"What's wrong? Run out of lies?"

He stared at her blankly, smirking coldly when she didn't respond. A flash of pain flickered in his eyes, but it disappeared quickly.

Ashley's face turned pale as she was pinned down on the bed. Above her loomed his sharp, handsome face, eyes dark and unreadable. She turned her head slightly, feeling completely cornered, her voice shaky. "I really don't know what this is all about, but I swear... I don't know you."

The moment those words slipped out, his whole vibe changed-his eyes grew cold, dangerous.

"You think just because I haven't hurt you yet, I won't?" His voice dropped low, every word laced with fury.

Three years ago, she'd vanished from his life without a trace. He'd turned the world upside down looking for her, and now, this? She didn't even recognize him?

What a joke.

Did she really think she could just walk away and pretend nothing happened, relying on how much he once doted on her?

Ashley felt something tighten in her chest-fear creeping in fast-but she forced herself to stay calm. "You seriously need to back off. My fiancé won't let this slide if he finds out."

"Oh?" His laugh sounded more like a scoff. "So that's why you left me? For that guy?"

He looked at her like she'd told the world's dumbest joke.

Out of nowhere, a flare of frustration hit Ashley. She pushed at his chest, her voice rising. "How many times do I have to say it for you to get it? I don't know you! I'm with Lucas-"

"Shut up!"

He cut her off, his patience snapping. That small sliver of sanity left in him vanished entirely. She was here, right in front of him, yet her heart was already gone. That truth nearly broke him.

Three years of searching, three years of hollow nights, and this is how it ends? Her falling for someone else?

"Guess I'll just have to remind you who you really belong to."

With those chilling words, he pinned her wrists above her head with one hand, locked her legs down with his, and wrapped his other arm around her waist. He leaned down swiftly, catching her lips in a fierce kiss, leaving her no chance to escape.

She could only take his kiss-nowhere to run, nowhere to fight.

Marry someone else? Not a chance.

As long as he was breathing, she would never stop being his.The second his lips crashed against hers, Ashley froze. Her whole body flushed with heat in a blink.

First came the shock, then a spike of anger.

She was being kissed-forcefully-by a total stranger!

Her mind blanked out for a second before she snapped back. "Get off...! Let me go!" she kept pushing at the man pinning her down.

But her strength didn't even register to him. He effortlessly shut down all her struggling.

In an instant, she was completely restrained.

"Let me go or... Lucas won't let you off!" she shouted, desperate now, pulling out her fiancé's name like a lifeline.

Big mistake.

Mentioning Lucas only made him snap harder.

"Oh? Let's see if he's really all that," he sneered, then with a ruthless tug, shredded her wedding dress to pieces.

"Are you insane? Let go of me!" she screamed, trying to cover herself, twisting and shifting wildly to escape.

Her sudden frenzy gave her a sliver of hope-she managed to crawl a few steps across the bed before he yanked her back under him. Her legs kicked wildly, but he locked them down with terrifying force. "Stop! You lunatic!"

Ashley looked up, and her scream choked off when she met his eyes.

They were bottomless... but burning with fire. It chilled her to the bone. Instinctively, she shrank back.

He looked like a predator who just got back something stolen-dangerous, cold, and ferocious to the core.

"Yeah..." He stared at her, a twisted smile slowly creeping onto his face. That smile sent a jolt of fear straight through her. Something primal screamed at her: Danger. Run.

But before she could think, he leaned in closer. The tips of his rough fingers traced her lips and slid downward-it made her skin crawl. His breath was hot, deep, right against her ear. "You wanna see crazy, Ashley? I'll show you crazy..."

There was a loud ripping sound, and the last bit of her covering was gone.

Panic surged in her chest like a tidal wave. And then-absolute, paralyzing despair.

...At first, her body fought hard, pushing against him with all she had. But then, her resistance suddenly weakened, turning into a faint tremble, so light that for a moment, he almost thought she was responding to his touch.

But then...

A cold, salty taste touched his lips-wet and unmistakable.

She was crying. Because of him touching her?

Was the idea of his touch that unbearable to her?

That stung-badly. Especially since she was the one who came into his life first. But looking at her, tears streaking down her face, he couldn't make himself go any further.

Damn it.

He'd always been ruthless when it came to others, never hesitating. But when it came to her, he just couldn't cross the line. She had a grip on him-heart, soul, everything. Like some curse he couldn't shake off.

Shutting his eyes tight, he let out a shaky breath and pulled away. He straightened his suit jacket, forcing back the urge to look at her one more time, and walked out in a hurry.

The room, once thick with tension, settled into an eerie silence. Ashley sat up slowly on the bed, dazed for a moment, then hugged herself tightly, curling into a ball. Raw fear and pain filled every corner of her mind.

Lucas... where are you? Please... help me.

She couldn't stop the tears-it hurt too much. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably, like she was freezing from the inside out.

She knew crying wouldn't solve anything. She had to pull herself together.

Wiping her tear-streaked cheeks with the back of her hand, she tried hard to make sense of the chaos from today.

One second, she was at the altar getting married to Lucas. The next, this man had crashed her wedding and dragged her away like a psychopath. He kept insisting he knew her-even called her by name. And he didn't seem like he was lying. But could she really look that much like someone else? Same name, same face? How was that even possible?

It all happened so fast. Her mind was still reeling. Something had to be wrong here.

His scent was still lingering faintly on her lips, and she scrubbed at them hard, as if trying to erase everything that just happened.

The way he kissed her, so rough and desperate-it terrified her thinking about it. She was this close to... No. She couldn't go there.

It didn't matter who he thought she was or what the hell he wanted. What mattered was that she couldn't just sit around waiting for Lucas to find her. She had to get out-today.

But how the hell was she supposed to escape?

There was no landline in the room, and she didn't have her phone on her. So yeah, calling for help? Not happening. That meant she had to find her own way out. But if she just walked out the front door, she'd be spotted for sure. What now? Ashley scanned the room, her eyes finally landing on the bedsheets beneath her.

After stepping out of Ashley's room, Charles Blackwood headed back to his own. He pulled out a cigarette, slumped down by the floor-to-ceiling window, and lit up, the smoke curling slowly around him.

The tiny glow at the end of the cigarette blinked in and out like a heartbeat, the smoke wrapping around him like a fog-clouding his thoughts just as much.

God, the moment his guy told him they'd found her, he was over the moon. Then, bam-next thing he knows, they tell him she's at a church, marrying some other guy. He thought they screwed up, figured it had to be a mix-up. It couldn't be her... not his Ashley. But he saw it with his own eyes. She was really going through with it.

How could she possibly marry someone other than him?

That one sentence from her-"I don't know you"-kept echoing in his head, burning hot. It pissed him off beyond belief.

Still, no matter how mad he was, seeing her look hurt like that... he just couldn't bring himself to actually lash out at her.

Ashley, what am I supposed to do with you?

He'd been sitting there forever, lighting cigarette after cigarette, searching for an answer that just wouldn't come.

"Sir, lunch is ready," George Finley said as he walked in after knocking. "Would you like to eat now?"

Charles gave a slight nod and calmly snuffed out his cigarette.

"What about Miss Carter? Should I send someone to bring her to the dining room?" George asked.

"No," Charles said, one hand slipping into his pocket. "I'll go get her myself."

With that, he made his way toward Ashley's room.

"Sir!" the two guards at the door immediately straightened when they saw him, one of them opening the door for him right away.

Charles walked in.

Silence. The bed was empty. Completely empty. His expression turned icy in an instant.

"We've been here the whole time, sir. Miss Carter didn't leave," one of the guards blurted out, clearly panicked.

Charles didn't say a word. His fist clenched tightly at his side. He glanced at the empty bed, then strode straight to the balcony. Gripping the railing, he leaned out to look down.

Ashley was halfway down the building, using the bedsheets as a rope. Just as some sound came from above, she looked up, startled.

And for a moment-it was just the two of them, eyes locked mid-air.

Standing above, looking down at the figure clinging desperately to the bed sheet, Charles's hand gripping the balcony railing had the knuckles turning bone white.

Did she really hate him this much? Hate him enough to risk her severe fear of heights just to get away?

"What are you doing just standing there? Go stop her!" George, unsettled by Charles' terrifying expression, panicked and barked out an order.

The sudden shout only made Ashley more anxious. Her palms gripped the swinging bed sheet tighter, sweat rolling down her forehead.

She glanced up in fear-the man's eyes were still those same intense, unfathomable shadows, as if something savage lurked behind them, waiting for the chance to strike.

Her stomach twisted. She dared a look down and instantly felt the world tilt.

"You're not scared of heights, Ashley. This is nothing for you," she told herself, trying over and over to psych herself up.

But no matter how many times she repeated it, the fear didn't ease. Her legs were shaking even harder.

So much for what those so-called experts said! She cursed mentally, painfully aware that her arms were starting to go numb.

In a brief moment of distraction, she looked up-only to find he was no longer there. Her heart dropped.

She had to go-now!

No time to think, Ashley took a deep breath and started to slide down faster, eyes flicking downward for a better grip.

Just then, a flash of rage-filled eyes appeared around the corner-he was coming fast.

She gasped. That one second of panic made her grip slip. With no time to react, she lost hold completely and fell.

"Aah!"

The crash didn't come. Blinking in shock, Ashley found herself face-to-face with those same angry eyes.

Charles had caught her in his arms, holding her tight. The panic in his eyes faded-but now, it was pure fury.

"What the hell did I do that pushed you into risking your fear of heights just to leave me?"

Frozen in his arms, Ashley stared up, shocked. "Wait... how do you even know I'm scared of heights?"

The moment she said it, his lips thinned. His mood clearly didn't improve. Her heart sank a little, but she pressed on, almost at her wit's end.

"I told you-I don't know you! You've got the wrong person! How many times do I have to say it before you get it?"

"What's so great about that guy, anyway?" Rage flared in his voice-the thought of her pretending not to know him, just to marry someone like Lucas Cooper, made him boil with jealousy.

Family? Education? Looks? What was it that guy had he didn't?

"Don't you get it? It's not about Lucas being better. You just... got the wrong person, okay?!"

But Charles didn't want to hear any of it.

"Stop testing my patience just because I've spoiled you," he said coldly, pulling her tighter into his arms and striding back toward the room.

He didn't trust himself with her any longer. If this dragged on, he might just snap.

"Are you deaf or something?" Ashley thrashed in his arms, trying to break free, pounding her fists against his chest. "I'm not who you think I am!"

He ignored her completely.

Furious and helpless, Ashley yelled, "I don't know you! Can't understand English?"

Charles stayed silent, lips pressed in a firm line.

The bodyguards nearby were already sweating bullets. Anyone else pulling this kind of stunt? Their young master probably would've let them plunge straight into the ocean.