Chapter 1

On their wedding night, Ivan Lawson pushed his new wife toward a stranger. The man had the same sharp jawline, the same cold eyes as him.

"Clara, you wanted to marry me? This is what you deserve. Enjoy it." His lips curled into a mocking smile.

Night after night, Clara Vance was forced to be with a man who looked like Ivan.

But when she got pregnant and hoped for even a tiny bit of kindness, Ivan coldly said, "Get rid of it. Don't bring shame to my family."

That day, Clara shattered. Every piece of love she'd ever had for him and every shred of dignity she'd fought to keep was gone. Hands shaking, she wrote a final message in blood.

"Ivan, you'll regret this. I swear," Clara hissed. Then she jumped off a cliff, her eyes empty and cold.

*****

When I woke up, the sharp smell of disinfectant stung my nose.

"You're awake." A gentle male voice spoke beside me.

I tried to move my fingers. Every bone in my body ached like it had been broken and put back wrong. I gasped from the pain.

Then it all came back, the humiliation, the freezing medicine, and the stab in my stomach.

My unborn baby was gone with the blood.

Then there was Ivan, his face utterly cold and merciless.

I jumped off that cliff, thinking I'd die for sure, but somehow, I survived.

"My baby..." I choked out. Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.

Kaisen Myers saved me. He paused, and then handed me a tissue. "The baby didn't make it. And it'll take a long time for you to get better."

Something inside me died at that moment.

Ivan killed our child. And he killed the woman who once loved him.

Kaisen was a backpacker passing by when he found me clinging to a branch on the cliffside.

He pulled me up and gave me a quiet place to recover.

Then I saw my death report on the news. "Clara Vance, heiress to the Vance Group, died after falling from the cliff behind her private villa."

They said Ivan was devastated and that he gave me a lavish funeral.

In the photos, he wore a black suit. He looked tired and heartbroken, as if he'd actually lost someone he loved.

What a joke. The man who pushed me off a cliff was playing the grieving husband for everyone to see.

I turned off the tablet and looked at Kaisen. "I want a new identity. I want to start over."

He met my empty eyes and nodded. "Okay. From today, you're Elaine Quinn."

*****

Five years later, I made my return at an elite business gala in Seabrook as the chief representative for Solara Capital. I stepped in wearing a stunning red dress, every move oozing confidence.

Every eye in the ballroom turned to me, including his.

Ivan sat at the head of the table, swirling his wine, looking as cold and untouchable as ever.

Five years had passed. He looked harder and more dangerous now.

The woman next to him giggled and pressed closer, trying to nestle into his arm.

I grabbed a glass of champagne and walked straight over. "Mr. Lawson," I said, my red lips curving into a smile. "I've heard so much about you."

He looked up. His eyes locked on my face for three long seconds.

For just a moment, a flicker of awe and confusion stirred in those dark eyes.

Noticing this, the woman beside him stiffened. She hooked her arm through his. "Ivan, who is she?"

Ivan didn't answer. He just kept staring at me. "Have we met before?"

I scoffed inwardly, but kept my face perfectly calm. "Mr. Lawson, you must be joking. I've lived abroad for years. This is my first time back.

"Maybe I have one of those faces and remind you of an old acquaintance."

I made sure to linger on the words "old acquaintance", letting him catch the hint behind my words.

Ivan's eyes darkened. He let go of the woman next to him, stood, and reached out his hand. "Ms. Quinn, nice to meet you. I'm Ivan Lawson."

The moment our hands touched, cold shot through me. His grip was too tight, like he was testing me, trying to see if I'd flinch.

I pulled away smoothly, smile still in place. "The Lawson Group is one of our key partners. I look forward to working with you, Mr. Lawson."