Chapter 3

3

The moment we were outside the club, he let go. I hit the pavement hard, a sharp pain shooting through my hip.

"Don't play those cheap games with me again," he snapped. "It only makes me despise you more."

He climbed into his car and drove away without looking back.

I had let them hit me on purpose. I was gambling on his reaction.

And once again, I had won.

In my past life, every time Lyra came home to visit, she complained about Silas. She called him a monster and a heartless bastard.

But from the few times I had interacted with him, I realized he wasn't a bad man. He just didn't like wasting time on people he didn't care about.

I went to the hospital to get my forehead stitched up before heading back to my tiny rented apartment.

The next morning, my mother called. She didn't even say hello before she started screaming.

"Are you trying to kill me? How could you bully your sister and her husband!"

"All you do is cause trouble! You useless brat!"

I rubbed my temples. I had heard these insults my entire life.

She always said I was worthless. That's why I learned to do my own laundry and cook for the whole family by the time I was in elementary school. I just wanted her to love me.

But after all these years, all I had to show for it were scars.

"Mom, if you're done screaming, I'm hanging up."

She stopped briefly before demanding, "The Sterlings gave Lyra a ten-million-dollar dowry. What about Silas? How much is he giving?"

"I don't know."

"What? You idiot! Are you letting him have you for free? Go over there right now and ask him!"

I sighed and took a cab to Silas's office.

When I walked in, he didn't even look up from his monitors. "You have five minutes. Speak."

"Two questions. One: what's the dowry? Two: what about the wedding?"

He finally looked up, a cold, mocking smirk on his lips.

"The answer to both is the same. Nothing."

No dowry and no wedding. He really was as cold as they said.

I shrugged. "Fine. Good to know."

I turned to leave, but he called out to me, sounding surprised.

"You're not angry?"

I shook my head. "There's no love in this marriage. Why should I expect the trimmings?"

"Then what exactly do you want from me?"

I looked him dead in the eye. "The title of Mrs. Thorne. And the business opportunities that come with your family's reputation."

"Fine," he said. "As long as you don't expect any of that useless 'love' nonsense, I can give you that."

For the next few days, I threw myself into the project with his company. He sent a manager named Marcus to coordinate with me.

One night, while Marcus and I were working late at my studio, my mother and Lyra burst in.

Lyra's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, look at this. Can't get Silas's attention, so you're already looking for a side piece? How pathetic."

I knew why they were there. I looked at my mother. "Silas isn't doing a wedding, and there's no dowry."

My mother's voice hit a glass-shattering pitch. "What! Elara, I wasted my life raising you! Why can't you be more like your sister!"

She wasn't satisfied with just yelling. she lunged forward and slapped me.

"You're a total loss!"

Lyra joined in, hitting me several times across the face.

"You're embarrassing Mom! I'm going to teach you some manners!"

Tears started streaming down my face. I felt a wave of crushing despair.

Suddenly, a thunderous voice echoed through the studio.

"Stop it right now!"