Chapter 1

Erin's POV Raven Sadler, my fiance's adopted sister, shredded my million-dollar custom wedding dress. Thanks to her, Ralph Sadler and I had to postpone our wedding. Then she swapped my asthma inhaler with pepper spray, and I spent three long days in the hospital. During the wedding banquet, she appeared with red-rimmed eyes, holding an agreement. "All of Ralph's firsts should be mine. "Sign this Virginity Transfer Agreement, or you're not marrying him. "A man faces a lot of temptations out there. You should be understanding—this is just my way of testing you. "This is the final test. Only when you pass it will I feel confident about you marrying Ralph." I didn't take the agreement. Instead, I turned to Ralph. "So you're fine with her treating me like this?" He sighed helplessly. "Raven has relied on me since she was little. She's just throwing a tantrum. "Sign it and move on. She'll forget all about it by tomorrow." Watching the way he coddled Raven Sadler, I suddenly felt so exhausted. I stomped the agreement under my foot and slapped her hard across the face. Tears flooded her eyes instantly. "Erin, why would you slap me?" Ralph pulled her behind him, sounding impatient. "Erin Maximilian, what are you making a fuss about now? Raven's my sister. She's been spoiled her whole life, and she's just throwing a childish tantrum. You're about to become her sister-in-law, so learn to put up with it." Put up with it. That phrase had followed me throughout my ten-year relationship with him. No matter how badly Raven messed up, no matter how far she crossed the line, it always ended the same way. She was indulged. And somehow, I was always the one who seemed unreasonable. Even when she came along on every single one of our dates, he would look at her with affection. Helpless, he'd try to comfort me. "Raven's my sister," he said. "She's been clingy since she was a kid and can't be without me. You just have to put up with it." Emboldened by his favoritism, Raven kept causing trouble during the wedding preparations. She boldly tore my million-dollar custom wedding dress to pieces, forcing us to postpone the wedding. I grabbed the shredded remnants, ready to confront her, but Ralph held me back. "It's just a wedding dress. You can always get another one. Raven's just acting childish. Why are you getting worked up over her?" Just a month ago, she had swapped my asthma inhaler for pepper spray. I was home alone, struggling to breathe, and nearly suffocated. Thankfully, my junior spotted me in time and called the paramedics, giving me a fighting chance to survive. Even the emergency doctor couldn't help but exclaim, "If you'd been any later, she wouldn't have made it!" Ralph stayed by my side in the hospital for three days straight, refusing to eat or sleep. When I finally woke up, he held me tight and promised nothing like this would ever happen again. But the moment I said I wanted to call the police, he grabbed my phone. He, who usually carried himself with such pride, suddenly sounded almost as if he were pleading. "Raven's just spoiled. We've let her get away with too much. I promise I'll talk to her and set her straight. Give her one more chance, okay?" I had never seen him like that, so I gave in. But what I got in return was something even more outrageous. At our wedding banquet, she handed me a so-called Virginity Transfer Agreement. Ralph took a pen from his pocket and held it out to me. "Bring the agreement here and sign it. Then apologize to Raven, and we'll call it even." I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. "And if I don't?" Ralph frowned, impatience written all over his face. "What's your problem? Just sign it. "Raven's acting like a kid. Just play along and get it over with. You're going to be her sister-in-law. Can't you cut her a little slack?" He shoved the pen into my hand. "Hurry up and sign this. Stop making a scene! Are we going to have this wedding or what?" Raven smirked at me, certain I'd cave for Ralph's sake. I tossed the agreement onto the floor and grabbed a glass of champagne. Half of it soaked the paper, which I crushed under my heel. The rest went straight into Raven's face. Her smug grin froze. As if on cue, her eyes grew glassy as she played the victim to perfection. Ralph grabbed my wrist, hissing, "Erin! Are you crazy? Everyone's watching! You're embarrassing Raven!" She lowered her head and tugged at his sleeve. "Ralph, it's fine. Erin must think I'm ruining the wedding. I'll just leave." Then she moved as if she were about to dash out. He yanked her back, shielding her behind him. "It's not your fault." Then he turned to me, his tone cold and commanding. "Raven's never been treated like this before. Start groveling and apologize, or this wedding is off."