Chapter 1: The Betrayal

Sophia's POV

The bouquet of white roses slipped from my hands and fell to the floor.

Beside the bed lay Ryan's shirt, tangled with a woman's dress.

My fingers trembled as I pushed the bedroom door a little wider. My eyes slowly drifted toward the bed.

And then I saw them.

Ryan. My fiancé.

And on his chest was my younger sister, Emma.

For several seconds, I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even understand what I was looking at.

××××

The bouquet of white roses had felt heavier than it should have, but I hadn't minded. Maybe it was because I had spent almost an hour choosing them. Or maybe because today was finally the day everything would change.

Ryan loved white roses.

It was a small thing. Something most people would hardly remember. But as his girlfriend of three years, I remembered everything about him. The coffee he liked in the morning, the songs he played whenever he was stressed, the way he rubbed his forehead whenever he was thinking too hard and the way his eyes softened whenever he looked at me.

I remembered the promise he made two weeks ago.

The night he took my hand, looked into my eyes, and asked me to be his wife.

I still remembered how my heart had raced. How I had cried. How I had said yes before he even finished asking.

I still remember the way he held me the day I lost my job. He told me not to worry about searching for a job until after our engagement ceremony. I smiled at the thought.

Today was supposed to be the day we told our families. The day we made our future official.

I had parked outside the Laurent family estate and taken a deep breath before stepping out of my car.

The place looked exactly the same as it always did. Beautiful. Expensive. Perfect.

Ryan had brought me here many times before. I knew every corner of the garden, every pathway, every tree. This was where he had kissed me for the first time. This was where he had told me I was the only woman he could ever imagine spending his life with.

I smiled at the memory. I had believed him. I had believed every word.

I walked toward the entrance, holding the bouquet carefully. The front door was slightly open.

Strange.

I pushed it open slowly and stepped inside.

"Ryan?" I called.

No answer.

Maybe he was in his room getting ready. I smiled at the thought and started down the hallway.

The house was quiet. I could only hear the sound of my heels against the floor as I hurried toward his bedroom.

When I reached the door, I raised my hand to knock. Then I noticed it was slightly ajar.

The smile on my face widened. Maybe I could surprise him.

I pushed the door slightly, intending to peek inside.

The room was dim.

At first, I didn't understand what I was seeing.

Then my eyes fell on the clothes scattered across the floor. Ryan's shirt. A woman's dress.

The bouquet slipped from my hands.

My smile disappeared.

My fingers trembled as I pushed the door wider and took another step inside.

My breath caught.

I stared blankly at the clothes on the floor before slowly lifting my eyes toward the bed.

Emma. My sister.

She was lying on top of my fiancé. The sheet was pulled up to her chest.

My eyes stung. I tried to take a deep breath, but it felt as though the room had suddenly run out of air.

Ryan was gently running his hand through Emma's hair, his eyes closed, a faint smile on his face.

A tear slipped down my cheek. Then another.

I wiped them away, but more followed.

"How long?"

My voice cracked.

Ryan's eyes flew open. Emma quickly sat up, grabbing the sheet and pulling it tightly around herself. She didn't even look particularly shaken.

"Sophia..." Ryan stammered. "I... I can explain."

He climbed out of the bed and hurriedly reached for his shorts.

"How long?" I shouted. My eyes never left his face, even as tears continued to fall.

"Sophia, please. Please listen. I—"

"WHEN?"

I cut him off. My voice came out colder than I expected, but I didn't care.

Ryan's eyes dropped to the floor.

"Three months."

My heart stopped.

"Listen, I—"

"Three fucking months?" I cut him off again. I stood there trembling, trying to understand how the man I loved had been lying to me for three months. "Three whole months, and you've been going behind my back, having sex with my sister?"

Ryan couldn't meet my eyes. His face remained lowered toward the floor.

"Sophia, please, just lis—"

"Shut the fuck up, Emma."

My gaze shifted to her.

"Shut the fuck up!"

I tried to stop the tears, wiping my cheeks again and again, but they wouldn't stop.

The sister I had protected my entire life. The sister who always seemed to want whatever belonged to me. My clothes. My attention. My achievements. Even my happiness.

I turned back to Ryan.

"Three years." My voice dropped to a whisper. "Three years together, Ryan."

He finally lifted his eyes.

"You proposed to me two weeks ago while you were having an affair with my sister?" My voice trailed off. "How could you?"

My voice cracked. "How could you look me in the eyes and promise me forever when you were already choosing her?. How could you hold me and promise me you'll help me find a job after our engagement?"

"Sophia—"

"No." I shook my head. "Don't."

I couldn't listen to another excuse. I couldn't listen to him tell me he was sorry. Not when I could still see him touching her. Not when I had walked into this room carrying flowers for the man I thought I was going to marry.

"Sophia."

My mother's voice came from behind me.

I turned around. Both of my parents stood in the doorway.

My mother stepped forward and placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Sophia, you need to calm down."

I stared at her.

"You knew, right?" The question came out quietly.

She froze. And from the way her body tensed, I already knew the answer.

My mother sighed. "Sophia, please."

Please. That word again. The word people used when they wanted me to accept pain quietly.

"Please what?" I snapped. "Please understand? Please forgive them? Please step aside?"

My mother said nothing.

I turned toward my father. He wasn't looking at me.

That hurt more than I expected.

They all knew. They had all known while I was the only person left in the dark.

I let out a disbelief chuckle and walked toward my father until I was standing directly in front of him. He still refused to meet my eyes.

"How could you?" My voice came out as barely a whisper.

No one answered.

I turned around and looked at Emma and Ryan. Then I looked back at my parents. Nobody said anything.

I felt something inside me break.

I dragged my feet toward the middle of the room and picked up my bag. I didn't even remember when I had dropped it.

Then I looked at Ryan one last time. His eyes finally met mine. He looked lifeless. Broken.

But I couldn't bring myself to care anymore.

I stepped closer until there was barely any distance between us.

"I hope you're happy." My voice was barely audible.

Then I turned around and walked away.

Nobody stopped me. Nobody called me back. Not even my parents.

My eyes blurred as I stepped outside the Laurent estate.

The moment I reached the gates, the tears came harder. I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hands, but they wouldn't stop.

I looked back at the estate one last time.

I had walked through those gates believing I was about to begin the next chapter of my life. Instead, I was leaving with nothing.

And somehow, I knew I would never look at that place the same way again.

Chapter 1: The Betrayal

Sophia's POV

The bouquet of white roses slipped from my hands and fell to the floor.

Beside the bed lay Ryan's shirt, tangled with a woman's dress.

My fingers trembled as I pushed the bedroom door a little wider. My eyes slowly drifted toward the bed.

And then I saw them.

Ryan. My fiancé.

And on his chest was my younger sister, Emma.

For several seconds, I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even understand what I was looking at.

××××

The bouquet of white roses had felt heavier than it should have, but I hadn't minded. Maybe it was because I had spent almost an hour choosing them. Or maybe because today was finally the day everything would change.

Ryan loved white roses.

It was a small thing. Something most people would hardly remember. But as his girlfriend of three years, I remembered everything about him. The coffee he liked in the morning, the songs he played whenever he was stressed, the way he rubbed his forehead whenever he was thinking too hard and the way his eyes softened whenever he looked at me.

I remembered the promise he made two weeks ago.

The night he took my hand, looked into my eyes, and asked me to be his wife.

I still remembered how my heart had raced. How I had cried. How I had said yes before he even finished asking.

I still remember the way he held me the day I lost my job. He told me not to worry about searching for a job until after our engagement ceremony. I smiled at the thought.

Today was supposed to be the day we told our families. The day we made our future official.

I had parked outside the Laurent family estate and taken a deep breath before stepping out of my car.

The place looked exactly the same as it always did. Beautiful. Expensive. Perfect.

Ryan had brought me here many times before. I knew every corner of the garden, every pathway, every tree. This was where he had kissed me for the first time. This was where he had told me I was the only woman he could ever imagine spending his life with.

I smiled at the memory. I had believed him. I had believed every word.

I walked toward the entrance, holding the bouquet carefully. The front door was slightly open.

Strange.

I pushed it open slowly and stepped inside.

"Ryan?" I called.

No answer.

Maybe he was in his room getting ready. I smiled at the thought and started down the hallway.

The house was quiet. I could only hear the sound of my heels against the floor as I hurried toward his bedroom.

When I reached the door, I raised my hand to knock. Then I noticed it was slightly ajar.

The smile on my face widened. Maybe I could surprise him.

I pushed the door slightly, intending to peek inside.

The room was dim.

At first, I didn't understand what I was seeing.

Then my eyes fell on the clothes scattered across the floor. Ryan's shirt. A woman's dress.

The bouquet slipped from my hands.

My smile disappeared.

My fingers trembled as I pushed the door wider and took another step inside.

My breath caught.

I stared blankly at the clothes on the floor before slowly lifting my eyes toward the bed.

Emma. My sister.

She was lying on top of my fiancé. The sheet was pulled up to her chest.

My eyes stung. I tried to take a deep breath, but it felt as though the room had suddenly run out of air.

Ryan was gently running his hand through Emma's hair, his eyes closed, a faint smile on his face.

A tear slipped down my cheek. Then another.

I wiped them away, but more followed.

"How long?"

My voice cracked.

Ryan's eyes flew open. Emma quickly sat up, grabbing the sheet and pulling it tightly around herself. She didn't even look particularly shaken.

"Sophia..." Ryan stammered. "I... I can explain."

He climbed out of the bed and hurriedly reached for his shorts.

"How long?" I shouted. My eyes never left his face, even as tears continued to fall.

"Sophia, please. Please listen. I—"

"WHEN?"

I cut him off. My voice came out colder than I expected, but I didn't care.

Ryan's eyes dropped to the floor.

"Three months."

My heart stopped.

"Listen, I—"

"Three fucking months?" I cut him off again. I stood there trembling, trying to understand how the man I loved had been lying to me for three months. "Three whole months, and you've been going behind my back, having sex with my sister?"

Ryan couldn't meet my eyes. His face remained lowered toward the floor.

"Sophia, please, just lis—"

"Shut the fuck up, Emma."

My gaze shifted to her.

"Shut the fuck up!"

I tried to stop the tears, wiping my cheeks again and again, but they wouldn't stop.

The sister I had protected my entire life. The sister who always seemed to want whatever belonged to me. My clothes. My attention. My achievements. Even my happiness.

I turned back to Ryan.

"Three years." My voice dropped to a whisper. "Three years together, Ryan."

He finally lifted his eyes.

"You proposed to me two weeks ago while you were having an affair with my sister?" My voice trailed off. "How could you?"

My voice cracked. "How could you look me in the eyes and promise me forever when you were already choosing her?. How could you hold me and promise me you'll help me find a job after our engagement?"

"Sophia—"

"No." I shook my head. "Don't."

I couldn't listen to another excuse. I couldn't listen to him tell me he was sorry. Not when I could still see him touching her. Not when I had walked into this room carrying flowers for the man I thought I was going to marry.

"Sophia."

My mother's voice came from behind me.

I turned around. Both of my parents stood in the doorway.

My mother stepped forward and placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Sophia, you need to calm down."

I stared at her.

"You knew, right?" The question came out quietly.

She froze. And from the way her body tensed, I already knew the answer.

My mother sighed. "Sophia, please."

Please. That word again. The word people used when they wanted me to accept pain quietly.

"Please what?" I snapped. "Please understand? Please forgive them? Please step aside?"

My mother said nothing.

I turned toward my father. He wasn't looking at me.

That hurt more than I expected.

They all knew. They had all known while I was the only person left in the dark.

I let out a disbelief chuckle and walked toward my father until I was standing directly in front of him. He still refused to meet my eyes.

"How could you?" My voice came out as barely a whisper.

No one answered.

I turned around and looked at Emma and Ryan. Then I looked back at my parents. Nobody said anything.

I felt something inside me break.

I dragged my feet toward the middle of the room and picked up my bag. I didn't even remember when I had dropped it.

Then I looked at Ryan one last time. His eyes finally met mine. He looked lifeless. Broken.

But I couldn't bring myself to care anymore.

I stepped closer until there was barely any distance between us.

"I hope you're happy." My voice was barely audible.

Then I turned around and walked away.

Nobody stopped me. Nobody called me back. Not even my parents.

My eyes blurred as I stepped outside the Laurent estate.

The moment I reached the gates, the tears came harder. I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hands, but they wouldn't stop.

I looked back at the estate one last time.

I had walked through those gates believing I was about to begin the next chapter of my life. Instead, I was leaving with nothing.

And somehow, I knew I would never look at that place the same way again.

Chapter 3: The Proposal

Sophia's POV

My brow twitched in confusion.

"What?"

Damien leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression remaining unreadable.

"It is a contract. Both sides will benefit."

I stared at him for a moment, searching his face for any sign that he was joking. There was none.

I let out a slow breath.

"I am sorry, but if this is some kind of joke, I am not interested."

"It is not a joke, Sophia."

He paused, his gray eyes fixed on mine.

"I am asking you to marry me."

I nearly choked on my own spit.

Marry him?

Of all the things I expected him to say, that was definitely not one of them. I looked around the restaurant, half-expecting someone to suddenly appear with a camera and tell me this was some elaborate prank.

Nothing happened.

Damien simply sat there, watching me.

At this point, I wanted nothing to do with the Laurent family. I had spent three years believing Ryan was the man I would spend the rest of my life with, only to discover that he had been sleeping with my sister for three months.

And now his cousin was sitting across from me, asking me to marry him.

What kind of ridiculous day was this?

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head. "But I am not interested."

He acted as though I had not spoken.

"The contract marriage will last for five months."

My eyes narrowed. "Five months?"

"Yes."

He folded his hands on the table.

"You will live with me for five months, appear as my wife when necessary, and fulfill the responsibilities that come with the arrangement. At the end of those five months, the marriage will be dissolved and we will go our separate ways."

I stared at him. He said all of it so calmly, as though he were discussing a business transaction.

Then he added, "I will pay you every month."

I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Of course you will."

"Name your price."

I shook my head.

"With all due respect, sir, I am going to say this for the second time. I am not interested in your proposal."

I leaned back in my chair.

"I have never met you before today. I do not know you, I do not know why you suddenly want a wife, and I do not even know how you knew my name."

Something changed in his expression. It was barely noticeable, but I caught it. He looked away for a second before returning his attention to me.

“I need to get married 1 week from now, in other to inherit my grandfather’s will. otherwise,... my family will take it from me”. My brow furrowed. He stayed silent for a while.

"You do not need to know everything about me." He continued.

His jaw tightened slightly. "But you will know enough when the time comes."

I frowned.

What did that even mean?

"And why me?"

“Because you are the only person who can give me what I need.”

I frowned. “And what exactly is that?”

His expression remained unreadable.

“You'll find out.”

I waited for him to continue but he didn't.

That silence bothered me more than anything else. There was something about Damien Laurent that made me feel as though I was missing half of the conversation.

"You approached me," I continued. "You knew my name before I introduced myself. And now you are asking me to marry you two minutes after meeting me." I notice his fingers tighten slightly around the edge of the table.

“I make it a habit to know who I'm dealing with.”

I stared at him.

Cold.

That was the word Ryan had used whenever he talked about his cousin.

I had always assumed Ryan was exaggerating. He was not.

Damien reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a black business card. He placed it on the table and slid it toward me.

"Think about it."

I glanced down at the card. His name was printed neatly across it.

Damien Laurent.

Nothing else. No explanation. No reason. Just his name and a number.

He pushed his chair back and stood.

"I will wait for your call."

I looked up at him. "I am not going to call."

He did not respond. He simply turned and walked toward the exit.

I watched him disappear through the restaurant doors.

For a few seconds, I remained completely still.

Then my eyes drifted back to the card.

Why did I feel like there was more to this?

I called the waitress, paid for my meal, and stood.

I was almost at the entrance when my feet suddenly stopped.

I looked over my shoulder.

The card was still sitting on the table.

I closed my eyes.

What are you doing, Sophia?

I should leave it there. I should walk away from anything connected to the Laurent family.

Instead, I walked back. I picked up the card.

By the time I reached Chloe's apartment, I was exhausted.

I dropped onto the bed and pulled the card from my bag. I studied it for several seconds.

Damien Laurent.

My fingers traced the edge of the card before I quickly pulled my hand away.

What was wrong with me?

I tossed it onto the bedside table and stared at the ceiling.

I did not want to think about him. I did not want to think about Ryan. I did not want to think about anything.

I just wanted my mind to stop replaying everything that had happened.

Eventually, sleep took over.

When I woke up, it was already seven in the evening.

For a moment, I forgot where I was.

Then everything came rushing back.

Ryan and Emma on the bed.

I closed my eyes again.

I did not want to cry. Not again.

I forced myself out of bed, took a shower, and changed into some of Chloe's clothes.

When I returned to the bedroom, I picked up my phone.

One missed call.

From Dad.

I stared at his name for several seconds.

He was the first person from my family to call me after what happened.

That should have meant something.

Instead, it only made my chest hurt.

I ignored the call and dialed Chloe.

She answered almost immediately.

"Hey, babes. I hope you have had enough sleep. And please tell me you did not spend the entire time thinking about that bastard."

A small laugh escaped me.

"Well, that is the spirit!" she exclaimed. "At least you laughed."

I smiled faintly.

Then her voice softened. "Get comfortable in the apartment, okay? Everything there is yours. You can use whatever you want. If you need money talk to me. I figured since you did not want to go home and you did not bring any clothes, you could wear mine."

"You have already done so much for me."

"So?"

I swallowed. "I am really grateful to have you, Chloe. You have always stood by me since we were kids. I honestly do not know what I would do without you."

"Awwn. You are going to make me cry."

I smiled. For a moment, everything felt normal.

Then she sighed. "Anyway... have you thought about getting a job and what you are going to do?"

My smile faded. "What I'm gonna do about what?"

"You know what I mean. Ryan."

I looked away. "I do not want to think about him."

"I know. But eventually, you are going to have to decide what you want to do, we are not gonna let him slip away with it."

I remained silent. My eyes drifted toward the bedside table. The black card was still there.

Damien's card.

"Actually..." I picked it up. "Do you remember Damien Laurent?"

"Damien Laurent?" she repeated. "The one Ryan talks about?"

"Yeah."

"What about him?"

"I met him today."

There was a brief silence. "You met him?"

"At a restaurant."

"What did he say?"

I hesitated. "He made me a ridiculous proposal."

"What kind of proposal?"

I looked down at the card in my hand. "He offered me a contract marriage for five months and I get payed."

Silence. Then— "Oh my God."

I frowned. "What?"

"This is all you need in one place. You get paid, and u can finally get your revenge."

I rolled my eyes. "Chloe, you are being ridiculous."

"No, I am serious."

"You want me to marry Ryan's cousin?"

"Exactly."

I stared at the ceiling. "You cannot be serious."

"Why not? You said it is only for five months and I'm sure the pay is gonna be good. Besides, you can use the money before you get another job."

"That does not make it normal!"

"But think about it, Sophia. Imagine Ryan finding out that the woman he cheated on is now married to his cousin, AKA, his enemy." I heard her release a devilish laugh.

I did not answer.

"Exactly," Chloe continued. "You do not even have to do anything. Just live your life. Find a job and let him see that you are no longer waiting for him."

I swallowed.

Part of me wanted to dismiss the idea immediately. Another part of me couldn't stop thinking about it.

Five months. That was all Damien had asked for. Five months and then we would walk away from each other.

It sounded simple.

But marriage was not something I could enter into simply because I wanted to hurt Ryan or the money. I had already trusted one man with my heart. Look where that had gotten me.

"I do not know," I whispered.

"You do not have to decide right now."

I looked down at Damien's card again.

"But if you do decide to accept, do it because it is what you want. Not because Ryan deserves to suffer."

I was quiet.

For once, Chloe was not joking. She was right.

I did not want my entire life to revolve around Ryan anymore.

Maybe this was not about revenge.

Maybe it was about taking control of what happened next.

The conversation continued for several minutes before we finally ended the call.

I remained on the bed, staring at the card.

My heart was pounding.

I knew this was crazy. I knew marrying a man I barely knew was the last thing a sane person would do after being betrayed.

But there was something else I knew.

I could not go back to Ryan.

Not after what he had done.

I picked up my phone.

I check my bank balance. $341 dollars. That's not gonna last me long.

I took in a deep breathe

My thumb hovered over the number on the card.

Then I dialed it.

I hesitated for a second.

Then I remembered Emma lying on that bed. Ryan touching her. My parents' faces.

Even so, I told myself I was only doing this because I needed the money.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

I pressed the call button.

The phone rang once.

Then his voice came through.

"Damien Laurent."

I closed my eyes. For a moment, I could not speak.

Then I took a deep breath.

"I accept the offer."

There was silence on the other end.

And somehow, I knew that the moment I said those four words, my life had changed again.