Chapter 1

The day I stood by Ethan Quinn as he claimed his inheritance from the Quinn family, he made the entire city of Riverton stop and watch.

Ethan had bought out every major ad space in the city to propose to me, declaring to the world that I was the only woman he would ever love.

People envied me. They said I had married for love. And for a while, I believed it too.

But less than a year later, Ethan swallowed up my family’s wealth and waltzed in with his “true love,” Lydia, by his side.

He locked me in a basement, leaving me at the mercy of Lydia's endless humiliation.

It wasn’t until the moment I died in that cold, damp darkness that I realized—the love Ethan had proclaimed for me was nothing but a lie. A carefully planned deception from the start.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of Ethan’s grand proposal.

“Willow,” Ethan said, kneeling before me.

I was surrounded by a sea of flowers, our closest friends, and nearly every influential figure in Riverton.

The proposal was nothing short of extravagant.

Ethan had spared no expense. This wasn’t just a private moment; it was a city-wide broadcast. Every screen in Riverton was tuned into this “romantic spectacle.”

I looked at Ethan, my chest tightening as memories flooded back—memories of suffocating darkness, the metallic stench of damp air, and Lydia’s cruel laughter.

The pain from that nightmare felt all too real. My body trembled at the memory, and I couldn’t stop myself from shivering.

Ethan’s voice broke through my thoughts, his eyes red with emotion as he spoke.

“Willow, I’ve loved you my entire life. You’ve been my light, my only salvation. You stayed with me through the darkest times, when no one else would. You are my happiness, my everything. Please, marry me.”

My past and present collided in that instant.

I snapped back to reality, stepping away from him as he stared at me in shock.

“Ethan,” I said, cutting him off mid-sentence.

The surprise on his face was evident as I continued, “We’re not right for each other.”

I turned to the lighting technician and signaled for them to stop the romantic effects. Then, I bowed slightly to the gathered crowd, apologizing for the disruption.

Facing the live broadcast, I smiled politely and said, “Ethan, I’ve always thought of you as a friend. I’ve never felt anything romantic toward you.”

Ethan Quinn wasn’t just any man. He was the illegitimate son of Harold Quinn, the patriarch of the powerful Quinn family.

His mother had clawed her way into a life of luxury by giving birth to Ethan after a single night with Harold. But she was never satisfied, always scheming for a way to replace Harold’s wife and claim the family’s fortune.

When we were children, Ethan’s mother orchestrated a fake kidnapping to force the Quinn family to acknowledge her son.

But her plan backfired.

The criminals she hired turned on her, cutting her out of the deal and planning to kill Ethan to keep the ransom money for themselves.

It was my father who saved Ethan that day.

Risking his own life, my father pulled Ethan out of that nightmare. My parents and I stayed by Ethan’s side, nursing him back to health. For two weeks, we barely left his bedside.

Out of pity, my father intervened and convinced the Quinn family to take Ethan in. That’s how Ethan and I grew up together.

I thought the bond we formed through those harrowing events would last a lifetime.

I stood by Ethan as he fought his way into the Quinn family, earning their respect and ultimately inheriting the family fortune.

I believed our love was inevitable, forged through shared struggles and strengthened by time.

But I was wrong.

Ethan wasn’t my soulmate. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The man I gave my heart to would later destroy my family and claim everything we owned.

I still remember that day, one year after our marriage, when Ethan revealed his true colors.

He had seized control of both the Quinn and Linwood family assets, solidifying himself as the most powerful man in Riverton. Standing beside him was Lydia, the woman he truly loved.

“Willow,” he said, cold and detached.

“If your parents hadn’t meddled in my life, I wouldn’t have suffered all those years in the Quinn family.”

His words were like knives, cutting into my heart.

“To get back at you, I’ve been planning this for years. Look at you now—you’re no longer the Linwood heiress. You’re nothing more than a useless pawn under my control. Do you regret saving me back then?”

He gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his venomous gaze.

“And just so you know,” he added, his voice dripping with malice, “it was me who set your parents up. The charges that sent them to prison? All my doing. They’ll live out the rest of their days rotting behind bars. You can thank me for that.”