His brows furrowed, but I didn’t let him touch me. I turned away, forcing myself to keep moving even though every step hurt.

I reached my car and slammed the door shut. The second I was alone inside, my forehead fell against the steering wheel. A sound broke from me, small and helpless.

At four in the morning, I dragged myself home with swollen eyes. I went straight to the bathroom and scrubbed my skin until it turned red. No matter how hard I washed, I could still smell him on me. My father would never let me call the police. Even if I tried, he’d force me to drop the case and rush me into the Roberts family faster.

I bit down on my lip and told myself it was fine. Just pretend it was nothing. Pretend it was like a dog bite.

When I finally stepped out of the shower, I collapsed on my bed. My fingers brushed the photo of my mother on the nightstand. She died when I was twelve. A mistress walked into our home, flaunted herself, and broke her heart. My mother never recovered, and she died. That was the day hatred planted itself inside me. But I was too young. Too powerless. Since then, every year, I’ve had to bow my head in front of my stepmother on the day of my mother’s death.

I stared at my mother’s smile in the photo and whispered, “Mom, I tried to change my life in another chance. I tried not to be controlled. Was I really wrong?”

The moonlight poured into the room. I clutched the photo and fell asleep. In my dream, my mother stroked my cheek, “You’re not wrong, my child. Those who love you will always understand.”

Then the dream twisted back into last night, the leather couch, the heavy air, and my own helplessness.

When I woke, tears were already on my face. I forced myself to get ready, but before I could finish, the butler knocked.

“Miss, the young master of the Roberts family is here to propose. Please come to the front hall.”

My stomach dropped. Viktor moved fast. Too fast.

I steadied myself and walked out. From the hall, I heard his voice, smooth and steady, as if nothing in the world could shake him.

“Mr. Velasquez,” Viktor was saying to my father, “I want Aurelia. I’ll treat her with respect. I’m asking for your blessing.”

My father looked pleased, “If that’s your intention, we’ll have someone check your compatibility tomorrow.”

The air thickened in my chest. Marry him? That would be walking straight into his cage again! And I remembered exactly how that ended.

No. Not this time.

“Dad,” I said, stepping into the room, “I’ll agree to marry into the Roberts family. But… I have two condition.”

My father’s smile disappeared. “Aurelia, don’t speak out of turn.”

Viktor’s dark eyes landed on me. He looked dangerous, yet his tone was calm. “What is it? Say it. If it’s something I can give, I will.”

I inhaled deeply. This was a gamble. “I want a dowry of two billion dollars. And the land your family is developing in upper town. All of it in my name.” I kept my back straight, refusing to waver, praying Viktor would be furious enough to leave.

But instead, his mouth curved into something close to a smile. He leaned back, studying me like I was a puzzle he wanted to keep breaking apart.

“Two billion and UpperTown,” he said slowly, like he was savoring the taste of it. “You really surprised me, Aurelia. Looks like I’m going to enjoy this marriage.”

My heart clenched. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. His voice carried so much weight that I wanted to run but my eyes drifted toward the entrance.

And there he was. Lucian.

My breath hitched. He stood tall in the doorway, broad shoulders filling the space, his dark suit cut sharp against the light. The kind of presence that made an entire room shift without him needing to say a word. But his face… his face was cold, unreadable, and when his eyes flicked to mine, I froze.

Mr. Velasquez immediately rose from his seat, smiling nervously. “Mr. Sullivan? Didn’t expect you tonight. Something urgent?”

Lucian’s gaze lingered on me for a second before he looked at my father. “Mr. Velasquez. I came here to propose.”

My heart leapt into my throat. This is it!

“I want to marry Miss Polly Velasquez.”

What?

The words knocked the air right out of me.

For a moment I couldn’t move. I couldn't think. My chest tightened until I thought I might faint. In my past life, Lucian had never married anyone. He’d been mine, in his own quiet, stubborn way. I remembered how his ears would burn red whenever he tried to talk to me, how he’d spend everything he had to fight for me, even risk it all to give me freedom.

And now, here he was, saying he wanted my sister. My illegitimate sister. Polly.

My lips parted, but before I could speak, Polly burst forward.

“Dad!” Her voice cracked, and desperate. “I don’t want to marry him! I love Viktor!” She pointed toward the man beside me, and Viktor only leaned back in his chair, the corner of his mouth lifting in that dangerous, mocking way of his. “Please, Dad, I don’t want Lucian. Let Aurelia marry him instead. They actually make sense together. Why don’t we just switch?”

I honestly thought for the first time in my life that my silly sister had finally done something right. I turned to Lucian, waiting, hoping he would speak for me.

But he didn’t even glance at me. “Mr. Velasquez, I can’t marry Aurelia. She belongs to Viktor. I won’t stand in between them.”

The air caught in my throat. “That’s not true! Viktor and I… we’re nothing.”

Across the room, Viktor rose to his feet. The dangerous edge in his smile made my skin crawl. “Aurelia, don’t deny it. You and I share something… unforgettable. How could you betray me so easily?”

“You—” My hands curled into fists, anger burning through the shame threatening to drown me.

He came closer, lowering his voice just enough so only I could see the satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. “The cameras were there, little dove. The whole world already knows. Stop pretending.”

My heart dropped.

My father’s pale face appeared before me, his phone shoved toward my eyes. “Look at this, Aurelia. Look what you’ve done!”

I didn’t want to. But there it was.

My name was all over the headlines.

#Velasquez Heiress and the Roberts Golden Boy Lock Themselves in for Two Hours

20 pictures. Each one was worse than the last. Shadows, blurred edges, but clear enough to tell the story they wanted to tell. My skin flushed under the effect of that drug Viktor had slipped on me, my body leaning into him, eyes half closed as if I had wanted every second of it.

Heat drained from my body. I turned to Viktor, horrified, betrayal clawing at my chest. He only stood there coolly, as if none of this was his faultm

“You forced me! Rape me—”

“Enough!” My father’s roar cut me down. “Our family doesn’t raise liars who play with men and deny responsibility. You will stand by Viktor, Aurelia. You will not disgrace us further.”

My knees weakened. The whole world had already seen the pictures. My father cared about nothing but reputation. There was no way out.

And then I looked up.

Lucian’s eyes caught mine. They were sharp, cold, filled with disgust and disappointment that sliced through me like a slow knife.

Something inside me cracked.

And then Polly’s soft voice broke the tension. “Mr. Sullivan,” she said quietly, almost lifeless, “do you still mean to marry me?”

Lucian’s gaze stayed on me as he answered, “Polly, I am a man who keeps his word. You will be the only woman in my life. I won’t falter. Not ever.”

My throat burned.

“Then… yes. I’ll marry you.”

And just like that, the decision was made for both of us.

By the time the night ended, the date had already been chosen. October tenth. A double wedding.

Me and Viktor.

Polly and Lucian.

***

After everyone left, I slipped out through the back door and found myself in front of Lucian’s car. I stepped closer. “W-why did you do that? Did you really mean to propose to my sister?”

The tinted window slid down, and his deep voice came out smooth but sharp. “Yeah. I wanted you to stop thinking there’s a way out with me. Better you give up now.”

The car pulled away before I could say anything else, leaving me standing under the blazing sun. My chest felt like it was burning, and I could barely breathe. My knees gave out, and I sank onto the hot pavement, tears rolling down my face.

From that day, I shut myself in. I didn’t go anywhere, didn’t talk to anyone. I wasted away, sleepless and aching, watching my life slip further into a place I couldn’t pull back from.

Then an invitation arrived for a charity dinner. I told myself I’d go, just to breathe somewhere that wasn’t my room.

When I stepped into the hotel ballroom, my heart stopped. This was the same place where Lucian and I had first crossed paths. Back then, Polly had set me up, and I’d run off in a daze. I had stumbled into the wrong hall, and before I knew it, a clumsy waiter crashed into me. I was about to fall into a champagne tower when a strong cedar-scented arm caught me, steadying me before the whole room could turn into glass and ruin. That was the beginning of us.

The memory broke when I noticed movement. A couple was walking toward me, hand in hand.

He wore a sharp, perfectly tailored suit, and she wore a designer gown that hugged every line of her body.

My heart froze. Lucian. And Polly.

Polly’s eyes lit with triumph when she saw me. Without hesitation, she tugged on his collar and kissed him, her lips pressed against the man who once only belonged to me.

The cameras went crazy, flashes popping everywhere until the ballroom felt like daylight.

Lucian didn’t even hesitate. He pushed Polly away, but not hard enough to make it look like rejection. Just enough to show control. I couldn’t move. I just stood there, frozen, watching as the two of them walked forward like they belonged together.

He slipped out of his suit jacket, that perfectly tailored black one, and laid it over Polly’s shoulders. The future ruthless king of New York busiess world with the darling daughter of the Velasquez family. They looked perfect. Too perfect.

Then his eyes found mine. For a moment, I thought I’d see something familiar, but instead his face went cold.

“Aurelia.”

That was all. Just my name, flat and distant. He used to say it like it meant something. Now it sounded like a stranger calling me out in a crowd.

My cheeks burned. What happened to the man who once made me believe I mattered?

Polly leaned into him, her hand brushing the lapel of his jacket like she owned him. “Lucian, the champagne’s too cold. Can you get me something warmer? Maybe ginger tea?”

He didn’t argue. He didn’t question. He just nodded once and walked away like a soldier carrying out orders.

A couple minutes later, he was back, setting a delicate porcelain cup in her hands. Steam curled into the air. His gaze softened as he looked at her. “Careful. It’s hot. Sip slowly.”

In my last life, when my body ached and I couldn’t even stand straight during my period, a steaming cup of ginger tea always appeared at my side. He never said a word back then. I only ever knew it was him because no one else cared enough to notice.

Now all of that tenderness belonged to her.

I turned away before the tears could spill and hurried out of the hall, the noise of the flashes still chasing me.

***

Back at the Velasquez place, I let the bridal shop girls fuss over me. They slipped one white dress after another onto me, telling me how gorgeous I looked, how perfect I’d be as a bride. I just stood there in silence, staring at myself in the mirror like it was some stranger’s reflection.

I already knew the truth. Marrying Viktor was a trap I’d never crawl out of.

That night I couldn’t sleep. I tossed, I turned, I stared at the ceiling until my eyes burned. Finally, I made up my mind. I had to run.

The next morning I slipped out with a few pieces of jewelry, the kind that could pay for a plane ticket and a new life. At the first store, the manager smiled politely but pushed them back toward me. “Sorry, Miss Velasquez. We can’t take these.”

At the second store, same thing. Third, fourth, all the same. By the fifth, I pressed the man harder, my voice shaking. “Tell me why. Why won’t you take them?”

He looked uncomfortable, his eyes darting to the door. Finally, he sighed. “Mr. Roberts gave the order. Anyone who touches your jewelry is finished in this city.”

Heat rushed to my face. Viktor had already cut off every path before I even tried to take it. I knew the moment I vanished, my father would freeze all my cards too. Viktor understood exactly how much I needed cash. That was why he was strangling me with it.

I walked aimlessly until my phone buzzed with a notification. An upcoming auction in Manhattan. Celebrities, collectors, rare treasures.

I stopped dead. An idea lit up in me. If I couldn’t sell directly, I could slip my things into an auction, anonymously. Viktor couldn’t trace that.

That same afternoon, I contacted the house and sent over the emerald brooch… one of my most valuable pieces.

When the night of the auction arrived, I tucked myself into the shadows of the room. A wide-brimmed hat covered half my face. I kept my posture low, and invisible, though my heart was thudding like crazy.

And then I saw them. Lucian and Polly. Sitting in the front row like they owned the place.

I shouldn’t have looked. But my eyes betrayed me, fixing on them, refusing to let go.

When the auctioneer rolled out a pair of antique couple’s watches, Polly’s eyes lit up like fireworks. She leaned into Lucian, her voice high and sweet. “Lucian, those would look amazing on us. Matching, you know? Buy them for me?”

Lucian’s expression barely shifted. He lifted his hand with that commanding ease of his, “Put them on the block.”

The crowd buzzed instantly. His reputation always carried weight. The sourness swelled up my throat, but I forced myself to swallow it back down.

The bids shot higher and higher until the price was obscene. Of course Lucian won. Cheers filled the room as he unclasped his own watch, the one I knew so well, and replaced it with the antique piece.

The watch he’d just discarded so easily… I had given it to him. On his birthday.

And now it meant nothing.

Lucian once told me he would always treasure the watch I gave him. Said he’d wear it forever. But tonight, I watched him take it off like it meant nothing.