Chapter 1

1 My brother, bless his heart, felt bad about my decade-long crush and decided to drug his best friend, and shove him into my bed.

I ended up being the "cure," and when I woke up, Jake Coldwell, all ice and steel, agreed to marry me.

But not long after the wedding, he jetted off to Europe, leaving my daughter and me waiting for three long years before he finally came home.

I went to the airport to pick him up, and the whole thing went sideways because my kid called him "Daddy."

His girlfriend, Brittany, couldn't handle the "betrayal," burst into tears, and ran off right into the path of a drunk driver. Gone, just like that.

After that, Jake's face was like a granite statue, never a smile to be seen.

He stopped traveling, stuck to us like glue, day and night, and I thought, finally, things were looking up.

But then, on my daughter's third birthday, the house caught fire. My first thought was to save Jake and Lily.

He just stood there, eyes flat and cold, and locked the door.

"If it weren't for you two, Brittany would still be alive! Every day since she died has been hell. I've wanted to take you with me."

The flames licked at us, and I finally understood how much Jake hated us.

...

I blinked, and I was back, reliving the day Jake got drugged.

He was flushed, eyes glazed, reaching for me, and I shoved him away with every ounce of strength I had and dialed Brittany's number.

A ragged groan snapped me back.

I looked over at Jake, sweating, the top buttons of his black shirt undone, looking like he was about to lose it.

"Sunny… come here…"

His voice was rough, desperate.

If this were the first time around, I would've been all over him, checking to see if he was okay, but now, I just stumbled backward.

Because of this night, Jake and I both got dosed, and well, one thing led to another.

He coldly agreed to marry me, then spent years overseas, not giving a damn about me or our daughter.

Turns out, he was in Europe because Brittany was there, and he was only coming back to tell her it was over.

My daughter calling him daddy was the last draw. It caused Brittany to run out in traffic. And Jake to blame it all on me.

This time, I could stop it.

If I wasn't the one to "help" him tonight, Lily and I wouldn't have to suffer the same fate.

So, I grabbed my phone and dialed Brittany's number.

"Brittany? Get to the Lakeside Hotel, Room 32, ASAP!"

I braced myself against the door, keeping Jake, radiating heat, on the other side.

At the same time, a flush was creeping over my skin, too.

I remembered what my brother said the first time around when he'd dosed Jake and pushed me into the room.

"Sunny, you and Jake are so obviously into each other, it's killing me! I'm just giving you a little nudge."

I couldn't believe it. "Ethan, you're trying to ruin me! Let me out!"

He just laughed and shoved me closer to Jake.

"I spiked your drink, too. Enjoy the ride. You'll thank your big bro later."