Chapter 1

Every woman in Strathaven's high society wished they were Harper Vaughn. She wasn't born into anything special, but she became the one Callum Colter—the younger son of the rich and powerful Colter family—fell for.

They said the Colters shot down the marriage because of their outdated ways. Callum got down on his knees in the memorial hall, took a brutal beating, and nearly died for it. But he never gave up on Harper.

In the end, Callum even agreed to be cut off from the family to marry Harper. But just days before the wedding, Quentin Colter, the Colters' oldest son, died in a car accident.

That made Callum the sole heir to the Colter family, and he was forced to go back. Word was, they were pushing him into an arranged marriage with someone from the "right kind of family".

People were speculating if Callum would dump Harper when he went online and made it official. He announced their marriage under the Colter family's name.

Strathaven was buzzing again. Their love story was praised everywhere, and Harper was every woman's dream come true.

Only Harper knew the whole thing was a lie. Callum was sleeping with Sienna Prescott, his late brother's wife.

Olivia Holden, Callum's mother, had Harper on her knees in the memorial hall and made her recite their family rules. If she so much as stuttered, Olivia would smack her back with a wooden ruler.

After what felt like forever, Harper was finally allowed to rest. As she walked past one of the rooms, a woman's breathless voice reached her ears. "Please go slower, Callum. I can't take it anymore."

Callum's husky voice followed. "Be good, Enna. Just relax and give me a son."

The words struck Harper like a knife straight to the heart. She subconsciously grabbed the front of her shirt, her nails digging into her skin through the fabric, as if that could stop the ache inside.

One month ago, Harper had just found out she was pregnant and was glowing at the thought of finally getting married. Then, Callum was forced to return to the Colter family. Quentin had died, and Sienna had chosen to stay a widow.

Olivia was desperate to keep the family line going, so she pressured Callum to make Sienna pregnant and told everyone it was Quentin's son.

Callum stood his ground, so Olivia took Harper and forced her into an abortion.

On the fourth day after Harper lost the baby, Callum showed up in the ward at the hospital. He was bruised and limping as he wrapped her in his arms. "I had no choice, Harper. It's for your safety. I promised Mom to get Sienna pregnant. That's the only way she would leave you alone."

Harper nearly collapsed after hearing that. She grabbed Callum's arm just in time to keep herself on her feet.

Her nails dug deep into his flesh. Her voice was so hollow and cracked that it sounded like it had clawed its way out of a broken heart. "I'm not afraid to die. We just lost our baby. How could you go and have a child with someone else?"

Callum just held her tight. "We'll get another chance at a baby, so let's just bear with it. Mom has already agreed to let you marry into the Colter family."

That was the first time Harper was ever allowed through the doors of the Colter residence.

She watched with her own eyes as Callum went from dreading being with Sienna to wanting more. He even murmured Sienna's name in his sleep. Eventually, he moved into Sienna's room and left her alone in theirs.

She wasn't welcome in the Colter family. The housekeepers, who kept an eye on her, deliberately made snarky remarks about it. "Mr. Colter is really putting in the work. I wouldn't be surprised if Mdm. Prescott is pregnant already."

Callum was still on Sienna's bed when Harper was hit with the memory of her lost baby. Blood rushed up her throat and spilled from her lips. She somehow dragged herself back to her room before completely backing out.

Harper didn't know how much time had passed when she faintly heard the doctor speaking to Callum. "After Ms. Vaughn's uterus was removed, her hormones went out of balance. She'll need time and care to recover."

Her heart skipped a beat as Sienna giggled. "You're so cruel, Callum. All Olivia asked for was an abortion, and you told the doctor to remove her uterus."

Did Callum tell them to take out her uterus? Why would he do that? He knew how badly she wanted a child and a family.

Harper felt like she was being torn apart. She tried to open her eyes as she needed to hear it from Callum. How could he be so cruel?

But she couldn't move, as if she were held down by something she couldn't see. Right then, Callum calmly added, "As long as Harper couldn't have children, she would never be a threat to the Colter family's next heir."

Callum sighed. "Quentin died in that car crash because he was out getting me a wedding gift. I swore at his grave that the next head of the Colter family will be his child. You're the one who will carry it."

That reason broke Harper, and she cried tears of blood in her nightmare. When she finally woke up from the endless nightmare, there was no one by her bed. She clutched her stomach in pain.

She couldn't care less about being the next head of the Colter family. All she ever wanted was a loving husband, a sweet child, and a simple life.

But Callum had Harper's womb removed and took away her chance to ever have a child.

Since it had come to this, she was done with him. She would make sure he spent the rest of his life drowning in guilt for what he did to her and her child.

Pale-faced, Harper sported a wry smile. She called the agency that specialized in faking deaths. "I want to fake my death a month from now, which is right before the wedding. I only have one condition. Make sure Callum believes I died because of him."

Chapter 2

That night, Callum stayed over in Harper's room to keep her company. Taking in her familiar scent, he undressed her. "Sienna is probably pregnant by now. We can't let her get ahead."

She felt a pang in her chest when he still fed her lies. After losing her uterus, she couldn't bear a child anymore.

She caught a whiff of Sienna's perfume as his breath hit her neck. Feeling disgusted, she turned him down and mumbled something about being too tired.

Harper didn't sleep well that night. She woke up to the sound of moaning and thought to herself, "Isn't Sienna from some high-society family? Why is she so cheap? How can she sneak in at night and throw herself at Callum?"

Callum panted heavily on the bed as Sienna let out a sultry whimper. "I just want to carry your child and send you back to Harper. Then, I'll spend the rest of my days being a widow."

He chuckled. "Widow? With curves like that, you really think you can play the lonely widow? Let me take care of you in Quentin's place."

Sienna responded, "Alright. Be gentle, Callum. Don't wake Harper up."

Callum remarked, "What's the big deal, Sienna? It's for a baby. Harper already said yes."

The madness went on all night. At daybreak, Callum finally carried Sienna out, her body limp in his arms. Harper had also stayed awake until morning, her eyes dry and wide open.

Callum had just walked out when the housekeepers came knocking. She hadn't slept, and exhaustion clung to her like a second skin. But she let the housekeepers drag her off to the memorial hall to recite the family rules anyway.

Sitting in a wooden chair, Olivia meditated with a crystal in her hand. It wasn't until Harper's voice turned raspy and her knees began to shake that Olivia spoke up. "We'll stop reciting here. Enna is working hard to continue the Colter bloodline. Do your part and look after her."

Harper was led to Sienna's room with a blank face.

For once, they weren't in bed together. Callum was quietly carving something, and Sienna snuggled in his arms, like a newlywed couple.

Callum was flustered when he saw Harper. He immediately dropped what he was doing and shoved Sienna out of the way. "What brings you here, Enna?"

Harper didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on the lifelike horse Callum had been carving.

Seeing this, he explained, "I made it for my future child; I'm just stepping in for Quentin."

Harper felt a pang in her heart. She had the same little horse back in her room.

Callum said he wanted their child to be born fast and free, like a wild horse. So he'd carved one for him, but the child was long gone.

However, as the father of the lost child, he was already expecting another one.

The housekeepers spoke on Harper's behalf, explaining why she was there. "Mdm. Holden sent Ms. Vaughn to attend to Mdm. Prescott."

Hearing that, Callum sighed. "You're not needed here. Make Sienna some herbal soup."

Harper was led to the kitchen once again in a daze. But after drinking the soup she made, Sienna clutched her stomach in pain.

The family doctor went through everything Sienna had taken. In the end, he discovered that the issue stemmed from the soup Harper had prepared.

Furious, Oliva had Harper pinned down and whipped in the memorial hall. Right as the third lash landed, Callum barged in and seized the whip. He helped her up with care, placing himself in front of her.

She clung to his sleeve, her voice barely audible as she tried to explain herself, "I didn't—"

He interrupted, "I'll take the fall for you, Harper. You should apologize to Sienna."

Her chest tightened. Callum would rather be punished in her place than trust her. That was absurd.

Something snapped inside Harper. She somehow found the strength to shove Callum away. "I didn't hurt her."

She staggered to her feet, locked eyes with him, and repeated, "I didn't hurt anyone. I'm not apologizing."

Seeing the heartbreak in her eyes, he panicked for a moment, feeling like something was slipping away from him. But Sienna was fine, and she was lashed three times. He figured that made them even.

As Callum was about to speak, Oliva cut in, "Enna is pregnant."

He blinked in shock, the disbelief on his face quickly giving way to joy.

Olivia slammed the crystal on the table. "But Harper nearly killed that baby."

Callum's softened heart turned cold again. He instructed, "Make Harper stand outside Sienna's room. She stays there until she apologizes."

Chapter 3

Harper was forced to stand outside Sienna's door. Hearing Callum gently comforting Sienna broke her heart all over again. She stood by the door till midnight and refused to apologize.

Callum was furious, but when he saw how pale Harper looked and the blood on her back, his heart softened. He told the housekeepers to take her back to her room.

Harper dragged her battered body to her room and refused the housekeepers' help to treat her wounds. She pulled out the delicate box he had put together when she was pregnant.

Inside were the toys he had lovingly carved for their baby and the clothes she had made with her own hands. But their baby was gone. He had a new one now, and she would never get to be a mother again.

She opened the box with trembling hands, only to find it empty.

She froze for a couple of seconds, then started breathing rapidly, her chest heaving visibly. She slammed the lid shut and immediately opened it again, as if hoping she had imagined it all. But there was still nothing inside.

Everything Harper and Callum had prepared for the baby was gone. Her mind went blank, and a loud ringing filled her head. She collapsed backward like a marionette with its string cut.

A pair of arms caught her just in time. "Watch out!"

Callum enveloped Harper, and she instinctively clutched his shirt, like a drowning person clinging to a lifeline. Her lips trembled as she stammered, "I-It's all gone."

He had no idea what she was talking about. When he saw the empty box on the bed, he realized what was going on and chuckled. "I gave everything inside the box to Sienna."

He met her stunned gaze and added without a twinge of guilt, "Our child is gone anyway. What is the point in keeping those things? Better to give them to Sienna."

Harper flinched, then suddenly shoved Callum away.

Her vision went dark for a second, and the taste of blood welled up in her throat. But she swallowed it back. She had to retrieve her baby's belongings.

She staggered out of the room, and he frowned as she followed her. When she entered Sienna's room, she saw that the baby clothes she had made were already torn to shreds.

When Sienna saw them, she tossed the torn baby clothes onto the floor and scraped them across the floor with her foot like a rag. She remarked with a grin, "The wooden toys you gave me were lovely, Callum. But those clothes looked so cheap, so I turned them into rags."

Harper's throat burned with rising blood. Before she knew it, she was already on the floor, yanking the clothes from beneath Sienna's feet.

Sienna exclaimed, "What are you doing, Harper? Stop touching my legs."

Her expression changed drastically as she fell over to one side. "My baby."

Callum caught Sienna in his arms, then slapped Harper hard across her face as she was getting up. The sound cracked through the air, and she hit the floor again.

Seeing this, he instinctively reached out to help, but when Sienna groaned and clutched her stomach, he turned to her immediately. "You have to apologize this time, Harper Vaughn!"

It was the first time Callum had ever snapped at Harper like that. Standing in front of Sienna, he looked like a husband defending his wife.

Harper didn't say a word or even spare them a glance. All she did was crawl forward, gathering each scrap of torn fabric and holding them in a tight fist. Her behavior set him off.

In the end, Harper still faced the punishments she had been spared earlier.

This time, Callum was the one who gave the word. With Sienna sitting next to him, he looked down at Harper as she was being punished.

After 50 lashes, Harper could barely hold herself up. She fell forward with blood pouring out of her mouth.

Her back was ruined. It was covered in overlapping lash marks, and every line was swollen and grotesque.

Only then did panic and guilt hit Callum. "Harper."

That was all she heard before she became unconscious.

Chapter 4

Harper had no idea how long she had been out. When she came to, some mellow music was playing in the background.

The housekeeper, who was keeping an eye on her, bolted out of the room after seeing her wake up. Moments later, Callum showed up in a suit.

He held her hand tightly; his eyes held a storm too tangled to name. "You were out for three days. Finally, you're awake. Does your back still hurt? I had the doctor use the best meds."

The best medicine?

Harper scoffed. She was lashed in the back because of Callum, and now he had the nerve to act caring?

The way she ignored him made him look so down. "I had no choice, Harper. You nearly made Sienna lose the baby. You had to be punished."

He swallowed. "But Mom is throwing a banquet for Sienna to announce she is pregnant with Quentin's child. My part in all this is over. I can finally relax and plan our wedding."

Wedding?

Harper finally showed a reaction after that.

She had purchased the service to fake her death, and the agency had already given her a few options, but none of them felt right to her. She wanted a plan so perfect that it would tear Callum apart.

After sending him away, she grabbed her phone and got back to planning with the agency. But the music downstairs was driving her crazy, so she decided to head out and find a quiet spot.

Even though she did her best to steer clear of everyone, she still ended up overhearing the housekeepers chatting.

One of the housekeepers started, "People are saying Mdm. Holden will announce Sienna's unborn child as the rightful heir. Mr. Colter is just running things for now."

Another housekeeper added, "That's right. Everyone thought Mr. Colter would be upset, but he gave up his shares right in front of everyone and said it was a gift for his future nephew."

The next housekeeper chimed in, "I have no idea what Ms. Vaughn is thinking. She fought so hard to marry into the Colter family, and now Mr. Colter is broke."

Harper felt nothing hearing all that. She had already decided to fake her death. The Colter family's fortune could go to the streets for all she cared.

She took the secluded path, walking deeper into the quiet corners until the music faded away. When she breathed a sigh of relief, she was caught off guard by the sight of Callum and Sienna.

In the distance, Callum pulled Sienna into his arms. "Why do you look so down today, Sienna?"

Sienna choked out, "Now that I'm pregnant, you'll stay away from me. From now on, you belong to Harper."

Callum flashed a mischievous grin. "Do you miss me, or is it just the idea of me?"

Harper vaguely saw Callum guiding Sienna's hand toward his crotch. She was immediately grossed out.

Sienna giggled and buried her face in Callum's chest. "You're the worst, Callum."

He slipped his hand down the neckline of her top. "You like that, don't you? Don't worry, Sienna. I promise you won't feel lonely. After the baby is born, you're going to give me a few more."

She responded, "How do we do that? If you claim this is Quentin's child, no one will believe it."

Sienna moved against him seductively, and Callum squeezed her bottom hard before saying something that turned Harper's stomach. "We'll just say it's Harper's. She can't have kids anyway."

Harper's chest tightened, and she struggled to breathe. She didn't want to hear any more of that, so she covered her ears and ran off to the lake.

Suddenly, the sound of fireworks echoed in her ears. She looked up and saw the night sky lit up like day. The drones filled the sky, celebrating Sienna's pregnancy with Quentin's baby.

Meanwhile, Harper snickered. Everyone talked about how mysterious and powerful the Colter family was, but they didn't see the rot underneath.

That wasn't Quentin's child. It was the bastard child of an affair between Callum and Sienna.

A woman's smug voice snapped Harper back to reality. "Why are you hiding out here? Did you get heartbroken hearing that Callum wants to put our baby under your name?"

She turned and saw Sienna smirking. "We made love in your room that night. You heard it all, didn't you? Has Callum ever gone that wild with you?"

Sienna's trash talk kept crossing the line. Harper stood up, expression cold, and walked away without saying anything.

Seeing Harper ignore her, Sienna was livid. She reached out and yanked Harper back. She was just about to speak when she saw Callum in the distance.

Her eyes darted around as she came up with a vicious plan. She cried out in a panic, "Don't push me, Harper!"

With that, she pushed Harper into the lake, then pretended to fall herself.

Without missing a beat, Callum darted over and helped Sienna up. "Are you alright, Sienna?"

It wasn't until he saw Harper flailing in the water that he thought about rescuing her, but Sienna buried her face in his chest and started crying pitifully.

She explained, "I invited Harper to the banquet, but she got all worked up over you transferring the shares to the baby and tried to push me into the water. Lucky for me, she lost her balance and fell. I almost lost our child, Callum."

Chapter 5

Upon hearing Sienna's words, Callum couldn't hide the disappointment on his face. "Why are you hurting Sienna again?"

Whatever instinct had driven him to save her dissolved, replaced by anger. He began scolding her. "Didn't I already tell you? Sienna's pregnant, and I've done what I had to do.

"There's nothing more between us, and we're just in-laws. Why can't you just leave her alone? Apologize to her."

Harper shivered in the lake, but Callum's blind accusations cut deeper than the cold water ever could. Water filled her mouth as she struggled, and the injuries on her back were torn open, staining the lake red.

As she struggled toward the shore, he kicked her back into the water. Then, he fixed his cold gaze on her. "If you want out, then apologize."

Without saying a word, she tried to swim to a different spot, but he was always one step ahead of her.

Harper unyieldingly refused to apologize. Every time she got to the shore, Callum kicked her back in.

When she reached her limit, she suddenly thought of the first time she met him. It was right by the lake as well.

Back then, she was just trying to earn a living when some rich heir tried to force her into being his plaything. When she resisted, he threw her into the lake and toyed with her like she was a dog.

It was sheer luck that Callum happened to pass by and rescue her. That was how their twisted story began. But who was going to save her this time?

Harper smiled bitterly as she finally gave up. The water rose over her eyes and ears, crushing her from the inside out with sharp, searing pain.

Right before she blacked out, she figured that dying by Callum's hand was as good an ending as any. But then, she felt someone pulling her out.

He kept calling out to her, "Harper."

Callum had been mad about Harper picking on Sienna and refusing to apologize. This time, he was dead set on teaching her a lesson. But he didn't expect her to be so stubborn, even when her life was on the line.

When she disappeared under the water and didn't resurface, panic set in. Callum jumped in without thinking and pulled her out, but she was cold and lifeless, like a ragdoll.

Overwhelmed with fear, he kept trying to push the water out of her and breathe life back into her. No matter how much Sienna called out to him, he didn't budge.

At last, Harper spat out a mouthful of water and slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the regret in Callum's eyes, she grinned.

It turned out that he still cared about her. Now she was even more curious how he would react once she faked her death.

He mumbled nonsense as he held her closely, like she was a treasure he thought he had lost forever. "Thank God you're fine, Harper! This is all my fault. I don't know what the hell I was thinking—"

Sienna called out, "My stomach hurts, Callum!"

She had to call him over and over before he finally calmed down and let go of Harper.

He looked at Sienna clutching her stomach, then at Harper's pale face. After a long pause, he came to a decision. "Leave the Colter residence, Harper. You've gone after Sienna's baby again and again. I won't be able to save you forever."

Callum held Harper's hand firmly. "But don't worry. After things are stable with Sienna's pregnancy, I'll come to you, and we'll start planning our wedding in peace."

He wasted no time and changed her into clean clothes. Then, he quietly sent her away from the Colter residence before dawn. But he didn't know that Sienna had gone behind his back and gotten the chauffeur to take her to a hotel instead.

Before Harper could react, a group of men in black had already pinned her down. They threw her into a room where a man in a suit was waiting.

But he didn't lay a hand on her. He just yanked at their clothes, tearing the seams and leaving the fabric twisted and askew.

A woman suddenly stormed in, grabbed her hair, and slapped her over and over. Someone nearby recorded everything with a camera, and they didn't stop until the sound of a police siren filled the air.

The woman yanked Harper by the hair to the doorway and whispered smugly in her ear, "Do you honestly think you can marry into the Colter family, you bitch? Keep dreaming."

Then, she yelled, "I'm reporting someone for soliciting a prostitute."

Chapter 6

Harper was held for three days. Callum didn't even find out until the news of her getting arrested by the police for hooking up in a hotel spread all over Strathaven.

At this point, her name was dragged through the mud. Everyone saw her as the one who betrayed him.

The Colter family was dead set against him marrying her, but he stood his ground and wouldn't take no for an answer.

When he came to pick her up, her face was swollen, and she had blood all over her forehead. Seeing her in such a miserable state, he was heartbroken. "I'm taking you to the hospital, Harper."

Callum reached for Harper's hand, but she moved her hand away.

Her gaze was cold. "I was set up. Did you find out who was behind it?"

He went silent for a moment.

When he heard she was in trouble, he had already lost it. He pulled strings at the police station to get her out and had his men investigate the matter thoroughly. The culprit didn't even bother to hide it.

When Callum confronted Sienna, she sobbed and admitted everything. Her younger sister was fed up with Harper picking on her and refusing to apologize, so she took matters into her own hands.

He didn't say a word for a long time after finding out. Once Sienna began to weep uncontrollably, he conceded and dropped the issue.

But when he saw the pain in Harper's eyes, he felt a pang of guilt. After a long pause, he finally lied, "Don't worry. I've taken care of everyone who hurt you."

Of course, she saw right through his lies. She smiled, her nails biting into her palms. But the pain was nothing compared to the sharp, suffocating ache in her chest.

Someone called out, "Look, it's Harper!"

People around started recognizing Callum and Harper. A crowd quickly gathered, and someone suddenly hurled rotten eggs at her. Everyone sided with him, venting their anger on her.

One of the onlookers remarked, "She belongs to the street, Mr. Colter. Why do you still want a woman like that?"

Another person chimed in, "Looks like the slut has Mr. Colter wrapped around her finger. I heard a bunch of companies cut ties with Colter Group because he insisted on marrying Harper."

Someone nearby added, "I heard that too. Colter Group's stock has been going downhill fast."

Callum draped his coat over Harper's shoulders. He tried to lead her away, but she just stood there in silence.

Harper could tell Sienna was behind this. She tried to stir up enough drama to make Callum give up on marrying Harper.

Harper didn't fight it when Callum drew closer again. She played along as he held her in his arms. "Don't worry. No matter what happens, our wedding is still on."

In that brief moment, she had come up with a perfect plan to fake her death. She would set herself on fire during the wedding, making it look like she couldn't live with the scandal.

Harper wanted Callum to see how much she loved him. She would rather disappear forever than leave a stain on his life.

He took her to the hotel so she could clean up and change into fresh clothes before bringing her to the hospital.

The doctor applied medicine to Harper's scalp and face before going over what to watch out for. Callum finally felt at ease taking her home. This time, it wasn't the Colter residence, but a brand new villa.

He said, "This is our home, Harper. You're the only woman who runs it."

After he finished speaking, the butler stepped forward with a group of housekeepers. "Welcome home, Ms. Vaughn."

Callum took Harper around for a quick tour, his voice tinged with a hint of regret. "It's a shame we didn't have enough time before the wedding. There's still so much left undone."

Noticing she wasn't in the mood, he quickly tried to lighten things up. "But after the wedding, we can decorate it together."

One of the housekeepers stepped out respectfully and said, "The silk wedding dress is ready, Mr. Colter. Ms. Vaughn can try it now."

Right after she spoke, a few housekeepers came in, carefully carrying a mannequin wearing a silk wedding dress. For a moment, it felt like the entire living room lit up.

Seeing this, Callum beamed with excitement and let go of Harper's hand. He took an elegant wooden box from the butler. "You once told me your dream was to walk down the aisle in a silk wedding dress, with all the fanfare and beauty that comes with it, Harper."

He dropped to one knee in front of her, offering her the wooden box as if it meant the world. His voice shook with emotion. "I'll give you everything you have ever wanted."

She opened the wooden box and found a gilded marriage contract.