Chapter 1 Every holiday season, my boyfriend “rented” me out to his single frat brothers so they could use me to fend off their parents’ endless nagging about getting married. He called it “bros helping bros.” Naturally, his friends were absolutely thrilled to have me. But the reality of these fake dates was brutal. Some families looked at my working-class background with blatant disgust, throwing food in my face during dinner. Other families saw right through the charade immediately and kicked me out into the freezing night. Whenever I tried to refuse, Carter Sterling would always pull me into his arms, kissing the top of my head, and coax me with that impossibly soft voice. “Just suffer through one dinner with them, babe. I promise, as soon as you do this one last favor, we’ll get married.” And so, for five entire years, I never spent a single holiday with Carter. This Thanksgiving, I was publicly humiliated and slapped across the face at another fake dinner. I ran to find Carter, my eyes red and swollen with tears. But when I got to the door of his fraternity alumni lounge, I heard someone ask him: “Bro, you really don’t care that your girl is being dragged home by the rest of us?” I heard the sound of a lighter flicking. Carter took a drag of his cigarette and replied with lazy indifference. “What’s there to care about? Every time you guys take her away, it gives me the perfect excuse to bring Chloe home for the holidays.” Someone clicked their tongue in admiration. “Carter, you’re a genius. Kills two birds with one stone. And if the truth ever comes out, you can just blame Mia and say she was cheating on you first.” My brain short-circuited. I couldn’t even process what I was hearing. It didn’t truly sink in until the Fourth of July weekend, when I was dragged home by yet another one of his friends. This time, the guy’s mother surprised everyone by handing me a vintage, million-dollar emerald bracelet—an heirloom meant strictly for their future daughter-in-law. If this had happened before, I would have quietly found a way to return it in private. But this time, I stared at it for a few seconds… and slowly slipped it onto my wrist. …… When I returned from the Vance family estate, Carter was leaning against the doorframe of our apartment, smiling at me as if he had been eagerly waiting for my return. “You’re back. That must have been exhausting.” But his smile didn’t bring me a single ounce of warmth. Because behind him, his group of friends were all staring at me with a bizarre, glittering anticipation. “Whoa, she actually didn’t get slapped this time? I thought Mr. Vance was notoriously strict about who his son brings home?” “Damn it, that means Chloe won the pot. Carter, your bet was totally off.” Carter didn’t defend me. He just swept a slightly surprised gaze over my body. “Alright, fine. I lose.” That one, airy sentence made my entire body go ice cold. So, the reason they were all gathered here… was to place bets on whether or not Mr. Vance was going to physically assault me. And looking at Carter’s face, there wasn’t a single trace of guilt for personally handing me over to another man. There was no concern about whether I was hurt or traumatized. There was only the mild annoyance of losing a bet. I pulled my gaze away from him, my heart completely numb, and turned to walk toward the bedroom. Suddenly, Chloe grabbed my wrist. “What is that on your arm?” Her voice cut off abruptly. The other guys in the room stared at my wrist, their eyes widening in shock and thinly veiled jealousy. “Is that… is that the Vance family’s million-dollar emerald?!” “The heirloom they only pass down to the daughter-in-law?! What the hell is the Vance family thinking?!” Even Carter was staring at the bracelet, his brow furrowing in deep suspicion. It was only in that exact moment that I finally understood the profound, meaningful look Julian Vance had given me when I accepted the bracelet. But Chloe’s shock quickly morphed into aggressive accusation. “Did you steal that?! Or did you con them out of it?!” Hearing Chloe’s accusation, Carter’s tense expression immediately relaxed. “Chloe, I already told you I’m going to marry you, and I will. You don’t need to get jealous and resort to petty theft just to prove a point, Mia.” The other guys in the room instantly caught on, their voices dripping with contempt. “I knew it. There’s no way the Vance family would ever accept a charity case like her.” “They probably just brought it out to show off, and she actually delusionally thought she was worthy of it.” This kind of relentless, degrading mockery had been a constant ever since I transitioned from being the “charity case” sponsored by the Sterling Family Foundation to Carter’s official girlfriend. Carter never explicitly said he looked down on my background. But he never once stopped his friends from completely disrespecting me. In fact, he actively facilitated it by sending me off to play pretend with his friends. Every time I had food thrown at me, every time an ashtray was hurled at my head, every time I was used as a human punching bag to absorb their families’ rage… It all happened with his tacit, silent permission. I used to naively believe that he was trapped too. I thought he was constrained by his family’s expectations and physically couldn’t protect me from everything. But today at the Vance estate, Mr. Vance casually mentioned that a few days ago, Carter had brought Chloe home to the Sterling estate. He had publicly, formally introduced her as his fiancée. When Mr. Vance mentioned it, his tone carried a hint of genuine admiration for the younger man’s audacity. “That Sterling boy is a real man. He silenced every single voice of doubt in that room.” It was in that specific moment that I finally, painfully understood. When a man actually loves a woman, he proactively paves the road for her. The bullshit about “we’re from different worlds” or “my family won’t accept you” is just a matter of whether he’s willing to take a stand. And I… was never someone he wanted to take a stand for. “Alright, that’s enough. Drop it.” Carter crushed his cigarette in the ashtray, interrupting their mockery for the very first time. “Chloe, the Vance family isn’t someone you want to mess with. I’ll take the bracelet and return it for you.” He reached out to grab my wrist, but I immediately covered the bracelet with my other hand. A flash of genuine surprise crossed Carter’s eyes. “What’s wrong? You don’t want to give it back?” “I’m not feeling well. I ate something bad.” My stomach was churning violently. Carter looked at me intently. That look made me hallucinate for a second. I remembered a time when, if I just casually mentioned I felt sick, Carter would drop absolutely everything and meticulously take care of me. But now, a slow, condescending smirk crept onto his face, brutally shattering that illusion. “What, is your stomach too cheap to handle the rich food at the Vance estate?” The residual warmth in my cheeks completely vanished. Carter unceremoniously unclasped the bracelet from my wrist, pocketed it, and patted my shoulder patronizingly. “Go lay down and get some rest.” I honestly have no idea how I dragged myself into the bedroom. The nausea rapidly escalated into a sharp, twisting agony in my gut. It hurt so badly I didn’t even have the strength to order Pepto-Bismol on DoorDash. I don’t know how much time passed, but my phone vibrated on the nightstand. It was Julian Vance. His voice was deep and soothing. [Carter just returned the bracelet to me. You didn’t want it?] My breathing was shallow and erratic. He instantly picked up on it. [What’s wrong?] [I ate something bad.] The phone was quiet for a few minutes before Julian spoke again. [Come downstairs in twenty minutes. I’m sending medicine. We’ll talk when you feel better.] My chest tightened with a complicated mess of emotions, and hot tears soaked silently into my pillow. Twenty minutes later, I dragged myself downstairs to the lobby to grab the medicine. The lobby was completely empty and quiet. But Carter was sitting alone on the plush lobby sofa. When he saw me, he held up a small, folded sticky note. The handwriting was clearly masculine, and it read: Take care of yourself. Carter’s eyes were darker and more menacing than I had ever seen them. “What the fuck is this?” “Mia, which dog are you screwing behind my back? He actually had the balls to deliver medicine right under my nose.” He violently hurled the bag of medicine into the lobby trash can. “Can you not survive a single minute without male attention?! Are you completely incapable of buying your own medicine?!” “It’s just medicine.” I said, my voice thick with exhaustion. When Chloe was sick, he would baby her, feed her medicine spoon by spoon, and coax her with candy. But when someone else buys medicine for me, it’s a federal crime. In Carter’s eyes, my exhausted refusal to argue translated into defiant guilt. He grabbed a heavy, decorative glass ashtray from the coffee table and hurled it directly at me. “I wasted all that time meticulously planning our wedding for next month. You don’t deserve it.” The heavy glass clipped the side of my head, instantly splitting the skin. I didn’t try to dodge. Partly because I didn’t have the physical strength. Partly because I remembered the four other weddings Carter had “planned” over the last five years. The first time, there was a “scheduling conflict with the venue.” Everyone told me it was just bad luck. The second time, the Sterling family patriarch passed away. People exchanged knowing, uncomfortable glances, and whispers began circulating through the Sterling family that I was cursed. The third and fourth times were also canceled due to various “unforeseen emergencies.” Everyone in our social circle finally caught on to the Sterling family’s true stance. I became the ultimate joke—the pathetic charity case who failed to secure the bag. During one of the fake dates with his frat brothers, a guy maliciously taunted me: “Did Carter keep delaying the wedding because you suck in bed?” Another time, one of his “friends” cornered me in a bathroom and tried to assault me. So, how on earth was this wedding ever going to actually happen? Seeing that I didn’t dodge the ashtray, Carter froze for a second, his tone softening slightly. “Why didn’t you move? Come here, let me clean that cut.” Every time I came back bruised or bleeding, Carter was always the one to clean my wounds. I used to think it was because he loved me and cared about my pain. I only realized later that he just didn’t want the visible bruises to ruin his pristine reputation if we went out in public. I swatted his hand away and walked over to the trash can to fish out the medicine. Carter watched me, looking like he wanted to say something, but stopped. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a voice coming from his phone. [Carter, stop wasting time arguing with her. We’re all waiting for you.] My breath hitched in my throat, my hands trembling as I tried to open the medicine box. “You’ve been on a live call this entire time?” Carter frowned, clearly annoyed. “Yeah.” So that’s why he was sitting down in the lobby in the middle of the night. He was on his way out to meet Chloe. And her impatient, whiny voice echoed from the speaker again. Carter shot me one last, hesitant look, before finally turning on his heel and walking out the glass doors. I leaned against the cold marble wall for a long time before finally gathering the strength to go back upstairs and open the fridge. I couldn’t even find a single bottle of water. Every shelf was crammed with Chloe’s favorite matcha lattes, expensive cold-pressed juices, and artisanal desserts. I turned on the kitchen sink and forced the bitter pills down with harsh, metallic-tasting tap water. It felt like a live insect was crawling down my throat. The nausea was overwhelming. I had no idea how many people had just listened to that pathetic, humiliating argument over the phone. But I never expected the very first person to call and interrogate me would be my own brother. [Are you cheating on him?! Do you have any idea how many people are laughing at me right now?!] [Did you forget who bailed me out of jail?! Did you forget who is paying for Mom’s chemo?! Go downstairs and apologize to Mr. Sterling on your knees right now!] [I’m not cheating on anyone, Liam. He’s the one who betrayed me.] [Oh, give me a break, Mia! Mr. Sterling has been more than generous to us! So what if he has a little thing going with Chloe…] His voice abruptly cut off. I started shaking, a profound, horrifying disbelief washing over me. [Liam… you knew about them this whole time?] I desperately, foolishly prayed that my brother would say no. I needed proof that at least one person in my life wasn’t lying to my face. But my own brother, the only family I had left in the world, simply scoffed dismissively. [If you know, then why the hell aren’t you trying harder to keep him happy?!] [Everyone is laughing at you! Besides Mr. Sterling, who else is ever going to marry you? Cheating on him now is the stupidest thing you could possibly do!] I never thought the day would come when my own brother would point the finger at me. Just like all those other arrogant, entitled people, he automatically assumed everything was my fault. [Listen to me, Mia. Mr. Sterling just hooked me up with a massive corporate job, and Mom’s medical bills spiked again this month. Just shut up and endure it.] I didn’t even know what to say. Half an hour later, I opened my laptop and canceled the non-refundable Amtrak ticket I had bought last night to go home for the holidays. In the very beginning, Carter was the one who pulled me out of crushing poverty. He sponsored my college tuition, took care of my family’s debts, and gave me a kind of love and security I had never experienced. But eventually, all those “gifts” started demanding a price. The day he bailed my brother out of a massive felony fraud charge was the very first day he “lent” me to one of his frat brothers. The day he paid off the astronomical balance for my mother’s experimental chemo was the day he officially moved Chloe into our apartment. In Carter’s eyes, we were never equals. We were a transaction. My phone buzzed twice. I answered the call. [Did you hear what your brother said? Stop throwing tantrums.] I let out a harsh, cynical laugh. [And what exactly do I have to trade you for my brother’s new corporate job?] Carter was silent for a moment, his voice dropping into a cold, businesslike tone. [You have to accompany clients home for the next seven days. Tomorrow afternoon, you start with Julian Vance. Do not embarrass me.] My face turned completely ash white. It was the first time I was spending Thanksgiving week like this. The next afternoon, Julian picked me up and took me to a high-end restaurant. He and his family were clearly aristocratic and looked down on me, but at least no one threw food at me during this meal. When it was over, I was just about to get into Julian’s car to go home. Suddenly, someone grabbed a fistful of my hair and violently yanked me backward onto the pavement. “You cheap bitch! I’m Julian’s girlfriend!” Before I could even process what was happening, a brutal slap connected with my face. My vision went black with stars. Through the ringing in my ears, I only heard Julian’s panicked voice. “Audrey, what are you doing here?!” “You’re out having dinner with some homewrecking slut, and I’m not allowed to be here?!” Julian didn’t even attempt to explain the situation. He just stood there, completely passive, while this girl relentlessly slapped me across the face, over and over again. Then she kicked me hard in the ribs, leaving me gasping on the concrete. The cut on my head tore open again, blood mixing with my tears and blurring my vision. I don’t know if I was hallucinating from the concussion, but I thought I saw Carter standing a few yards away. The sheer shock and terror on his face was something I hadn’t seen in years. But just as he took a step toward me, Chloe tugged on his sleeve and whispered something in his ear. Carter froze. He stopped walking, his expression twisting into a complicated, unreadable mask as he watched me bleed. I guess it wasn’t a hallucination. Because a hallucination of Carter wouldn’t just stand there and watch me get beaten half to death. Only after the girl had completely exhausted her rage and Julian finally dragged her away, did Carter slowly walk over. He didn’t say a single word. He just scooped me up off the concrete. He offered absolutely zero explanation. Even though I was covered in bruises and bleeding from my head, he didn’t take me to a hospital. He just called his private concierge doctor to the apartment to haphazardly clean my wounds. I could only numb the agonizing pain by forcing myself to sleep. But my sleep was restless and feverish. Through the haze, I heard Julian talking in the living room. “Carter, man, my girl really wasn’t trying to go that hard. Just name your price for the damages.” But Carter replied with a magnanimous, forgiving tone. “Don’t worry about it. I’m the one who asked you guys to take her home in the first place. If you hadn’t done this favor for me, I wouldn’t have been able to bring Chloe to the Sterling family Thanksgiving dinner.” “It’s all good, bro. Anything for you and Chloe’s happiness, we’re all happy to help.” I clamped my hands over my ears in pure, suffocating agony.
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