Chapter 1
Martin Turner had a secret crush on Sandra Campbell. Meanwhile, I, Maya Hall, was the stand-in bride the Hall family shoved forward to pay off a debt.
To keep up appearances, Sandra handed me her account and told me to chat with Martin in her place.
I understood men all too well. I kept him guessing, just enough to have him hooked.
Before long, the most infamous playboy in the city was losing sleep over those messages, staring at his phone like a man possessed.
But Sandra didn't know that Martin knew the truth.
On our wedding night, he didn't show up at the bridal suite.
Instead, he kicked open the door to my attic room.
The next thing I knew, he had me pressed against the desk, my phone trapped between us. On the screen was the divorce request I had just sent.
His eyes burned as he gritted out, "How dare you flirt with me and then run off? Your family owes you a life debt. I'll help you collect. As for what you owe me, you'll spend the rest of your life paying it back."
That same night, the Turner family went bankrupt.
And me, the woman they thought they'd locked in a cage, was finally doted upon.
*****
Martin's voice in my ear was icy. His warm breath washed over me, heavy with the aroma of top-tier whiskey.
All I felt was pure revulsion.
He pinned me down against the cold desk, my wrists strapped with a belt so I couldn't move at all.
The window in the attic was left open, and the night breeze gusted in, fluttering my flimsy white veil.
It looked like a joke.
Martin sneered, "If you weren't gutsy, would you dare ask for a divorce on your wedding night, Maya?"
I turned my head, locking eyes with him.
His eyes were gorgeous, deep and dark, but right now they were burning with a fury and possessiveness I couldn't quite figure out.
Or maybe I could.
When males were provoked, it was pure instinct for them to want to rip their prey to shreds.
I felt nothing at all. If anything, I kind of wanted to laugh.
Classic alpha male lines and forced romance routine? Seriously, wasn't this script a little outdated?
Martin didn't even catch the hint of sarcasm in my tone.
He grabbed my chin with his other hand, his grip so fierce I thought he might snap my jaw.
He snarled, "You really think I don't know what you're up to? You pretended to be Sandra, stringing me along, playing your games.
"So now that you've got what you wanted and married me, you think you can just kick me to the curb?"
His thumb pressed against my lips, his gaze shadowed and impossible to read.
He said, "Maya, didn't you want to be my wife? I granted your wish. Now, it's time for you to fulfill your duty."
He leaned in close, crowding into my space.
I caught a whiff of the same perfume Sandra used lingering on him.
My gut twisted in revulsion.
"Martin," I said icily, interrupting whatever he was about to do. "Did you forget? I'm just the substitute.
"Your dream girl Sandra is overseas right now, probably waiting for your call, hoping you'll comfort her 'broken heart' after she 'gave up her love' for you.
"Do you think you're doing right by her?"
I brought up Sandra on purpose to poke at his sore spot.
Sure enough, he froze.
He stared at me, his eyes flickering with hesitation.
But almost instantly, that hint of hesitation was wiped out by a surge of fury.
"Shut up!" he snapped. "Don't mention her."
He was like a beast unleashed, ripping open the front of my wedding dress in one savage motion.
The sound of tearing fabric cut through the silent attic, harsh and jarring.
The chill hit my skin instantly.
I stared into his wild, red eyes, fearless. A laugh escaped me.
"Did I strike a nerve, Mr. Turner? Is that why you're so pissed?" I taunted. "Hit too close to home, so you're resorting to brute force to cover up how shaken you are?
"You claim to love her, but here you are about to take her substitute to bed. Doesn't that make you feel filthy?"
Every word I threw at him landed right on his sore spots, pressing all his triggers.
Martin's face darkened, ashen with fury.
His grip on my chin was so tight it felt like he might crush it.
"Maya, you've really pissed me off," Martin growled, each word forced out through clenched teeth.
The next second, he dropped the belt and his hand closed around my throat.
Suddenly, I couldn't breathe.
I stared at his handsome face, twisted with rage, and in that moment, only one thought echoed in my mind.
Yeah, this was exactly what I wanted.
Come on, get even angrier. Lose it for me.
Martin, the real drama was only just beginning.
Just when I thought he might actually kill me, the attic door burst open with a bang.
Saul Baker, the Turner family's butler, stood in the doorway, panic written all over his face.
He shouted, "Sir, something's wrong. A group of people seized Miss Campbell at the airport."
Martin froze.
He whipped his head around, his gaze sharp as knives.
"What did you say?" he demanded.
Saul was gasping for air, barely able to stand.