With God as her witness, Holly Sullivan had always been a good girl.

Taken in by the Hoffman family at a young age, she had spent eighteen years longing for a way to repay Ronald Hoffman's kindness and the life he gave her.

However, she could not bring herself to accept the marriage proposal he put forward—not when her heart already belonged, entirely and irreversibly, to Luke Hoffman.

On the night of her eighteenth birthday, Luke—drunk and dangerously charming—lured her into bed.

From that moment on, it was not just her heart she had given away.

She gave him everything.

A sharp sting on her neck snapped Holly Sullivan out of her daydream.

She looked up, her eyes clouded with confusion. She saw Luke Hoffman's attractive face flushed with intense passion and longing.

"Holly, can you stay here with me?"

Luke's voice was low and laced with a hint of seduction.

He drew her closer with a firm squeeze on her waist, his rhythm intensifying—a wordless punishment for her wandering attention. After a contented sigh, he nestled into Holly's arms, relaxing at the touch.

What followed was the familiar declaration of love.

"Holly, do you have any idea how much I love you?

"I'd be lost without you."

The lingering desire within her unfurled, wave after wave.

His words of devotion shattered what was left of her composure.

Luke had a craving for breast milk, and as fate would have it, she was naturally well-endowed. Ever since she hit puberty, she had to change her undergarments constantly. They were a perfect match.

Her voice shook with a mix of nerves and anticipation.

"Luke, let's get married. I'm nearly 28, and it's—"

She could not finish her thought.

Luke, who had been so close just moments ago, suddenly withdrew.

He stood up. His physique featured broad shoulders that tapered to a narrow waist.

Turning his back to Holly, he methodically got dressed. His tone reverted to its usual detached chill.

"Why bring that up now? It's too early. Plus, the company's got me swamped, and I don't have time for a wedding."

Holly gripped the fabric beneath her, her lower lip caught between her teeth in a bashful plea, "We don't have to have a wedding. I just want to make it official."

Luke froze in his place.

As the silence grew heavy, his ringing phone broke the tension.

He stepped away to take the call, and Holly started to get dressed.

A misstep sent her tumbling into the bushes, and a flash of red caught her eye.

Shaking, she grabbed a tiny camera hidden among the leaves.

Holly dashed towards Luke without even bothering to fix her half-done buttons.

After a frantic search, she finally found him. She needed to tell him about the secret video, but she stopped short when she heard his icy voice on the phone.

"Got the video? Make sure it's crystal clear, especially Holly's face."

It felt like a thunderclap exploded right next to her ear. Her steps faltered and her mind sounded like a whirlwind of noise.

Through the speaker, a man's sleazy chuckle oozed through. "Luke, you're too kind to share such a prize with us."

Luke's laugh was light, dripping with mockery. "She's just a plaything. If you want, I might let you have a turn next time.

"If not for Cecilia, she wouldn't have even caught my eye.

"The competition is in two days. If Holly doesn't mess up, Cecilia won't stand a chance at the title. It's always been her dream.

"I can't bear to see Cecilia upset."

So that was it. He was with her just to help his childhood sweetheart, Cecilia Porter. To him, Holly was nothing more than a toy.

A chill engulfed Holly, freezing over her heart. Her face went ghostly white while her body tethered in fear.

Her phone buzzed. It was Ronald Hoffman.

[Holly, are you sure about turning down the marriage proposal? The guy's a catch.]

Tears spilled from Holly's eyes. With her back to Luke, she walked away and texted back.

[I've made up my mind. I'll go through with the marriage.]

Ronald's response came back almost instantly, his happiness palpable even through the screen.

[That's settled then. His family was just waiting on your 'yes' to book the wedding abroad. It'll be in two weeks.]

Holly could not figure out how she ended up back in her car.

The heater was on, making it cozy and warm.

However, even after she nailed down the last detail of the arranged marriage with Ronald, Holly's hands still kept shaking.

Ronald seemed pretty happy with how well Holly was taking it, shooting her one last text.

[We didn't raise you without our own interests in mind — but rest assured, we took a lot of thought choosing your fiance. He's more than good enough. You can marry him with a peace of mind.]

[Do you want Melissa and me to say something to Luke? You two are really close, and if he finds out you're suddenly getting married, he's bound to have a hard time letting go.]

That message brought back all of Luke's icy digs.

Tears splashed onto her phone screen.

Click.

Just then, Luke swung the car door open and hopped in.

His eyes caught Holly's tear-streaked face, and he frowned, like he was not the reason for it.

He wrapped her up in a hug, his voice barely showing concern.

"Holly, why the tears? Are you okay?"

Holly stashed her phone behind her back, stone-faced. She looked at the guy she used to be crazy about, feeling nothing like before.

She shook her head, trying to sound cool and detached, "It's no big deal.

"Just got super pumped about the invite to the Ocean Sonata Cup finals."

Luke tensed up holding her.

He had just been talking about that very competition on the phone.

The biggest, most high-stakes piano contest in the capital — the one Cecilia, the daughter of the Porter family, had hoped to win.

However, Holly had been the reigning champion of the Ocean Sonata Cup for four years straight. Along with Cecilia trailing behind her in second place.

"Holly," Luke whispered, his kisses trailing along her neck with a teasing lilt, "Why bother with the Ocean Sonata Cup again? You've won it enough times. How about skipping this one out?

"Stay here with me instead." His words were accompanied by his restless fingers, long and elegant. He began to undo the buttons on her blouse as he spoke.

In the heat of their past moments together, Holly would have given in to Luke's whim, whether they made sense or not.

Luke thought it was just desire clouding her judgment. He could not have been more wrong. Holly was hooked on the fleeting looks of love she thought she saw in his eyes.

However, she saw the truth… He never loved her. She was just a plaything to him.

Luke missed the clarity in Holly's eyes and the icy edge to her smile. "Fine, I won't go," she said calmly. "I'll give up the award."

'And I'll give up on you too,' she thought, but those words stayed unspoken.

Luke's face lit up with happiness, desire flashing in his eyes as his hands traced the curve of Holly's waist. Holly's expression remained unchanged even as her brows drew together, ready to claim she felt sick to avoid his advances.

Then, a rhythmic tapping at the car window interrupted them, followed by a crisp, cool female voice.

"Luke, are you in there? What's going on, are you with your girlfriend?"

Within milliseconds, Luke hurriedly shoved Holly away. Her head smacked against the car door, turning her face ghostly white as she winced from the pain.

Luke, looking all kinds of worried, quickly fixed his rumpled clothes and rolled down the window. His eyes darted to Cecilia standing outside.

Luke, who was usually cool-headed, sounded distressed, "Girlfriend? No way, Holly got hurt, I was just helping her out."

Holly looked up to Cecilia's gaze, which was cool, deep, and drop-dead gorgeous.

It was like comparing perfection to her mess and mortification.

She was the polar opposite of Cecilia. Holly was all curves and sweet innocence with a side of allure — a walking daydream for many guys. Cecilia looked like she was sketched by a goddess, she only had graceful lines and an air of untouchable grace.

Holly knew their history, Luke and Cecilia were childhood friends. They went to the same schools and even went abroad together.

To all the old folks, and Holly herself, before they were eighteen, Luke and Cecilia were known as the golden couple.

Somehow, on her eighteenth birthday, Luke picked Holly instead. Holly had figured Luke just was not into Cecilia's vibe.

Then, it hit her. All this time, he did not want to ruin the perfect picture he had of his untouchable goddess.

Cecilia watched Holly catch a beat, a small laugh escaping her. Then she dropped the bomb. "Isn't that Holly? The girl your family's taking care of, right? I get that you two are tight, but you better keep a distance.

"If people start talking, it won't just be a bad look for your folks – I'd lose respect for you, too."

Cecilia's offhand comment sent Luke into a tailspin.

"There's nothing going on between us, I'll never be with someone like her."

His words edged into me like a sharp knife.

Holly's hands were balled into fists so tight that her fingernails nearly pierced the skin of her palms.

Cecilia's face remained cold, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.

Luke turned back, his eyes pleading as he silently begged Holly for help.

Holly fought back the tears, forcing a strained smile that did not quite suit her.

"Ms. Porter, you've got it all wrong.

"Luke and I aren't dating. We're more like siblings than lovers, in fact.

"Besides, I'm about to get married, so there's no way I could be with him."

Cecilia's frosty demeanor softened for a moment at Holly's words.

Her smile warmed when she looked at Luke.

"Luke, it's been too long since I've caught up with your parents. I'll stop by your place later."

With that, Cecilia walked away, her silhouette graceful and dignified, leaving Holly with a mess of insecurities.

A sudden sharp pain snapped Holly back to reality — Luke was gripping her wrist too tightly.

Luke's frown showed his displeasure. "Holly, what's this about an arranged marriage you mentioned?"

Holly's face remained neutral as she gently pulled her hand free.

"It was just a cover story, don't take it to heart."

Luke let out a relieved breath.

Silence then filled the car, heavy and awkward.

Luke awkwardly coughed, ready to justify his earlier reaction. "I hope you're not upset. I just didn't want Cecilia spreading rumors to my parents, so I had to make sure we were on the same page."