Chapter 1

For five years, Chloe Davis was the woman every other woman wanted to be. She was married to Ethan Miller, a man whose wealth and influence were matched only by his handsome face. He bought her anything she wanted, a silent provider who kept her in a gilded cage. He doted on her in public, making sure the world saw a perfect marriage.

But behind the closed doors of their mansion, their bedroom was cold. In three years of marriage, he had never touched her.

On the advice of her best friend, Ashley Thompson, Chloe decided to take matters into her own hands. She would try to seduce her husband ninety-nine times.

The first ninety-eight attempts were a catalog of failure and quiet rejection. Tonight was the ninety-ninth time.

She waited for him in their bedroom, wearing a silk nightgown that felt like a second skin. When Ethan entered, he looked at her, and for the first time, something in his cold eyes shifted. He didn' t push her away. He pulled her close, his hands gripping her waist.

The moment she had dreamed of for seven years was finally happening. As they moved together, a wave of heat and release washing over her, he leaned in, his breath hot against her ear. He whispered, his voice racked with a pain she didn't understand.

"Ashley, you know I love you. Marrying Chloe was something I had to do. How could you let her do this? How could you let her seduce me?"

His words cut through the haze of pleasure.

"Besides you," he gasped, his body trembling against hers, "I' ll never love or touch another woman."

The confession shattered Chloe. The world tilted, a sickening lurch in her stomach. He wasn' t incapable. He just didn' t love her. He had never loved her.

His heart belonged to Ashley Thompson. His own niece. Her best friend.

Chloe was just a shield. A tool. A sacrifice.

A violent tremor ran through her body. She shoved him away, the force of her push surprising them both. She scrambled out of the bed and fled to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

She turned the shower on, the water blasting out, scalding hot. But it couldn't wash away the filth she felt. It couldn't erase seven years of love.

Four years ago, he had rescued her from a group of drunk men at a bar. He was a prince, wealthy and handsome, swooping in to save her. Falling for him was as easy as breathing. She chased him for four years, a relentless pursuit that ended in three years of this hollow marriage.

Seven years. Dead in an instant.

She stayed curled on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor until the water ran cold, then moved to the living room sofa, wrapping a blanket around her shaking body. She stared into the darkness all night.

At the first light of dawn, she picked up her phone and called a lawyer.

"I need divorce papers drafted. Immediately."

Just as she was giving her details, the front door opened. Ethan walked in. Chloe quickly ended the call.

He looked at her, his face etched with a worried, pained expression she had never seen directed at her. For a wild second, she thought it was for her.

"Ashley was in a car accident," he said, his voice tight. "I have to go to the hospital."

Of course. For three years, any call from Ashley, no matter the time, no matter how important his own business, and he was gone. Chloe had never suspected. She had even joked with Ashley once.

"Why don' t you just move in with us? Then your uncle can look after both of us at the same time."

Ashley had just laughed, a sweet, innocent sound. But now, Chloe remembered the look in her eyes. It was pity. Pity for the fool who was selling herself and didn't even know the price.

"Go," Chloe said. Her voice was calm, empty.

Ethan rushed to the door, then paused, turning back to her. His gaze was cold again, the brief moment of worry gone.

"I won' t bring up what happened last night," he said, his tone a clear warning. "But don' t let it happen again."

He left without another look.

Chloe smiled, a bitter, broken thing. She had been a fool ninety-nine times. It was time to wake up.

Ethan was gone all day. In the evening, her phone rang. It was him.

"Get to the hospital. Now."

The command was sharp, leaving no room for argument. Chloe rushed there, her heart pounding with a nameless dread. As soon as she arrived, a nurse grabbed her arm and pushed her into an examination room.

"We need to draw some blood," the nurse said briskly.

They took vial after vial, until Chloe felt dizzy and her face was pale. Before she could process what was happening, they were wheeling her on a gurney down the hall. Confused and weak, she was pushed into a surgical room.

The bright overhead lights blinded her. As her eyes adjusted, Ethan' s face appeared above her. His voice was gentle, a soft coaxing that made her skin crawl. But his words were sharp and cold.

"Chloe, don' t be scared. I won' t let them hurt you. But only you can save Ashley. You' re her best friend. You wouldn' t just leave her to suffer, would you?"

"She needs a kidney," he continued, his voice dropping lower. "And you' re the only match."

She was disoriented from the blood loss, the room spinning slightly. Ethan' s voice was a steady, persuasive drone.

"Save Ashley, and I' ll give you anything you want."

The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, a desperate, last-ditch test. "What if I want a child?"

The operating room fell silent. The only sound was the quiet hum of the machines and the beat of her own heart in her ears. She expected him to refuse, to recoil in disgust.

Finally, he spoke, each word dragged from him.

"Okay."

It was so reluctant. So painful for him. But it was the final proof. He loved Ashley to his very core. To save her, he would do the unthinkable: touch the woman he didn't love, create a life with her as a bargaining chip.

A silent, bitter smile touched Chloe' s lips. A nurse called from the doorway, her voice urgent.

Ethan' s eyes were red-rimmed. He gripped Chloe' s hand, his hold desperate.

"Chloe, please…"

She knew in that moment he would agree if she asked for his life. That' s what real love was. He truly loved Ashley.

So she wouldn't force him.

Tears finally fell, tracking paths down her temples into her hair. Chloe pulled out her phone, her fingers fumbling but sure.

"I was just kidding," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I don' t even like kids. Just… sign this for me."

She held up the phone, displaying a document on the screen. Ethan didn' t even ask what it was. He just took the stylus and quickly scrawled his name.

He was too afraid. Afraid she would change her mind about the kidney. Afraid she would really demand a child. Afraid she would cling to him forever.

If he had asked, she would have told him it was a digital divorce agreement.

Chloe closed her eyes, the anesthetic starting to pull her under. As her consciousness faded, she whispered a final goodbye that only she could hear.

"Ethan Miller, goodbye."

Never again. From now on, his happiness was his to chase, and her life was her own. They were separate.