Chapter 1

The day Dominic Hayes's first love returned to the country, I was demoted from his secret girlfriend to just the girl next door.

Without hesitation, I turned around and accepted Caspian Reed, a man who claimed to have been pining for me for seven years.

During our year together, he acted as if I were his entire world, and I finally allowed myself to open up to him.

I had planned to surprise him on our anniversary by bidding on a rare painting he had always admired.

But instead, I stumbled upon a secluded art studio in a quiet corner of the city. It was filled with nothing but portraits of Clementine Meadows and stacks of unsent love letters addressed to her.

After some digging, I discovered that the secret owner of that studio was none other than Caspian Reed.

It finally clicked―his so-called seven-year pursuit of me was nothing more than a tactical move to clear the obstacles from Clementine's path to love.

In that moment, my heart turned to stone, and I agreed to the arranged marriage my parents had proposed.

1.

"Dad, I'll do it. I'll marry him."

I walked aimlessly under the warm glow of the streetlights after leaving the studio.

My father sounded stunned on the other end of the line.

"Sera, honey, tell me the truth. Did someone hurt you? Why the sudden change of heart?"

Hearing the concern in his voice made my throat tighten, and tears began to blur my vision.

My family owns the top conglomerate in New York City.

I have always been the apple of my parents' eye.

Since I was a child, if I said no to something, there was never any room for argument.

Yet here I was, barely two days after flatly refusing the arrangement, suddenly changing my mind.

Not wanting my father to worry, I took a deep breath to steady my voice.

"Dad, I'm Seraphina Sterling. Who would be stupid enough to try and bully me?"

My father finally seemed to relax, letting out a small chuckle.

"Alright then, my princess. I'll head over to Seattle immediately to bring you home."

"No need, Dad. I have a few things to wrap up here. I'll be back in a week on my own."

Just as I hung up, Caspian's voice rang out from behind me. "Sera? Where did you say you were going?"

I quickly tucked my phone away, not wanting him to overhear anything.

"You misheard," I said dismissively.

Caspian wasn't letting it go. "I don't think so. My hearing has always been excellent."

He stepped closer, his breath warm against my ear, making my skin crawl.

I frowned and tried to pull away, but he grabbed my wrist firmly. "Sera, why are you dodging me?"

He pulled me into a fake-intimate embrace from behind and laughed softly. "Come on, tell me. Where are you going?"

I was losing my patience and couldn't shake him off. "Home. For an arranged marriage," I stated flatly.

I felt his entire body stiffen instantly.

However, he recovered his smug attitude almost immediately.

"Sure thing. Just don't forget to invite your big brother for a glass of champagne at the wedding, okay?"

I knew he didn't believe a word I said.

But I meant every bit of it. "I don't think that will be necessary."

My serious tone only made him chuckle again.

"Alright, alright. My little Sera is just having a tantrum, isn't she?"

He leaned in, trying to kiss me.

He was always like this―no matter how upset I actually was, he wore that mask of playful indifference to brush me off.

I used to find it charming. Now, it just made me feel sick.

I broke free from his grip and stood my ground, looking him straight in the eyes. "Where exactly did you just come from?"

Since I discovered that studio, I had visited the area multiple times.

I had never caught him there before.

But I was certain he was the one inside.

Every time he came home, he carried the faint, sharp scent of oil paint on his clothes.

I didn't believe for a second that he didn't know I'd found the place.

I hadn't confronted him yet because I wanted to see if this man, who supposedly loved me for seven years, had a single ounce of honesty in him.

Perhaps he was staying quiet because he thought I was still in the dark.

Or maybe he was terrified that if the truth came out, I'd go running back to Dominic.

And that would break the heart of his precious Clementine.

After a long, tense silence, Caspian sighed.

He reached for my hand. "Sera, lately you've been..."

He was cut off by Clementine Meadows, who suddenly emerged from the narrow alley behind us.

"Caspian? You said you were just stepping out for a smoke. What took you so... Oh, hi, Sera."