AVA'S POV
I didn't sleep that night.
Even with Ethan's arms wrapped around me like a fortress, even with the gentle sound of waves in the distance and the rhythm of the city pulsing softly beneath the rooftop, I lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling, my body still, but my mind screaming.
The voice recorder echoed in my head on a loop.
> "Marcus has agreed to play the fiancé role once she reaches full compliance…"
He wasn't just complicit.
He was active.
A player.
My predator in polished shoes and tailored suits.
And I had almost married him.
I'd kissed him. Trusted him.
Believed him.
I sat up slowly, slipping from Ethan's embrace, careful not to wake him. I needed space. Answers. Air.
The sun hadn't even begun to rise, and yet my chest felt like noon, bright with rage, thick with heat.
