Chapter 1

After ten years with Lucas Moore, Natalie Shaw finally gave herself to him that night. But when she woke up in the middle of the night, the space beside her was empty. "Luke?" Rubbing her sore lower back, she got up barefoot and felt her way toward the living room in the dark. The moment her hand touched the doorknob, she heard her fiance's cold voice from outside. "Nelson, thanks for covering for me tonight. You have no idea, when she said she wanted it, it made my skin crawl." That was Lucas' voice. That was impossible. He would never say something like that. Natalie rubbed her bleary eyes hard, forcing herself to stay awake. "It's nothing. This was all to help Zia get even. A little sacrifice is nothing. "Besides, it's not like it's the first time. All these years, whenever you didn't feel like dealing with her, haven't I always gone on your dates for you?" "You two brothers really play dirty. Having your twin brother sleep with your fiancee for you and throwing a party in the same house? Aren't you afraid Natalie will hear and dump you?" A strange man spoke, his voice dripping with mockery. "So what if she knows? She's hopelessly in love with Lucas. Even if he slept with another woman right in front of her, she still wouldn't have the guts to leave." Crude laughter erupted outside, mixed with whistles and the clink of glasses. "Nelson's right! Mr. Lucas, you really missed out by not being here just now! "Who would've thought the always-ice-cold Ms. Shaw would be so good her first time? The way she moaned, man, it went straight through me." "Stop it. Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up." Nelson Moore scowled, hurling a throw pillow at the laughing crowd. "Enough. Knock it off." Lucas set down his glass, cutting them off, his tone distracted. "This is her punishment for stealing Zia's life in the first place. At the birthday banquet next month, the Shaw family will announce Zia as their only heir. "When the time comes, leak the video. We ruin her when she's got nothing left. That's what she owes Zia." "But… Natalie was raised by the Shaw family, after all. If we go that far, won't the Shaws come after us?" Nelson let out a cold laugh. "Why would they? Elite families care about blood above everything else. The Shaws will only hate her for taking their real daughter's place. "From what I heard, Mr. Shaw has already pulled strings to have Natalie's overseas placement reassigned to Zia." Lucas nodded coolly. "Those achievements should've belonged to Zia in the first place. At least the Shaws know better." A deafening buzz exploded in Natalie's head. After that, she couldn't hear anything anymore. Her entire body went rigid. Her hand felt frozen to the doorknob. She wanted to pull away, but couldn't summon the strength. Her fiance had let his own twin brother violate her last night, and now they planned to destroy her completely. She clamped a hand over her mouth, but the tears still streamed down uncontrollably. Just hours ago, she was still lost in the shuddering aftermath of her first time. Tangled in heat and breathless passion, she'd thought she was the happiest woman alive. Now, her nails bit into her palms until they bled, the pain relentlessly reminding her that she was nothing more than a fool, played with at their whim. She remembered it clearly. When Zia had first returned to the Shaw family, Lucas had gripped her trembling hand and said seriously, "Nat, don't worry. You're the only one I love. This has nothing to do with marriage alliances." Nelson had nodded firmly behind him. "Natalie, the three of us grew up together. Even if you're not the real heiress, Lucas and I would never let anyone bully you." So even when her parents grew colder and more distant, even when Zia framed her again and again, even when she lost everything she once had, she never cried. Because she believed she would always have a shoulder to lean on, a family standing behind her. Now, she could only laugh at the irony. The people she trusted with her whole heart were the ones most determined to destroy her. From the raucous clinking of glasses to the eventual silence after the party ended, she stood there like a statue, as if freezing time could make all of this never happen. When daylight spilled across her shoulders, the door finally opened. Stunned, Lucas froze when he saw Natalie standing there. The next instant, he put on a calm look and asked tentatively, "When did you wake up? You were exhausted last night. Why didn't you sleep more?" "I was thirsty. I just woke up. Where did you go?" she replied. Lucas lifted her gently and carried her back to the bed. His hand brushed her neck, and he pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "I made you breakfast. Get some more rest. You can eat when you wake up." Natalie swallowed the ache rising in her chest. Just as she was about to break, Lucas' phone rang. He answered it and hurried out. She took a deep breath and picked up her phone. "Professor Smith, I'm giving up my overseas study placement. Send me to Middleton for the Doctors Without Borders project instead." If the Shaw family was going to steal her achievements and hand them to Zia, then she didn't want them anymore. Everything she had once treasured—her medical career, her identity as an heiress, and Lucas… She wanted none of it.