Chapter 1: Shattered Vows
Deep into the night, a cool breeze slipped through the open window, lifting the sheer curtain on the second floor of the grand villa. The dim moonlight cast soft shadows across the room, illuminating the delicate figure curled up beneath the silk sheets.
Alexa’s small face, marred with faint scars, still bore the traces of dried tears. Her slender frame, bare beneath the blanket, shivered slightly—not just from the cold but from the lingering emotions of the night. Too shy to lift her head, she remained nestled against the strong, broad chest of the man beside her.
Tonight was her wedding night.
Moments ago, she had crossed the threshold from girl to woman, offering herself completely to the man she had loved for fifteen years.
Wait.
A name that could drive women mad with desire, a man of power and status, and now—her husband.
In the darkness, Zain gazed down at the fragile woman in his arms, his deep black eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion. He gently stroked her hair, his fingers moving with an unexpected tenderness.
“Alexa,” he murmured, his voice low and husky, “I’m sorry. I hurt you.”
She had not cried out, not once. Yet, her silent tears, the way her small hands had clutched at him, her delicate form trembling beneath him—those had spoken louder than words. A pang of something unfamiliar pierced his chest.
Alexa shook her head slightly, her face heating up. Even though he had been as gentle as possible, it had been her first time. The pain had been inevitable.
But what truly made her heart flutter was the way he had looked at her—without disgust, without pity. He hadn’t recoiled from her scars, hadn’t treated her like the unfortunate girl who had wandered the streets for a decade.
To her, that was more than enough.
A sudden ringing shattered the silence.
Zain picked up his phone, his expression darkening as he glanced at the screen. With a slight frown, he turned to her. “Alexa, I have to step out for a bit. I’ll be back soon. Wait for me.”
Before she could respond, he leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead.
Then, with effortless grace, he slipped out of bed, draping his robe over his toned physique. As he walked toward the door, he turned on the light, casting a golden glow across the room.
Alexa watched him leave, an inexplicable sense of unease creeping into her chest.
She clutched the blanket tighter, her thin, pale shoulder peeking out, still bearing the marks of his touch.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Zain had not returned.
The emptiness beside her grew colder.
A strange anxiety gnawed at her heart. She pushed aside the covers and reached for the wooden heart-shaped pendant in the bedside drawer. Her fingers trembled as she fastened it around her neck.
Her mother had given it to her before she died. It was not worth much, but to Alexa, it was priceless. It had always soothed her, always made her feel safe.
But tonight, even its presence couldn’t calm her racing heart.
Slipping into a soft pink nightgown, she hesitated for only a moment before stepping out of their room in search of Zain.
As she approached the dimly lit corridor, hushed voices drifted toward her.
She stilled.
“Alexa’s kidney is a successful match for Samantha.”
The deep, familiar voice made her breath hitch.
Wait.
Her Zain.
But the words…
“Marrying her was just to get her signature on the organ donation consent form.”
A thunderous roar filled her ears.
Her body froze, her blood running ice cold.
Had she misheard?
No… No, she hadn’t.
Her fingers dug into the hem of her nightdress, clutching it so tightly her knuckles turned white.
She couldn’t move.
Couldn’t breathe.
Her mind replayed the moment he had proposed.
"Alexa, you are a good girl. Besides you, there is no reason for me to marry anyone else."
Lies.
Every word had been a lie.
The man she had loved for fifteen years had never loved her back.
He had only wanted her for one reason.
Her kidney.
For Samantha.
Her biological sister.
Covering her mouth with both hands, Alexa trembled violently. A desperate, strangled sob threatened to escape her throat.
She had never agreed to donate her kidney.
She had thought—foolishly, naively—that Zain had chosen her because he wanted to be with her.
But he had only married her to use her body.
A sudden chuckle echoed in the corridor, sharp and mocking.
“Oh, so that’s how it is! Why didn’t you just say so earlier, Mr. Zain?” The voice was laced with amusement, fawning and smug. “I thought you had wronged our dear Samantha. After all, she loves you so much. When she fell ill and you immediately married Alexa, it was easy to misunderstand.”
Alexa’s breath hitched.
The next words struck like a dagger to her chest.
“Alexa, that little vixen, is so malicious—refusing to donate her kidney to save her biological sister. Only you can keep her in line!”
The blood drained from her face.
Her knees felt weak, her vision blurred.
The man she had just given herself to—the man she had dreamed of being with for years—saw her as nothing more than a means to an end.
And Samantha…
The sister she had barely known, the one who had always been the beloved daughter, while she had been cast aside like garbage.
Alexa staggered back, gripping the cold wall for support.
The weight of betrayal was suffocating.
The night that was supposed to be the happiest of her life had turned into a nightmare.
Zain was no stranger.
He was a monster.
