Chapter 1
The heir to Brimhill’s most powerful family, Sebastian Blackwell, had been suffering from severe bipolar disorder for years. No therapy, no medication worked–until they discovered something terrifying. The only thing that could lull him into a full night’s sleep… was the lingering scent of a woman freshly touched by desire.
My father couldn’t bear to send my newlywed half–sister–the legitimate one, of course–as his “cure.” So to repay his monstrous gambling debt, he forced me, his illegitimate daughter, to soak in spiked baths, swallow aphrodisiacs, and become his offering.
When my skin began to emit that cold, seductive fragrance, Sebastian couldn’t wait any longer. He dragged me into his bed.
That night, in the throes of an episode, he mistook me for my sister–and ravaged me relentlessly.
When dawn broke, he looked at me with disgust, gritting his teeth. “You’re filthy.”
And yet, no matter how repulsed he claimed to be, he kept coming back. Every. Single. Night.
For three years, I was his prisoner, the slave of his twisted cravings. After every violent climax, he’d shove me off the bed like garbage, ordering me to wash the sin off my skin.
I thought that life would never end… until three months ago, when I accidentally cracked a string of encrypted code. That single moment of curiosity caught the attention of one of the most elite hackers in the world.
“You’ve got a gift,” he said. “If you ever want out, you know how to reach me.”
That night, as I scrubbed the bruises off my body, I typed out a message with trembling fingers.
Seconds later, an encrypted reply flashed on my screen:
“You finally made up your mind?”
“Yes,” I answered. “Help me die.”
“Three days,” came the reply. “Be ready.”
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I powered down the device and crept quietly back into the bedroom.
“You just showered,” Sebastian snapped, nostrils flaring. “Why the hell do you still smell like that? Trying to seduce me again?!” He tore open my shirt and slammed me onto the bed.
His teeth sank into my skin, leaving dark marks down my neck and chest. His fingers wrapped around my throat as he thrust inside with: brutal force. force.
I said nothing. Just stared into the dark, letting the pain and silence swallow me.
By morning, I could barely stand. I cleaned myself up, then waited by the bed for him to wake.
He glanced at the bruises on my neck and frowned. “You think this pathetic act will make me feel guilty? Get out.
I lowered my head and quietly backed away. Just as I reached the door, something hard struck my face.
A bottle of pills.
“Stop pretending. Don’t say the Blackwells mistreated you.”
Ipicked up the meds and stepped into the hallway, brushing past his assistant, who sho
I didn’t react. I’d gotten used to it.
”
Inside the room, the assistant gave his morning briefing, then cautiously added, “Sir, the company’s just finalized the formula for that new medication. You might not need… her anymore. Maybe it’s time to-”
Chapter 1
He never finished the sentence. One glare from Sebastian had him frozen.
“Oh? You care about her now?” His tone dropped. “What, you into her or something?”
The assistant turned pale and slapped himself so hard I could hear it from the hallway. He didn’t dare speak again.
Back in my tiny attic room, I stared at the marks covering my body. There was no time for pain. I began packing what little I had.
Just as I zipped the bag shut, someone knocked.
Blackwell Enterprises sent to ask Sebastian to take me to see his grandmother.
At the table, the TV was playing Brimhill Herald’s coverage of Vivienne Wynn’s honeymoon airport look–the socialite darling who used to be Sebastian’s fiancée.
Madam Blackwell was nagging in that old–money tone of hers. “Now that Vivienne’s married, it’s time for you to stop pining. You need to give the family an heir.”
Vivienne had once been his childhood sweetheart, but Sebastian’s illness had gotten so bad, her father broke off the engagement and married her off to a powerful Brimhill mogul instead.
No one expected Sebastian to recover.
But he did.
He came back with vengeance and swallowed the entire city’s financial sector whole.
My father’s gamble failed. With his debts snowballing and his life on the line, he finally remembered the daughter he’d abandoned— and sold me to the Blackwells in exchange for survival.
Sebastian said nothing at the table. Just kept staring at Vivienne’s smile on the TV screen.
Madarn Blackwell shifted her gaze to me, her tone suddenly hesitant. “Aurora, you…”
ༀ ཇ — ཇ
I stiffened, terrified she was about to ask me to have his child.
But then, the scent of fish on the table hit me–and I rushed to the bathroom, vomiting uncontrollably.
Her eyes lit up. She shouted for the doctor.
A few tests later, it was confirmed. I was pregnant.
With Sebastian Blackwell’s child.
I trembled, cold to the bone.
“Mom, don’t worry about it. I’ll take her home,” Sebastian said coolly.
Back at the mansion, I was immediately forced to swallow a pill.
Moments later, a searing pain tore through my abdomen.
My body broke into a cold sweat.
He hadn’t even bothered with surgery.
He wanted me to feel it–the child being ripped from my womb.
I curled into myself, trembling uncontrollably as blood soaked through the mattress.
Somewhere in the haze, I heard Sebastian shouting.
“Where the hell is the bleeding clamp?! Use it now!”
But I didn’t believe for a second that he cared.
Chapter 1
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The only woman he ever truly wanted… was Vivienne.
