Chapter 1: I will never love you 

When I came to, I realized I was clinging to the body of a man I didn’t know. My mind was still foggy, trying to grasp where I was, when suddenly, a pair of hands locked around my throat.

I gasped in shock, my eyes flying open in terror. The man pinning me down was dignified, powerful, and so devastatingly handsome that I recognized him instantly. His face was one I had only ever seen on television, but now it was twisted in fury, restraint, and something far darker.

“You bitch!” His voice was sharp and merciless. “You think you’ve won, don’t you? But I swear, I—Damian Blackwood—would rather die than ever love you!”

His grip tightened, cutting off the little air I had left. My vision blurred, black spots blooming as I thrashed my arms helplessly against him. He was too strong. My strength was no match for his.

Just when I was certain I would die, he released me without warning. My body jolted, pain radiating through my chest and throat as I coughed violently. Even after what had just happened between us, his eyes were frozen with disgust, as if I were filth in his presence.

I pulled the duvet around my trembling body, covering my bruises, my voice cracking as I forced out words. “You! How do you even know me? Why would you drug me?”

“Me, drug you?” His bitter laugh was like shards of glass. He seized my wrist roughly. “That’s rich. You’ve been drugging me for years, Alina. Three years of slipping things into my drinks, trying to force me to want you. You really think I’d sink that low? For you?”

Alina? My heart stuttered. That wasn’t my name.

“What?!” I choked. “You think I drugged you? I don’t even know you!”

But he wasn’t hearing me. His tall, lean frame radiated menace as he looked down at me with the air of a Grim Reaper.

“Do you really believe,” he hissed, “that by planning Isolde’s kidnapping, you could make me fall for you? You should be grateful she’s unharmed. If even a scratch had touched her, a hundred deaths wouldn’t have been enough for you.”

Isolde? Kidnapping? My head spun. None of this made sense. I didn’t know what nightmare I had been dragged into, but my body ached so badly I could barely move. I just needed to call the police, get help—get out.

My hand had barely reached for the phone when Damian slammed my head down against the pillows, dragging me close.

“You’d call the police on your husband? Is this your new tactic, Alina? Is this what a good wife does?”

Husband? My breath hitched. He was insane. I was single. I wasn’t married to anyone. And why was he calling me Alina? That was my sister’s name. I was Aria. Aria Cole.

But he wasn’t listening. He straightened his collar in the mirror with the same detachment one might show toward a stranger’s blood. His gaze flicked to the sheets. “I never thought a woman like you would still be a virgin.”

At his signal, the door opened, and Maribel, the elderly maid, entered carrying a steaming bowl of medicine. “Sir, this abortifacient is very strong, and Madam’s body is still weak—”

He didn’t let her finish. Snatching the bowl from her, he grabbed my chin in a painful grip, his profile bathed in warm light yet utterly devoid of humanity.

“Alina,” he said coldly, “you are not worthy of bearing my child.”

Before I could resist, he forced the medicine down my throat. I gagged, choking, my chest heaving as rage filled me to the brim. My nails dug deep into my palms as I spat out, “You’re a monster. A mad scumbag!”

His eyes narrowed. “What did you just say, wife?”

I glared back at him through hot tears. “Wife? I want a divorce. Damn you.”

Summoning every ounce of strength I had left, I shoved him away and bolted from the room, fleeing the Blackwood estate barefoot in my torn nightgown.

I didn’t stop until I stumbled into the Cole estate. My father, Victor Cole, was already waiting for me.

The moment he saw me, he gripped my arms tightly, scanning me up and down. “Did he suspect anything?” he demanded, his eyes sharp. Then his mouth twisted into something cruel. “Good. You look ruined. That means he bought it. For once, you’ve actually been useful. Keep playing your role, or I’ll kill you myself. Remember—no one knows you and Alina are twins. And you look identical. Damian must never find out.”

Everything clicked into place with horrifying clarity. Just two hours earlier, my father—whom I hadn’t seen in five years—had sent for me. In the car, I’d smelled something strange, then darkness had swallowed me whole. And when I woke, I was in Damian Blackwood’s bed, my innocence stolen.

My stomach twisted as I stared at Victor. “You… you drugged me? You sent me to that man on purpose? Why?”

His face hardened with disdain. “For the family’s sake, you idiot. If your sister hadn’t vanished, I wouldn’t have bothered with you. But all our resources depend on Damian. Alina can rot in a ditch for all I care. What matters is that Damian Blackwood’s wife survives. That wife is you now.”

My heart dropped. Alina had been missing for three days—and my father didn’t care. He just needed a pawn. And that pawn was me.

Victor’s voice cut like a blade. “Let me make this simple. Your sister’s one duty was to marry Damian and save this family. She disappeared hours before the wedding, and now you, her identical twin nobody knows exists, will take her place. From this moment on, you are not Aria Cole. You are Alina Cole.”

“Father, you can’t—”

“You know Liam’s company is sinking, don’t you?” His words sliced through me. “Do you even realize how deep he is in illegal activities? I have proof. Solid evidence. If you do as you’re told—if you remain Damian’s obedient wife—Liam stays safe. If not…”

My breath caught. Liam. My love. My one promise of a future. He had sworn to marry me once his business succeeded. But now his fate rested in my father’s hands.

I shook with grief, anger, and helplessness. If I refused, Liam would be destroyed. If I agreed, I would be shackled to Damian Blackwood forever.

At last, I swallowed hard and forced out the words. “But Damian Blackwood is ruthless. He’s the ninth-richest man in the world at only twenty-nine. He trusts no one. How can I ever deceive him?”

Victor smirked, his eyes glinting with cruel satisfaction. “You’re smarter than you think, idiot. I don’t care how you do it. Just don’t fail me.”

In that moment, it felt as though I had wrapped my soul in silk and handed it to the devil himself. But as I stood trembling under Victor’s gaze, I couldn’t decide who the true devil was—my father, or the husband who had just shattered me.

And soon enough, I would find out.