Chapter 1The Lies That Bound Us

When our son’s birth certificate was damaged, I went to the hospital for a replacement—only to be told they had no record of my delivery.

Then ghostly text appeared:

[Villainess Amelia Thorne discovers the truth! Her "son" was actually born to Sierra Lynch, the intern who risked her life delivering him. Amelia’s real daughter? Dumped in an orphanage.]

The administrator confirmed: "Mr. Thorne is the father, but the mother is Sierra Lynch."

Sierra—Luke’s intern. The true heroine, according to those floating words.

I gripped the counter. "Was a girl born here that same day?"

The clerk’s face darkened. "Yes. Marked as… abandoned."

…

I returned home to find Luke’s childhood friend and a few others lounging in the living room. Standing in the shadows of the foyer, I heard his friend’s teasing voice.

“Luke, I heard you hired that Sierra girl as some kind of ‘child development specialist’ for Noah. Aren’t you worried Amelia will flip?”

Luke’s voice was flat, betraying no emotion. “Amelia has always been magnanimous. And Noah really adores Sierra. She’ll understand.”

The spectral text, which I now understood to be some kind of running commentary on my life, exploded with activity.

[Exactly! Our sweet, gentle Sierra is an angel. Why would that witch Amelia have any right to be upset?]

[OMG, you don’t know? The day Amelia gave birth, Luke wasn’t with her because Sierra was also in labor! Sierra had a complicated delivery and almost died. Luke stayed by her side all night!]

[Tsk, tsk. Amelia thinks she’s the lady of the house, but she’s not even as important as a warm body in his bed.]

No wonder. When I was wheeled out of the delivery room, all I saw was his exhausted, distant face. I thought he was just tired from the long wait. I never imagined his concern, his anxiety, had been spent on another woman and another child.

His friend sighed. “Man, you care so much about Amelia. We grew up together, and I’ve never seen you so devoted to anyone. Why did you have to…”

“That’s enough,” Luke cut him off. “Don’t bring up the past.” He paused for a beat. “As long as she doesn’t know, nothing is wrong.”

Hearing the truth from his own lips felt like a knife twisting in my heart. All the way home, I had clung to the desperate hope that the commentary was a lie, that he had a good reason.

Now I knew. He was consciously, willingly, in love with two women.

Wiping my tears, I turned and walked away.

I immediately did two things:

First, I hired a private investigator to look into a place called “Angel’s Crest Orphanage.”

Second, I called my father and told him to prepare for a hostile takeover of Thorne Industries and to begin transferring our family’s entire business portfolio overseas. The deadline was two weeks.

Over the next few days, I played the part of the gentle, understanding wife, turning a blind eye to Sierra’s intrusion into our home. Luke seemed pleased with my “sensible” behavior.

He booked an entire equestrian club for the weekend, promising to watch the races with me and help me pick out the finest thoroughbred. All because I loved to ride.

He held my hand, his voice wrapped in that familiar tenderness. “Mia, remember? When you were sixteen, I fell off a horse trying to teach you how to ride. I fractured my leg and was in a cast for three months.”

Of course, I remembered. He had limped to my school on crutches, bringing me snacks like an oversized, devoted puppy.

“You said back then that you would be my knight, that you’d always protect me,” I said, looking at him.

A complex emotion flickered in his eyes before he squeezed my hand tighter. “I still am.”

“Mia, I will always be your knight.”

As he spoke his vows of eternity, all I could hear were the endless insults and mockery from the spectral commentary. The sincere boy I once knew was fading away, dissolving into a stranger.

Half an hour later, we were seated in the VIP box with the best view. The sun was blinding, triggering one of my migraines. A sharp pain throbbed at my temples.

Luke noticed immediately, steadying me with a concerned hand. He barked at his assistant, “Get my wife’s pain medication and her sunglasses to the club. You have five minutes!”

Soon, someone came running up, panting. “Mr. Thorne, I have them.”

Luke and I turned at the same time. It was Sierra.

She held the medicine and a pair of sunglasses, dressed in a simple tracksuit. Her forehead was beaded with sweat from her rush, her face pale, giving her a pitiful, delicate look.

Luke’s expression soured. “Who told you to come?” he hissed. “Where’s my assistant?”

Sierra bit her lip, her voice soft and wounded. “Mr. Davies was with an important client. I heard Mrs. Thorne wasn’t well and I didn’t want to waste any time, so I took a taxi myself.”

Luke took the items and handed them to me. I said nothing, just put on the sunglasses and went to the powder room.

When I came out, Luke was gone.

The commentary was providing a live feed of his location:

[Luke pulled Sierra behind the stables! Oh my god, there’s a haystack! My imagination is running wild!]

My fingers tightened around my phone as I slipped around to the back of the stables.

Peeking through a gap in the hay bales, I saw Luke pressing Sierra against the wooden wall, kissing her deeply.

Sierra feigned resistance, her breaths coming in short gasps. “Don’t… Luke, Mrs. Thorne is still here…”

“Forget her for a minute.” His voice was a low, husky growl. He reached up, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Are you an idiot? Taking a taxi in this heat? You know you’re prone to heatstroke.”

“I was just worried about you…” Sierra’s voice had a tearful edge.

Her vulnerability only seemed to fuel his desire. He kissed her again, harder this time.

“Stay still,” he murmured, his voice a seductive command. “Let me hold you. I need to make sure you’ve been eating properly.”

I stood frozen, listening to the rustle of their clothes, my heart aching so badly I could barely breathe.

After the races, Luke took me to the horse paddock. A magnificent, chestnut-coated thoroughbred was being led by a groom, its muscles rippling.

“Do you like her?” Luke asked, embracing me from behind. “I chose her for you. The best horse in the entire club.”

I was about to reach out and stroke the horse’s neck when Sierra, standing nearby, let out a sudden, sharp shriek. She pretended to trip over a stone, stumbling directly toward the horse’s rear.

“Heee-yah!”

Startled by the sudden noise and movement, the thoroughbred reared up, its hooves flailing wildly before crashing back down.

In that split second, Luke didn’t hesitate.

He lunged, yanking Sierra out of the way and shielding her with his own body as they rolled to safety.

And I was left behind, abandoned to face the terrified, rampaging animal alone.

I scrambled backward in panic but tripped on the turf, watching in horror as a massive hoof came hurtling down toward my leg.

CRACK!

An explosion of pain, and then darkness. I didn't even have time to scream. My last memory was Luke’s face—after he’d settled Sierra—turning to see what had happened, his features contorted in terror, his voice tearing through the air in a desperate cry.

“Mia—!”