The lights were on.

Shit.

I froze outside our apartment door, heart ramming against my ribs. My breath came in short, shallow gasps. The knob felt ice-cold in my sweaty palm.

He was awake.

Of course he was awake.

Tears welled up before I could stop them.. not the loud, ugly kind, but the kind that just sat there, heavy, swollen, like guilt had found a home in my skull and refused to leave.

What the hell had I done?

I had sex with a stranger.

I cheated on Matt.

My knees almost gave out right there in the hallway. I leaned against the peeling wall, trying to steady myself. The floor felt like it was tilting beneath me.

Jesus Christ, was I actually going insane?

It was like I had blacked out last night. Like someone else had crawled inside my skin and made those choices for me. I remembered hands on my waist, lips on my neck, a voice whispering my name like it meant something.

And it hadn't even meant anything. Had it?

I didn't even know him.

I wiped my face and turned the knob slowly, praying he’d be asleep on the couch, passed out with a beer in one hand and the TV blaring.

But no. He was sitting upright in the living room, phone pressed to his ear, one leg crossed over the other like he owned the damn place.

“ …she should be back in a few hours,” he was saying. “Don’t worry. I'll talk to her. She'll definitely comply.”

Comply.

Like I was some kind of prisoner. A piece on a board he could move wherever he liked.

My stomach twisted so hard I nearly threw up right there in the doorway.

He ended the call casually and turned his head, giving me a long, slow once-over. “Well, look who finally decided to come home.”

I didn't answer. Couldn't. My throat felt like it had closed up entirely. All I could do was walk inside, carefully, deliberately.. like if I just kept my movements calm, maybe everything else would stay in place, too.

Don’t break.

Don’t shake.

Don’t let him see through you.

“Where were you?” he asked, voice low and cold.

I shrugged out of my coat. “Got held up.”

He tilted his head, smiling like a shark. “Held up? At the club?”

I nodded, too quickly. “ Yeah. Busy night.”

He stood, slowly. Walked toward me.

For a second, I thought he was going to hit me. But he just stopped in front of me and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Gentle. Almost sweet.

“You smell like cologne.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“You know I hate when other guys touch you,” he added, softer this time, but with that edge — that threat buried under silk.

I swallowed hard. “I.. I just wanted to make some extra tips. That’s all.”

He stared at me for a long time. Then suddenly, he grinned.

“You don’t have to do that anymore,” he said. “ Actually… you're done with the club.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I found you a better gig,” he said, walking back to the couch. “No stripping. No drunks. Much better pay.”

I stood there like an idiot. “You found me… a job?”

He didn't answer right away. Just pulled something up on his phone and held it out like it was a golden ticket. “Contract marriage. One year. No sex required. Just arm candy. Guy’s a billionaire. Wants a wife for appearances. You get paid monthly.. two hundred grand.”

I stared at him. My ears were ringing.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He laughed. Actually laughed. “Oh, come on, baby. Don’t act like it’s so crazy. This stuff happens all the time. Rich people love fake shit.”

“You want me to marry a stranger?”

“For one year,” he said with a shrug. “You'll be taken care of. House. Clothes. Money. Everything we've ever wanted.”

I couldn't breathe.

“ Matt,” I said slowly, my voice cracking, “are you even hearing yourself?”

He looked at me then.. really looked.. and it hit me like a punch to the chest. There was nothing in his eyes. No love. No concern. Just… hunger.

“This is a good deal,” he said. “The agent called me because she knew we were struggling. She vouched for the guy. Said he’s clean, discreet, and desperate. And the money? Baby… ” He whistled. “That’s almost two and a half million by the end of the year.”

My hands were shaking.

“So I’m just… paper now?” I whispered. “A thing you can hand off for cash?”

Matt walked over and kissed my cheek. “Don’t be dramatic.”

And I swear to God, that’s when I knew. The boy I loved.. the man who held me when my parents died, who promised me forever.. he was gone. Or maybe he was never real to begin with.

I pulled away. Hard.

But Matt didn't care. He just grinned wider. “You're going. Tomorrow. We've got a meeting with the guy at eleven sharp.”

I didn't speak.

Couldn't.

He kept talking.. about the contract, the terms, how I could even negotiate for more if I played it right. But I wasn't listening anymore.

My gaze drifted to the window.

The city blurred beneath a sky just starting to turn light.

How did I get here?

How did I become this?

**

The next morning was a blur.

I didn't sleep. Just lay on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall while Matt snored beside me like nothing had changed.

At 10:30, I was in the car, dressed in a simple black dress I hadn't worn since my dad’s funeral. My palms were slick with sweat. My heart felt like it was hanging by a string.

Matt talked the whole drive. About how we were going to be rich. About getting out of this dump. About how he might start investing.. real stuff, this time.

I said nothing.

Not one word.

I felt numb.

We pulled into the underground parking of a luxury hotel. The kind with fountains and marble floors and doors you weren't even allowed to touch yourself.

Matt guided me upstairs like he was escorting me to a damn auction.

“This is it,” he whispered at the elevator. “Big moment, babe. Just smile. Be sweet. Make him want to sign.”

The elevator dinged. My stomach dropped.

We walked into the penthouse conference room.

And then I saw him.

The man sitting at the head of the glass table.

Jace.

My stranger.

My mistake.

My fucking one-night stand.

He looked up, and our eyes locked.

He froze.

I think I stopped breathing.

Matt didn't notice. He extended his hand toward him, all slick confidence. “You must be the man offering my girl a new life.”

Jace's gaze didn't move. It stayed on me.

And his mouth curved into the smallest, slowest smirk.

The man I had to marry was the stranger I’d slept with.

The world tilted.

Oh God.