart.

But looking at Lily, so young and barely starting college, I couldn’t bear it. I didn’t want more blood on Ethan’s hands, either. I’d asked him to let her go.

Still, afraid the artificial heart wouldn’t be ready in time, Ethan had kept Lily close.

Just in case.

My surgery was tomorrow. Nothing could go wrong now. I couldn’t let all our efforts and Ethan’s years of sacrifice go to waste.

With that thought, I hurried forward to ask them to leave.

“Lily, you’re not allowed here. Please take your friends and leave immediately.”

I gestured toward the door. But when Lily saw the ring on my hand, she froze.

“You bitch!”

Suddenly, someone yanked me forward and slapped me across the face.

“Who gave you permission to wear a matching ring with Ethan?”

My vision went black. Dizzy and disoriented, I staggered and fell onto the polished tile.

The sharp pain in my knees forced me back to my senses.

“Lily! How dare you—”

Smack!

Before I could finish, the girl beside Lily stepped forward and slapped my right cheek. Stars burst across my vision.

The corner of my mouth must have split. I could taste blood.

“A gold-digging slut like you thinks you can speak to Lily that way?”

Lily lifted her chin, smiling in approval. She looked down at me and scoffed.

“You even look like a little home-wrecking whore.”

Then she kicked me in the lower stomach.

Still dizzy, I couldn’t dodge. Her foot slammed into me.

“Ah!”

I cried out and curled up on the floor, clutching my stomach.

“Listen to her. Even her screams sound dirty. Must get plenty of practice in bed.”

The men behind Lily whistled, then burst into lewd laughter.

Fighting through the pain, I pushed myself up and glared at her.

“Lily, you’ve met me!”

“I’m Ethan’s fiancée, Claire Bennett! Three years ago, I was the one who asked him to spare you. Have you forgotten?”

“You broke in here and assaulted me. You’re going to pay for this!”

A few of Lily’s friends looked uncertain. The men exchanged glances.

Apparently, they weren’t completely unaware of my existence.

Ethan had too many enemies before, so he’d kept my identity secret to protect me. Only in the past year had he gradually let people know he had a fiancée he adored.

He’d spent over a billion dollars building a biomedical institute for her and bought an island for her treatment center.

Someone had once tried to send another woman to him. He’d made them pay dearly for it.

That warning had made one thing clear to everyone: his fiancée was the one person they must never touch.

Not under any circumstances.

But Ethan had protected me so well that almost no one knew what I looked like. Lily, who’d seen me three years ago, was one of the few exceptions.

“Bullshit!”

Lily suddenly began shoving me like a madwoman.

“You think you can use Claire’s name? You’re not worthy!”

“Just because you look a little like her, you think you can take her place? Dream on!”