Chapter 1

I kept my vow and pursued Alexander Hayes for three years, confessing my feelings ninety-nine times.

Yet he always treated me like a scheming, clingy gold-digger, heaping humiliation upon me and ignoring me completely.

Later, when his mistress lost the child in her belly, he pinned me to the bed to punish me without hesitation.

Certain that I was the reason the baby was gone, he demanded I give him another one to make up for it.

Shannon's POV

Alexander Hayes's mistress, Amber Lane, lost her baby and was wheeled into the operating room drenched in blood for emergency resuscitation.

I stood in the corridor outside, my palms slick with cold sweat.

An hour ago, Amber and I had run into each other at the hospital.

She had strutted over, belly protruding, deliberately provoking me, and then somehow tumbled down the stairs.

Only the two of us were there at the time.

Everyone concluded that I had pushed Amber down the stairs.

It wasn't surprising.

Ever since Amber got pregnant, Alexander had doted on her unconditionally.

Apartments, luxury cars, jewelry—he showered them on her in endless streams.

Connections and endorsements were hers for the taking.

And me? Everyone knew I had been chasing after him for three years.

No matter how many women Alexander fooled around with, no matter how much he treated me like thin air, I refused to leave.

With no hope left of claiming the top spot, wouldn't pushing Amber down the stairs be the most obvious move?

I had no way to defend myself.

Alexander strode over, his expression terrifyingly dark.

The moment he laid eyes on me, fury ignited in his gaze.

Without a word, the man gripped my wrist and dragged me into an empty hospital room next door, bolting the door behind him.

He clamped his hand over my chin, forcing my head up. "The baby is gone. You killed it, do you know that?"

My jaw ached under his crushing grip.

"Alexander, it really wasn't me! I didn't..."

Unable to break free, tears welled in my eyes.

"I don't know what happened. I didn't even touch her. Alexander, please believe me!"

He suddenly released his grip.

Thinking he was finally willing to listen, I was about to speak when he violently shoved me onto the hospital bed.

Alexander immediately leaned down and pinned me under his weight, his eyes cold enough to freeze.

Trembling in terror, I blurted out in haste, "That baby wasn't even yours!"

"I know."

He replied without hesitation, catching me off guard.

"Whose baby it was doesn't matter."

He roughly shoved my shirt up. "You made me lose it, so you'll give me another to replace it."

A blast of cold air hit my bare skin, and I shivered uncontrollably.

"Stop acting."

He leaned in closer, sneering against my ear.

"After pretending for so long, wasn't your goal always to climb into my bed?"

"What contract? What love? If you hadn't shown your true colors, I almost would've been fooled by this pure, innocent face of yours!"

Ever since he was betrayed by his first love in his youth, Alexander had been convinced that every woman who approached him had an agenda.

The more genuine the affection seemed, the deeper the scheme.

My three years of pursuit and devotion were nothing but an act in his eyes.

"I didn't..."

"Shut up! When it comes down to it, you're no different from all the other women out there."

He gripped my throat. "You're after my money, after the Hayes family's status. Want to be my woman? I'll grant your wish!"

Before I could explain, Alexander crushed his lips against mine.

A sharp tearing sound followed, and my dress hit the floor in shreds.

An endless wave of bitterness washed over my heart.

I had tried so hard for three years just to make him fall in love with me again.

Never had I imagined that our next moment of intimacy would look like this.

"Enough! Stop! Alexander!"

Instead of stopping, he grew even rougher.

Furious, I sank my teeth into his shoulder, the metallic taste of blood spreading across my tongue.

Alexander winced in pain, but then he laughed.

"If I stop now, wouldn't your efforts go to waste?"

A long time later, he finally straightened up. Looking down at my disheveled state, his eyes brimmed with mockery.

"You always acted like a saint, talking about true love, yet you're not even a virgin. Ha!"

My body was limp, without even the strength to move a finger.

Silently, I stared at this face that was both familiar and foreign, listening to the venomous words pouring from his mouth.

Four years ago, whenever he looked at me, his eyes were always filled with deep devotion, so gentle they could melt water.

Now, those very same eyes stared at me with undisguised disgust and hatred.

I gazed at Alexander in a daze, tears threatening to spill over.

"Don't look at me like that."

Alexander was inexplicably stung by those tearful eyes, his tone turning frigid.

"If you hadn't crossed the line lately, no one would have targeted you. With the baby gone, I've lost a bargaining chip in the fight for succession. This debt is on your head. Everything that happened today is what you deserve."

As if that weren't enough, he reiterated what he had said countless times before.

"Remember this: between us, there is only a paper contract. You were never supposed to harbor any feelings for me. Not a single shred!"

The door slammed shut. I lay powerless on the bed, my chest aching to the point of numbness.

The glaring white light from the ceiling stung my eyes. I wanted to leave, but I didn't even have a scrap of clothing to cover myself.

For three years, I had stayed by his side without a single regret.

I had shielded him from countless drinks, worked overtime with him through endless nights, and helped him secure deal after deal.

No matter how many women he held in clubs, no matter which celebrity he trended with on social media, I never made a scene.

I had laid my heart bare before him a thousand times, only to be told that I should never harbor any feelings for him.

Right then, a noise came from outside the door.