Chapter 1

Eight months into my pregnancy, I knelt for three hours in front of 999 blind boxes. I finally pulled the hidden edition designer figure I wanted.

I couldn't wait to show my husband. But when I pushed open the door, a wave of suffocating 125-degree heat hit me.

Four space heaters were cranked to the max. Every floor-to-ceiling window was locked tight.

As I reached out to turn them off, my husband's assistant blocked my path.

"Ma'am, don't touch those. I'm freezing. The doctor said I have a naturally cold constitution," she said.

I looked at her and suddenly started laughing.

"Article three of our pre-nuptial agreement: we both have fifty-fifty control over common spaces."

"Right now, it is my time to use this room."

That night, Preston Blackwell slammed the door open. He grabbed my wrist with a iron grip.

"Lila's health is already fragile! Because of your selfishness, she almost fainted!"

I rubbed my swollen belly, trying to stay calm.

"The doctor said sustained high temperatures could cause oxygen deprivation for the baby."

Preston's expression froze for a split second before a cold smile spread across his face.

"Fine, honey. Equal control, right? I'll respect your choice."

Then, he gently handed me a glass of warm milk and watched me drink it.

When I finally woke up, I was stripped bare. I was locked inside a sauna room that felt like it was two hundred degrees.

A crowd stood outside the glass, placing bets on how long I would last.

Preston grabbed a handful of my hair, forcing me to look at him.

"Didn't you say you were afraid of the heat? I'm going to make sure you get enough of it!"

As he turned to leave, I grabbed my phone and made one final call to the richest man in the world.

"Dad, I'm ready. I'll come home and inherit the family empire."

1

I curled into a corner of the sauna. The heat made every breath a struggle.

Preston saw the call I just made to my father.

"CRACK!"

He snatched the phone and hurled it against the floor, shattering it into pieces.

Then, he backhanded me across the face.

"Sienna Sterling, have you finally lost your mind?"

"A multi-billion dollar empire? Why don't you just claim you're a lost princess while you're at it?"

He pinched my chin, forcing me to look up into his hateful eyes.

"Marrying me was the luckiest thing that ever happened to a nobody like you!"

I tasted blood in my mouth, but I forced the words out.

"Let me and the baby go. Or you will spend the rest of your life regretting this!"

"Regret?"

Preston let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"If you hadn't been playing the part of a spoiled heiress all day, Lila wouldn't be in the hospital!"

"Tell me, how should I punish you for what you did to her?"

Lila Reed leaned against him then, acting as weak as a wilting flower.

"Preston, I was just being clumsy. Don't be so hard on her because of me. She's still pregnant. I'll feel so guilty if something happens!"

Preston's face transformed instantly.

He wrapped his arm around Lila, taking off his blazer to drape it over her shoulders.

"Lila, you have a cold constitution. Don't catch a chill," he said softly.

When he turned back to me, his eyes were filled with nothing but pure disgust.

"As for her? She needs to learn that actions have consequences. Especially after the trauma she put you through!"

He grabbed my hair again and dragged me to the center of the room. He pointed ten more industrial heaters directly at me.

"Turn the sauna up to its maximum limit!"

Preston barked the order to his security team.

"Let's see how long our little princess lasts."

He pulled Lila close by her waist.

"We'll use the betting money to buy Lila some supplements. She had quite a scare today."

I looked at them through the haze of heat, feeling my hope die.

As Preston started to lead her away, I screamed with the last of my strength.

"Preston Blackwell! You were diagnosed as sterile! I went through thirty-three rounds of IVF in secret to have this child!"

The air left my lungs as I saw his back stiffen.

Lila immediately began to cough and sway.

"Preston... I'm so dizzy..."

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him deeply. That kiss seemed to erase his last doubt. He walked out without looking back.

Through the glass, I saw the crowd gathering. They were throwing cash onto a table, gambling on my life.

Preston was tenderly feeding Lila water. That was the look he once gave only to me.

Three years ago, he knelt in the pouring rain to propose.

"Sienna, if you can give me a child, I'll do anything for you. I'll never look at another woman."

What a sick joke.

Everyone thought I was the one who couldn't conceive. In reality, the medical reports were locked in my drawer. He was the problem.

To protect his fragile ego, I spent years letting his family curse me for being broken.

"AH!"

A sharp pain exploded in my lower abdomen. The baby began to kick violently inside me.

I realized with horror that my dress was soaked. My water had broken.

"Help the baby!"

I struggled against my restraints. The ropes rubbed my wrists raw until they bled.

Preston saw my struggle and gave a cold signal.

A guard forced my mouth open and poured a vile, bitter liquid down my throat.

As I choked on the drugs, I heard a voice outside.

"Mr. Blackwell says to add ten more heaters!"

The crowd cheered.

"Hold on tight, Mrs. Blackwell! We all bet you'd last at least an hour!"