Chapter 1
Seven years of marriage, and Cassandra's life was nothing but a joke.
She loved Edward Strathmore to her very core, but he saw her as a cruel, poisonous woman.
For another woman, Edward tossed Cassandra into a luxury suite as if she were nothing more than goods to be traded.
When she had lost all hope, Cassandra walked away and married Rowan Ashwick, a man whose power was unmatched.
Later, Edward discovered the secret behind the butterfly birthmark within the pages of an old, yellowed diary.
He realized that the person who had risked her life to save him from the fire that happened fifteen years ago was Cassandra.
He realized that the one who had quietly made breakfast for him and protected him from alcohol all these years was Cassandra.
He realized that the woman he cherished as his one true love was nothing but a total fraud.
The day the truth was revealed, Edward coughed up blood and collapsed.
He burst into the wedding hall, begging, "Honey, I was wrong. My life is yours. Please, will you come back to me?"
Cassandra gently touched her baby bump, smiling serenely. "Mr. Strathmore, please call me Mrs. Ashwick."
*****
Three in the morning, thunder crashed outside, rain pouring down in the darkness.
Cassandra had just barely dozed off when a sudden, stabbing pain in her neck yanked her right back to reality.
Before she could even react, someone yanked her off the bed with brute strength. Her knees slammed into the floor with a dull thud, pain shooting straight through her bones.
Then, a pair of burning hands clamped around her throat, squeezing tight.
The air was instantly crushed from her lungs, and Cassandra's head was wrenched back, her vision swimming under the dim bedside lamp.
Staring back at her was Edward. His face contorted with fury, more monstrous than she'd ever seen.
"Cassandra! Are you even a person? What did you do to Winona last night?" Edward roared.
His eyes were wild, as if he could devour her alive, and his grip on her throat kept tightening.
Cassandra's face turned crimson, tears stinging her eyes from the sheer agony. Her hands were weak and helpless, like an ant trying to move a mountain as she tried to pry his fingers off.
"I... I don't know... what you're talking about," Cassandra gasped, coughing.
"You don't know? Quit acting innocent," Edward snapped.
With that, he shoved her away in disgust, like tossing away trash.
Cassandra's legs buckled and she collapsed onto the carpet, gulping air desperately, her throat on fire.
A phone was hurled onto the covers right in front of her, the harsh light stabbing at her eyes.
Edward said coldly, "I thought even if you were jealous, you'd at least have some humanity left, maybe accept Winona in my life.
"But what did you do? You waited until I was drunk, then used those dirty tricks to threaten her out of the Strathmore family, and forced her to sell herself. Cassandra, how could you be so poisonous?"
Cassandra's hands shook as she picked up the phone. It was a message from Winona, every word soaked in heartbreak.
[Mr. Strathmore, thank you for loving me. Mrs. Strathmore was right. With my background, even if I entered the Strathmore family, I'd always be nothing but a lowly outsider.
[I don't want to make things harder for you, so let's end it here. Tonight, I'm going to sell myself at auction.
[I've already signed a death contract with Nightram Bar. After tonight, I'll never be pure again. Don't try to save me. I'm not worth it.]
After reading the message, Cassandra felt a cold wave wash over her, her eyes going wide in shock.
'Nice move. Playing the victim just to turn the tables,' Cassandra thought.
She said, "I didn't... Edward, please believe me. I've never even seen her, and I never sent any threatening messages."
Cassandra reached for Edward's pant leg, desperate to explain herself, but he just kicked her aside, not even hesitating.
Edward towered over her, his eyes icy and filled with nothing but contempt. "Explain? Save you explanation for hell.
"You're coming with me to Nightram Bar. If anything happens to Winona tonight, you won't walk out of this clean either."
With that, Edward didn't care that Cassandra was still in her skimpy nightgown. He grabbed her wrist roughly and dragged her out like she was dead.
"Edward, are you crazy? Let go of me," Cassandra shouted.
She struggled frantically, stumbling barefoot across the icy marble floor as he dragged her along.
"Yeah, I'm crazy. Driven mad by you, you venomous woman," Edward snarled.
Edward ignored Cassandra completely, forcing her into the passenger seat of his black Maybach.
Without bothering to buckle her in, he slammed his foot down on the gas.
The engine roared, its sound piercing through the stormy night, haunting and relentless.
The car sped up to 110 miles an hour, the scenery outside melting into ghostly streaks.
Cassandra gripped the armrest for dear life, her face pale as a sheet. "Where are you taking me?" she asked.
Edward stared straight ahead, his jaw tight as steel. He said coldly, "Let's see how it feels when you're priced and shamed in front of everyone."
The car screeched to a halt outside a building dripping in gold and decadence. It was Nightram Bar, the city's largest pleasure den, a place where nobody leaves whole.
The security guard at the entrance started to step forward, but when he caught sight of Edward's murderous glare and the limited-edition luxury car, he immediately switched to a fawning, sycophantic smile.
He said, "Mr. Strathmore, what brings you here tonight? It's the Queen Auction, and there are rules tonight."
"Get lost!" Edward shot him a look that could kill, and the guard flinched, scrambling to open the door.
As soon as they stepped inside, the heavy iron gate slammed shut behind them with a deafening crash.
The sound hit Cassandra like a sledgehammer to the chest. She glanced back at the closed door, a wave of hopelessness crashing over her.
She thought, 'Tonight, there's no way out.'