Chapter 1

The day before getting their marriage license, Sophia Forbes saw a message from an unknown account on her fiancé Edward FitzRoy's phone.

[Edward, every day during the six months we've been apart, I've thought about you.]

[I'm getting married tomorrow, but I don't want to marry him. Can you come be my groom instead? Edward, I've taken an aphrodisiac. If you don't come within half an hour, I'll give myself to another man.]

Below the message was a woman's selfie—white lace camisole dress, cleavage on display, long legs crossed. Just looking at it was enough to stir desire.

And the half-face visible in the photo was flushed, her expression clearly off.

Sophia froze in place, countless thoughts flashing through her mind in an instant.

Before she could sort through them, Edward had finished examining her mother. He casually picked up his phone and asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about? Worried about your mother?"

As he spoke, he glanced down at his phone. His expression changed immediately.

"Soph, I have an emergency. I need to step out. Stay here with your mother." Edward pulled off his stethoscope and turned to leave.

"Edward!" Sophia's voice rang out sharply. She watched his back stiffen, her voice squeezing from her throat. "Do you remember Dahlia Stewart?"

That tentative question ripped open the pain Sophia had buried deep in her heart.

Six months ago, an intern had joined Edward's team—young, lively, and quick to capture everyone's attention.

Edward's attitude toward her had gradually shifted from initial disdain and impatience to indulgence.

"Soph, that new intern is actually pretty smart. She picks things up fast."

"She's so scatterbrained. Today she almost mixed up a patient's medication."

"Soph, she..."

Sophia listened to Edward's daily updates, her heart growing colder.

Before, he'd despised medical staff who were careless with patients. He'd said it was playing with people's lives. Yet now he brushed it off with a casual "scatterbrained."

Sophia's unease grew day by day. She tried to convince herself Edward was just looking out for the new hire.

But the light in his eyes when he mentioned the intern Dahlia was too bright to ignore.

"Are you in love with her?"

Finally, when Edward brought up Dahlia yet again, she couldn't hold back.

Edward, who'd never raised his voice at her, suddenly darkened. "Sophia, when did your mind become so filthy? Do you think every woman close to me is having an affair with me?"

"Do you have any idea what kind of damage that kind of talk could do to her reputation?"

He stormed out.

At the dining table, the meal Sophia had spent all afternoon preparing gradually lost its warmth under the lights. It was their three-year anniversary.

Sophia thought they'd be in for a long cold war, but that very night Edward returned with a gift and an apology. He said he'd just gotten carried away in the moment.

He said he'd been so angry because Sophia had questioned his love for her.

"Soph, I promise I'll never mention her again, okay?" Edward raised his hand in a vow.

Sophia believed him. Mainly because... she'd discovered she was pregnant.

She was thrilled. She planned to surprise him with the news on his birthday.

But on Edward's birthday, Sophia slipped and fell, and was rushed to the hospital. The one taking care of her happened to be Dahlia.

Sophia didn't have time to think twice. She grabbed Dahlia and told her she was pregnant, that they had to be extremely careful with medication.

Dahlia readily agreed, but in her flustered state, she mistakenly administered a high dose of aspirin, causing Sophia to miscarry on the spot.

Sophia was devastated. She swore to make Dahlia pay. Edward was even more furious—he not only fired Dahlia immediately but demanded she leave Silverlight City and never return.

Then he fired and disciplined everyone who'd joked about him and Dahlia, declaring he'd only ever love Sophia.

Since then, Edward has doted on Sophia to the extreme, agreeing to whatever she wants.  Everyone said he was completely head over heels for Sophia.

Sophia thought so too.

At least until she saw that text message.

Edward frowned. "She was fired ages ago. Why are you bringing her up?"

Without waiting for Sophia's answer, he grabbed his coat and left. "We'll talk when I get back."

Sophia's heart went cold. She instinctively got in her car and followed Edward. As the scenery grew more familiar, the chill in her chest sharpened.

This... was the road to the house they'd prepared for their marriage.

As if to confirm her suspicion, when Sophia stumbled to the wedding house, Edward was already locked in a tight embrace with a young woman.

And that face was unmistakably Dahlia, the one he'd driven away six months ago.

"Why? Why would you debase yourself like this and marry some old man?" Edward's anguished voice rang out.

"If I can't marry you, it doesn't matter who the groom is!" Dahlia's eyes reddened, tears falling. "Edward, please take me, right now!"

Edward's expression shook. He pulled Dahlia into his arms and, without hesitation, claimed her.

The room filled with sensuality, passion blooming.

Sophia staggered back a step. She felt like vines were wrapping around her, suffocating her.

Disgusting...

It was so disgusting!

She fled in a panic, driving in circles around the city before finally parking in front of a bar.

Sophia plunged inside, sat at the bar, ordered hard liquor, and downed it. The burning sensation traveled from her throat to her stomach, choking her until tears streamed down her face.

She was so absorbed in her pain that she didn't notice several malicious gazes from the corner.

"Hey, beautiful, here all alone?" A hand reached out from beside her, covering Sophia's glass. His fingers moved imperceptibly.

She paused, gripping her glass coldly. "Get lost!"

The man seemed startled by her attitude and raised his hands good-naturedly. "Okay, okay, I'm going."

He backed away but kept his eyes glued to Sophia's glass. When she tipped her head back and drained it in one gulp, his smile deepened.

"Drinking so fast? How about I keep you company?" He came over again, this time pulling Sophia directly into his arms.

Sophia sensed danger. She tried to resist, but her limbs suddenly went weak. She could only slump limply against him.

Her pupils dilated in shock. She tried to call for help from passersby, but her head grew heavier and heavier. She couldn't even stay conscious.

"No... help..."

Sophia mumbled, and in her daze, she felt herself being thrown onto a bed. She bit down hard on her tongue, using the sharp pain to force her eyes open just enough to see a cold, striking face come into view.

Lancelot FitzRoy?

Edward's older brother. The top-tier power player everyone in Silverlight City feared. What was he doing here?

Her clarity lasted only a moment. Sophia was quickly overwhelmed again by the surging effects of the drug. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around the man's neck and pressed her burning cheek against him.

"Help me, please..."