Chapter 1: The Contract That Ruined Me
The first time I met Lucas Blackwood, he didn't look at me like I was a woman.
He looked at me like I was a transaction.
I sat across from him in a glass-walled office that screamed money—cold marble floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a view of the city I could never afford to live in. My palms were sweaty, my stomach knotted, but I forced myself to sit straight.
This man was my last hope.
Lucas Blackwood—billionaire heir, ruthless CEO, the man every business magazine called untouchable. His black suit fit him perfectly, his sharp jaw clenched as he flipped through a document like my entire life wasn't printed on those pages.
"You're desperate," he said flatly, without lifting his eyes.
The words sliced through me.
I swallowed. "Yes."
No point lying. My father was drowning in debt. Loan sharks were already knocking on our door. My mother was sick. And I—Ava Collins—was one missed payment away from losing everything.
Lucas finally looked up.
His eyes were cold. Dark. Empty.
"I need a wife," he continued, his voice emotionless. "A legal one. Three years. In return, I'll pay off your family's debts and provide for them permanently."
My heart skipped.
A wife?
"You don't have to love me," he added. "In fact, I don't want that."
I clenched my fists under the table.
"There will be rules," he said, sliding the contract toward me. "No emotions. No interference in my personal life. You will appear by my side in public, attend events, and play the role convincingly."
I stared at the papers.
Fake marriage. Billionaire husband. Money I could never dream of.
It sounded unreal.
"What happens after three years?" I asked quietly.
"Divorce," he replied instantly. "Clean and quiet."
No hesitation.
No mercy.
I laughed bitterly. "And what if I fall in love with you?"
His lips curved into something close to a smirk.
"That won't happen."
Something about the certainty in his voice hurt more than it should have.
I looked down at the contract again. My hands trembled as I picked up the pen.
This wasn't love.
This wasn't a fairy tale.
This was survival.
I signed my name.
I didn't know then that this cold, business-like marriage would cost me more than my pride.
I didn't know that one night would change everything.
And I definitely didn't know that months later, I'd be staring at two pink lines—alone—while my billionaire husband believed I had betrayed him.
But that…
That nightmare started with this signature.