Moving into Dane’s mansion felt like stepping into someone else’s dream.

He gave me the biggest room. The bed was soft, the sheets were silk, the closet full of clothes I never thought I’d wear. There were shoes lined up by color, jewelry that sparkled when the light hit it.

Every morning, someone brought breakfast to my room. Every night, he came home with gifts. But he never took me outside. Not once.

No dinners. No parties. No walks in the city.

One night, I asked quietly, “Can I go with you next time?”

He smiled, leaned in, and kissed me instead of answering.

And just like that, the question was gone.

The staff barely spoke to me. They looked through me like I wasn’t real. Some smiled politely. Most just bowed and left. I tried to pretend it didn’t hurt.

I told myself it was fine. I loved him. He said I was his. That was enough, right?

One night, as he held me, Dane whispered, “I’ll marry you one day.”

I believed him completely.

We spent quiet nights together. He would pull me close, stroke my hair, and say nothing. For the first time in years, I felt safe. Like maybe I finally belonged somewhere.

When he left for Paris, he kissed my forehead and said softly, “Wait for me.”

I did.

Days turned to weeks.

No calls. No messages. But I kept waiting.

Then one morning, while cleaning up the breakfast tray, I heard the maids whispering near the hall.

“I heard Mr. Vale’s fiancée studies in Paris,” one said.

The other gasped. “What about the girl here? Candy? I thought she was the fiancée.”

A quiet laugh followed. “No. She’s just a bed warmer.”

The words hit harder than any slap I’d ever taken. I went back to my room, shut the door, and cried until my eyes burned.

When I woke up the next morning, my body felt heavy. The smell of food made me sick. My head spun every time I stood up.

One of the maids noticed. “You should see a doctor,” she said.

I went alone. My hands shook the whole way.

After the test, the doctor smiled. “Congratulations,” she said softly. “You’re two months pregnant.”

My heart stopped, then started racing. I pressed the paper to my chest, tears spilling down my face. “He’ll be so happy,” I whispered. “I know he will.”

I thanked the doctor and hurried home, holding the report like a treasure.

Maybe now he’d take me out. Maybe now I’d finally belong.

When I reached the mansion, I heard his voice from the living room. My heart jumped. He was back.

I ran toward the sound, smiling so wide it hurt.

Then I heard a laugh.

A woman’s laugh.

I froze. It couldn’t be. I knew that laugh.

I pushed the door open.

Naira was sitting on Dane’s lap, kissing him.

His hands were around her waist.

They both looked up. Dane’s eyes were cold, like he didn’t even recognize me. And Naira? Naira blinked, pretending to be surprised.

“What are you doing here?”

Dane didn’t even stand. “Where have you been?” he asked flatly. Then he turned to the side and added, “Go prepare some drinks and snacks for my visitor.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

My voice came out small and looked at Naira. Really looked at her. “W-why are you here?”

She gave a short, sharp laugh, the kind that felt like a slap. Then she stood, crossing her arms like she owned the place. “You’re really asking me that?”

She lifted her left hand and shoved it in my face. A diamond ring sparkled under the light. “I’m Dane Vale’s fiancée. See this?”

My whole body went cold. The room tilted.

No, it couldn’t be real.

I turned to Dane. My lips trembled. “T-tell me she’s lying.”

He didn’t look at me. Didn’t even flinch. Just stood there, jaw tight, eyes somewhere else.

The silence was worse than anything he could’ve said.

Naira stepped closer, her perfume filling my lungs like poison. “Babe,” she said to him sweetly, “why is that Langford slave in your house?” She pointed at me like I was dirt. “Don’t you remember what I told you? She’s the reason MY mom and dad are dead. Jason and Calen Langford hate her for killing them. They locked her up for years. And now you bring her here? You’re hurting me, Dane. You’re really hurting me.”

My throat closed. I couldn’t even breathe right.

Every word felt like a blade scraping against my ribs.

I waited. Just one word from him. Just something.

But Dane only sighed. His voice was flat. Empty. “Naira, listen. I only brought her here to be my bed warmer. Nothing else. Just someone to warm my bed at night.”

My knees went weak. My fingers shook.

The words didn’t sound real.

Bed warmer?

So that’s all I was...

The maid was right.

The man I thought saved me, the one who promised me safety, a future, was just another monster.

“Oh, okay. You’re a man.“ Naira tilted her head, pretending to understand. “You have needs. Fine.”

She walked over to him and pulled him by the collar. And right there, in front of me, she kissed him. Long and deep.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t look away.

When she finally let him go, she turned back to me. Her eyes burned with hate.

“You bitch,” she hissed, and before I could step back, her hand cracked across my face.

SLAP!

The sound echoed.

I stumbled, clutching my cheek, feeling the sting crawl under my skin.

“Of all people, it had to be you?” she shouted.

I wanted to say something. Anything. But no words came. Just tears.

Naira raised her hand again, but Dane caught her wrist. “Enough,” he said sharply. Then he looked at me, expression blank. “Candy, go to your room. Don’t come down unless I tell you.”

My voice was gone.

All I could do was nod and walk away, holding my face.

Each step upstairs felt like walking through water.

When I reached my room, I sat on the edge of the bed, shaking. The folded paper slipped from my pocket. The sonogram.

I stared at it for a long time, my vision blurring.

“Our baby,” I whispered.

Then I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I cried until I couldn’t breathe, until the world outside faded, and all I could hear was the sound of my own heart breaking while downstairs, I knew Naira was throwing herself into his arms again, pretending to cry.

And he was letting her.

....

I woke up with my eyes swollen and my chest aching like I had cried myself empty.

The sunlight slipped through the curtains, soft and cruel at the same time. It made everything look too normal, like last night never happened.

I pushed myself up, head throbbing, when I saw her.

Naira.

Sitting on the couch like she belonged there, legs crossed, calm and smug, holding something between her fingers.

It took me a second to realize what it was.

The folded paper.

My sonogram.

“So,” she said lightly, twirling it between her fingers, “you’re pregnant, hmm?”

I froze. My heart stopped.

“Give that back,” I whispered.

She smiled like a cat that caught something small and helpless. “Not yet. I want you to hear a story first. It’s a good one. You’ll like it.”

“I said give it back.”

Naira ignored me. She just leaned back, eyes glinting with something sharp and ugly.

“You always thought you were so good, didn’t you, Candy? Always so loved. So lucky. You want to know how I became his fiancée?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to hear. But she went on anyway, her voice syrupy and cruel.

“Two weeks ago, my brothers told me Dane took you. Jason and Calen. Remember them? They said you were living in his house. That he was protecting you.” She laughed, but it didn’t sound human. “Can you imagine how that felt? You, the little Langford nobody, suddenly in his arms.”

She stood and began pacing, like she was telling a bedtime story. “You were always the favorite. Even when we were kids. So I decided to take what’s yours. All of it.”

She paused and looked at me with that painted smile. “Jason told me Dane was going to Paris for business. I begged him to introduce me. I made sure to look perfect that night. You should’ve seen me. All white silk and tears, like a wounded angel. Men fall faster when they think they’re saving someone.”

I stared at the floor, trying not to cry, but my chest felt tight again.

She laughed softly. “You know what sealed it? The shooting. Oh, Candy, it was brilliant. Jason hired men to stage it. I made sure Dane saw everything. The guns, the panic. I pretended to shield him, even fell on the ground. There was fake blood everywhere. I looked like a hero. He carried me all the way to the hospital, you know? Stayed all night by my side.”

Her eyes gleamed as she remembered it. “When I woke up, he told me I saved his life. He swore he owed me everything. So I told him what I wanted.”

She walked closer, slow and deliberate, crouched down in front of me. “I told him I wanted him. I wanted to be his woman.”

I stared at her. The words didn’t even sound real anymore.

Naira smiled wider, showing teeth. “He gave me this ring. Promised me the world. All because he thought I took a bullet for him. Guilt is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

Something in me cracked then.

I started laughing. Quietly at first, then louder. It came out wrong, broken, like I had forgotten how to breathe.

Naira’s smile faded. “What’s so funny?”

I wiped my face, still laughing through the tears. “That’s all it took? Fake blood? A few hired men? That’s how you got him?”

Her jaw tightened. “Don’t laugh at me.”

But I couldn’t stop. It hurt to laugh, but I did anyway. “You can have him,” I said quietly. “I don’t care anymore.”

Her face changed. The anger flickered away, replaced by something colder. She tilted her head, smiling again, softer this time. Almost sweet. But her eyes didn’t match.

I knew that look.

I stood, backing away. “What are you doing?”

She stepped closer. “You’re pregnant. I’m his fiancée and his savior.” Her smile deepened. “Let’s see who he saves first.”

Before I could move, she grabbed my arm. Her nails dug into my skin. I tried to pull free, but she held on tight.

“Let go of me, Naira!”

Her voice suddenly turned loud, trembling like a victim. “Candy! Stop! You’re hurting me! Why do you always hurt me?”

“I said let go—”

Before I could finish, she stumbled backward, still clutching my wrist. My foot slipped on the edge of the stair.

Everything happened too fast.

Her scream tore through the house. “Candy! Please, don’t hurt me!”

Then there was nothing but motion.

We fell.

I couldn’t move.

The floor was cold against my cheek, and all I could see was white light above me spinning out of focus. Pain burned through my stomach, spreading to my back until I couldn’t even tell where it started. Then I heard shouting.

Footsteps.

Someone yelled my name.

Dane.

My heart lifted, weak but alive. He came. He was coming for me... But then I saw him. He ran right past me. Straight to Naira.

She was lying a few steps away, crying softly, holding her arm like it was broken. He scooped her up without hesitation, panic in his eyes.

“Call the doctor! Hurry!” Dane shouted.

A maid’s voice trembled, “Sir, Miss Candy is bleeding too—”

“Take care of her later!” His voice was sharp, loud enough to cut through me. “Naira’s more important!”

Important?

Something inside me cracked. The sound of their voices faded. The light dimmed.

Everything went black.

---

When I opened my eyes, the ceiling was white. The smell of medicine stung my nose. My throat was so dry I could barely swallow. There was a bandage across my stomach.

I tried to sit up, but pain shot through me, forcing me still.

The door opened.

Dane stepped in. His face was hard, his eyes colder than I’d ever seen them.

“Is this how you repay me?” His voice was calm at first, but it carried anger under every word. “I took you away from that house. I gave you everything. And this is what you do?”

I blinked at him, confused. “W-what are you talking about?”

He moved closer, arms crossed. “Don’t play dumb. You tried to harm my fiancée. Don’t you know she saved my life once? She took a bullet for me! And you… you pushed her down the stairs.”

My stomach turned. “No, Dane, please. It wasn’t me—”

“Enough! You always have excuses. You always cry and make yourself look like the victim.”

I shook my head, tears spilling before I could stop them. “Please, listen to me—”

A knock on the door broke through my words.

A nurse peeked inside, eyes downcast. “Sir… Miss Naira just woke up. She’s crying. Still in shock and looking for you.”

Dane’s jaw tightened. His eyes flicked back to me for a second—cold, empty, like I was no one.

“Save your lies,” he said quietly. “I’ll deal with you later.”

Then he walked out.

The door closed behind him with a soft click. But to me, it sounded like something breaking for good.

“Don’t worry, baby. We’ll leave. I’ll protect you. I promise.”

I slowly reached for the IV needle. I just wanted to go. Anywhere. Away from all of this.

But the door burst open before I could move.

Jason and Calen stormed in like a storm had ripped through the hallway.

Jason’s eyes burned with rage. Calen looked at me like I was something filthy.

Calen moved first. His hand came down hard across my face. The sound echoed in the room.

“How dare you, Candy! How dare you try to kill our sister?”

My head snapped to the side. My cheek stung. “I didn’t,” I whispered.

Jason’s voice was louder. “Don’t you dare lie to us. You killed our parents. Wasn’t that enough? Now you go after Naira too?”

Tears filled my eyes again. “She’s the one who—”

Jason stepped closer, his finger pointing right at my forehead. “She's the one, what? You said that last time too. Every time you say that, someone ends up dead. Mom. Dad. Now Naira?”

“No,” I cried, shaking my head. “You don’t understand. She lied. She set me up. Please, Jason, you have to believe me.”

Calen grabbed the metal tray beside my bed and shoved it to the floor. Everything crashed—glass, water, the cup, everything. “Shut up!” he yelled. “You think anyone will believe you over her? You’re nothing. Just a stain in this family. A curse that won’t go away.”

I pressed my hand over my mouth, sobbing.

Calen leaned closer, his voice low and trembling with hate. “Why won’t you die already? Just die and save us all the trouble.”

Jason grabbed my chin roughly, forcing me to look at him. His eyes were cold, almost empty. “You’ll pay for this, Candy. Even if Dane forgives you, we won’t.”

They turned and left, the door slamming behind them.