Chapter 1

I battled through the pouring rain to bring him an umbrella, and that was when I heard the laughter spilling out from the private room.

"Jessie's idea was brilliant—using Edward to lure her in with that blindfold game. Can you imagine her face if she found out she's been hooking up with her worst enemy every night? She'd probably throw herself off a building."

Jessica Lynn covered her mouth with one hand, her voice dripping with false modesty. "I was only joking around, but you two actually went through with it. You really do spoil me."

Edward Pierce looked at her with pure adoration before turning to my rival, Ryan Grant. "Just get the photos and leave it at that. Don't actually touch her—she's still my sister, after all."

Ryan's smile faltered, and he cleared his throat. "Of course. Jessie's the only one I'm interested in anyway."

Jessica raised her hand like she was making a toast. "How about we drop those photos at the victory party? Wouldn't that be perfect?"

"Oh my God, Claire would lose her mind! That's going to be so good!"

Edward and Ryan hesitated for a moment, but neither one said no.

I stood outside the door, soaked to the bone, and the umbrella slipped from my fingers and hit the ground.

That same night, I changed my college application to the university farthest away from all of them.

*****

I got home still dripping with rainwater, and my adoptive parents, Wesley and Diana Pierce, clearly weren't happy about the water I was tracking across their floor.

Diana sneered at me. "What, you heard your brother went out to dinner and decided to chase after him for attention?"

Diana shot me a look of pure disdain, and Wesley's voice was just as cold. "Claire, forget the fact that you're our adopted daughter—even if your parents hadn't died saving us, your family still wouldn't be good enough for the Pierces."

The door opened, and Edward came home.

He was completely dry, the total opposite of my bedraggled state. He'd heard every word Wesley just said, but he didn't respond. He didn't even look at me. He just changed his shoes and walked past me like I wasn't there.

I clenched my fists, but I didn't explain myself or try to hide my feelings like I always had before.

Instead, I turned around and said, "Don't worry, once the admission results come out, I'll leave and never come back. Thank you for raising me these past five years. After this, we're even."

Edward's steps faltered, and his brow furrowed as he looked at me.

I ignored him and headed straight to my bedroom to pack.

Diana slammed her hand on the table. "Are you threatening us?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"You—" Diana's chest heaved with anger.

Ever since I'd come to the Pierce family, everyone saw me as the classic case of someone using her parents' sacrifice to climb the social ladder.

But nobody knew that if I'd had a choice, I would've given anything for my parents to live long, peaceful lives instead of losing them to save Wesley and Diana. I never wanted this so-called "chance" to enter a wealthy family.

Nobody knew that I, the daughter of their saviors, had spent all this time trying to please Wesley and Diana just to survive here.

"Kneel down and apologize," Diana said, her eyes blazing with fury.

I stood there without moving. "I didn't do anything wrong."

Edward froze, and something shifted in his eyes when he looked at me—like he was seeing a stranger.

Diana grabbed the whip and shot to her feet. "Oh, so that's how it is now. You think you're all grown up, don't you? Talking back to your parents like that!"

She pointed toward the study. "Get in there and get on your knees! I'll remind you what family discipline means!"

"Mom." Edward caught Diana's hand. "Let me handle this."

Diana's chest heaved, but she pressed the whip into his palm. "Fine. You deal with this ungrateful girl yourself."

They dragged me to the study and forced me down on my knees.

Edward dismissed everyone else, and the door clicked shut behind them. Just the two of us left in the silence.

"Stay here for half an hour, then come out on your own," he said, tossing the whip onto the desk. "Just tell them I did it."

My voice came out flat. "Just hit me. I don't want to owe you anything."

He stared at me, caught off guard.

I said, "After this, we're done. No more ties between us."

The crack of the whip cut through the air.

But it missed my back completely and struck my hand instead. A deep red welt bloomed across my knuckles, and Edward's grip tightened on the handle. "Don't talk nonsense," he said, his voice rough.

I bit down hard and stayed quiet.

He was waiting.

Waiting for me to break down crying, to fumble through pathetic explanations about love he'd never wanted—just like I always used to do.

A minute passed, but I just sat there with my eyes burning red, staring ahead and saying nothing.

The whip slammed down on the desk, and he turned his back to me. "Get out."

I didn't hesitate for a second. I left without looking back.

Back in my room, I curled up under the blanket and clutched my parents' photo so hard my knuckles went white.

That family—not rich, but full of love—had kept me going through the hardest five years of my life.

"Mom, Dad, everyone thinks you traded your lives to give me this great future, but only I know the truth. I'm just barely surviving here."

My voice cracked. "I miss you so much. I changed my application to Cambridge University. I'm gonna make money and come back home. I'll rebuild the house, and then I'm never coming back here again."

My words got quieter and quieter until everything went fuzzy, and I drifted off.

Through the haze, I felt someone gently wiping the tears from my face. "Sweetheart, don't cry."

I started to open my eyes, but a hand pressed over them before I could see anything. Then his lips found mine, catching me completely off guard.

"Don't open your eyes." His voice sounded almost desperate, like he was begging me.

He didn't want me to know who he was.