Chapter 2

ELLA

Marriage? To this stranger? The proposition was so absurd I couldn't help but laugh. My brain scrambled to process his words, wondering if the pain had actually damaged his mind. No sane person proposes to someone they just met.

"Completely serious. Marry me, Ella."

Jack's unwavering gaze made my skin tingle. This man didn't even know me, yet spoke with such certainty.

His eyes traveled to my left leg. "You limp. I can't walk. We're a natural pair."

The casual mention of my disability ignited anger deep in my chest. People usually pretended not to notice or offered pity. This man treated it as a bargaining chip. Who does that? Using disabilities as some twisted matchmaking criteria felt cruel and dismissive of everything I'd been through.

"Not making fun. Making an observation." His voice eerily calm. "We complement each other."

Rage bubbled through me. I pulled my hair aside, exposing the jagged scar on my left cheek. "I'm ugly. Happy now?"

Jack's eyes studied my face without flinching. "I'm handsome enough for both of us. Again, complementary."

"You're delusional. I have a fiancé."

"After what happened between us last night, I'd say that's a problem."

My heart stopped cold. Last night remained a blur of disjointed images and sensations. Surely we hadn't... The thought of intimacy with this stranger sent conflicting waves of horror and something else through me. Something I refused to acknowledge.

"Really?" His eyebrow raised. "I distinctly remember making my wife very... satisfied."

Heat rushed to my face. Jack's words planted images in my mind I couldn't shake. Had we actually been together? My body tensed, searching for evidence, for memories that wouldn't come.

"Your memory's spotty. Understandable." That infuriating smirk again. "The doctor said the drugs would take time to clear your system."

Drugs. The word hit me like ice water. Someone had drugged me at the charity auction. Who? Why? Questions swirled as Jack claimed he'd rescued me. His story seemed convenient yet plausible. The Blakes had enemies. So did the Wests. But kidnapping felt extreme, even for Boston's elite power plays.

"Call it kidnapping if it makes you feel better, Mrs. Sterling."

"Stop calling me that! My name is Ella Blake."

"For now." He wheeled closer. "Soon everyone will know you as Mrs. Sterling."

Something in his confidence unnerved me. As he reached for my hand, survival instinct took over. My fingers found the pressure point at the base of his neck, applying just enough force.

His eyes widened in shock before rolling back. Jack slumped in his wheelchair, unconscious.

I'd deal with the guilt later. Freedom came first. Slipping into a jacket from the closet, I checked the empty hallway and found a second-floor bedroom with a large oak tree outside. The climb down sent fire through my bad leg, but I'd endured worse pain for less important reasons.

Shouts erupted from inside. "She's gone! Mr. Sterling is down!"

Running toward the shoreline, I spotted several boats. A speedboat seemed promising until I noticed the two men guarding it. Cape Cod's isolation suddenly felt like a prison wall. The water stretched before me, Boston's lights twinkling mockingly in the distance - so close yet unreachable.

"There she is!"

Marcus and two security guards approached rapidly. Desperation pushed me into the water, my clothes instantly heavy, my bad leg screaming in protest. They caught up easily, strong hands pulling me back to shore despite my struggles.

Back in the bedroom, a doctor examined Jack while I dripped seawater onto expensive carpet. Jack dismissed everyone with quiet authority, his eyes never leaving mine. The room emptied, leaving us alone. Exhaustion claimed me before I could form another escape plan.

Morning light woke me to the sensation of something warm touching my inner thigh. Jack sat beside the bed, applying ointment to a tender spot I hadn't noticed before.

"What are you doing?" Jerking away, pulling covers up protectively.

"Evidence of our night together." His voice low, intimate. "This needs treatment."

Looking down, I noticed reddened marks on my inner thigh. Confusion and panic flooded through me. Had we actually...? Impossible. Yet the evidence was there on my skin, in places that suggested only one explanation.

My face burned. The marks could be explained many ways, but the location and Jack's suggestive tone left little room for interpretation. Had I really been with this man? My body tensed, searching for other evidence, for memories that remained frustratingly out of reach.

"You're dangerous." Not accusatory—almost admiring.

"Are you going to hurt me back?" Raising my chin, bracing for retaliation.

"I don't harm women. No matter how much they may deserve it." He set down the ointment. "But don't test me again."

Something in his low tone sent shivers through me. Not fear—something else entirely. Something magnetic and unwelcome.

"I need to leave. My fiancé will be worried."

"Ryan West." The name sounded poisonous coming from him.

"Yes. Our engagement party is tomorrow night."

Jack's jaw tightened. "You belong to me now. You're not marrying West. Especially not him."

"I don't belong to anyone! And I love Ryan—"

"You will marry me." His voice left no room for argument. "Only me."

"You're insane!" Throwing a pillow at him. "Get out!"

Surprisingly, he wheeled toward the door. "Get some rest. You'll need it."

After he left, tears flowed freely. My thoughts turned to Amy, her white cell counts dropping, waiting for me at Brigham Medical Center. She needed me more than ever. Then there was Ryan - did he even know I was missing? Was he searching for me?

A young woman brought food, which I devoured ravenously. My request to use her phone met with apologetic refusal - Sterling's orders. The suite offered no escape routes: security cameras watching, balcony doors locked, main door guarded. I needed rest before my next attempt.

Hours passed in restless sleep until afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows. Jack's face materialized inches from mine, startling me awake. His announcement that we were going to Boston for a marriage license seemed so ridiculous I almost laughed. My protests about Ryan went unheard as Jack promised to "help me see reality."

An hour later, Marcus escorted me to a sleek black Lincoln. Jack already waited inside, his wheelchair folded in the trunk. Two black SUVs followed behind us - excessive security even by Boston elite standards.

The car headed toward my family's estate. My stomach twisted into knots. What game was Jack playing? He checked his watch and announced we'd wait.

Thirty excruciating minutes passed before headlights cut through darkness - a white Porsche 911 pulled up to the Blake mansion gates.

Ryan's car.

The gates opened. My fiancé stepped out looking devastatingly handsome. But he wasn't alone.

Kate emerged from the passenger side.

My sister threw herself into Ryan's arms. Their mouths met in a passionate kiss, his hands sliding to her waist with practiced familiarity. They moved together with the comfort of longtime lovers.

The world stopped. My chest compressed until breathing became impossible. Five years loving Ryan. Five years enduring Kate's taunts. All while they were together behind my back. Every kind word, every promise - lies built upon lies.

Jack's voice penetrated my shock, something about devotion and sisters. I barely heard him. My body moved on autopilot, reaching for the door handle. I needed confrontation, needed truth, needed to scream until my voice gave out.

Jack moved with surprising speed. His hand caught my wrist, pulling me toward him. His mouth crashed onto mine - not gentle, not asking. Demanding. Possessing. His hand curled around my neck, holding me in place as his lips claimed mine.

I should have fought. Should have pushed him away. Instead, my body betrayed me, leaning into him, anger transforming into heat that spread through my core. The kiss deepened, consuming the betrayal and pain, replacing it with something primal and necessary.

"They're not worth it," he whispered against my lips as the car pulled away.