Chapter 1

Edward Grant cornered me, his eyes blazing red and full of fury. "Charlotte, this is the tenth time. I told you—lie to me again, and you're done."

He yanked off the drawstring from his hoodie, grabbed my wrists, and tried to tie me up.

Suddenly, a flood of comments popped up before me. [He's so stubborn. He's head over heels for Charlotte but keeps acting cool. No wonder he's still single.]

[No way—are we finally getting the captivity scene I've been waiting for?]

[The psycho second lead—this kind of forced love hits just right.]

[Honestly, you can't blame him. If your girl suddenly married your brother, anyone would lose it.]

I reached up and traced his swollen lip, my fingertip ghosting over his mouth. My voice was barely a whisper. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

*****

Edward, who had been slightly stooped, stiffened. Disbelief flashed through his eyes, then slowly gave way to suspicion. Once it clicked, he yanked off the hoodie drawstring and slammed it onto the ground, his voice sharp with anger. "Charlotte, you're messing with me again."

Comments flooded the screen. [Oh, for heaven's sake, can't Charlotte just fall for Edward? Even knowing she was toying with him, he only threw the drawstring. He really is the best; I'm in tears.]

[Charlotte, you'd better pray for yourself. The secret room is already stocked with tools. You're not getting out of bed for the rest of your life.]

[Though, for crying out loud, even if Charlotte has to suffer, don't let the audience suffer too.]

I met his gaze, tears streaming down my face. It wasn't that I felt that sorry for Edward. I was genuinely terrified by what the comments were saying.

I grabbed his hem and choked out an explanation. "I have to listen to him; I don't dare not to. Please, don't be mad at me, okay? You're really scary when you're like this. I'm scared."

He leaned in without warning, his hand sliding to the back of my head and pulling me closer. Then he kissed me—hard—stealing my breath in an instant. He didn't let me go until I was on the verge of gasping for air.

More comments popped up. [Don't be fooled by his poker face—deep down, he's totally loving this.]

[My gosh, his way of testing the truth is so simple yet brutal—and I absolutely live for it.]

Edward stared at me. The probing look was gone, and somehow, I caught a faint flush on his face. His throat worked, his voice rough and deep. "Fine, I'll trust you this time. Lie to me again and I'll..."

He left the threat hanging in the air.

Maybe my gaze was too open, too honest. He suddenly looked away, then crouched down to pick up the drawstring and left quickly.

I stayed where I was, watching as he disappeared down the alley. Then a shadow fell across the stone pavement in front of me. He came back.

With his head lowered, he looked like a wounded puppy. "I lost my cool earlier. I'm sorry," he said quietly.

The comments went wild again. [Edward, why are you being so soft? My heart can't take this.]

[Just because she didn't fight back, you went soft? Bro, she's your enemy's fiancée. If she can let you kiss her tonight, she can kill you tomorrow.]

I cautiously reached for his hand, pretending not to notice the flash of tension that crossed him. "Could you take me with you?" I asked softly. "It's late, and I'm scared."

He lowered his gaze and pulled his hand away, his voice deep and restrained. "You said I disgust you."

Suddenly, I remembered—three years ago, the night I broke up with Edward, his father, Thomas Grant, was seriously ill. Edward had stayed outside the hospital room all night.

When Thomas finally woke up, his first words were, "You bastard, get out. I don't want to see you."

Edward was the product of an affair. Thomas blamed Edward's mother for driving his wife to her death, and he never once treated Edward as family.

Exhausted to the bone, Edward answered my call, only to be met with a breakup.

"You're a bastard, and you disgust me," I said coldly. "Just thinking about being with you makes me sick. Why don't you just die?"

From then on, whenever Ryan bullied him, I would stand far away and watch like it was a show.

When we crossed paths again, I would throw in a few sarcastic jabs for good measure.

No wonder he hated me. I really was awful.

But suddenly I realized I didn't hate Edward at all. Why had I ever done such cruel, hateful things? The moment I saw the comments, it all clicked.