The sound of the shower stopped.

Axel walked out of the bathroom. A white towel hung low on his hips. Drops of water slid down the hard, defined lines of his chest and stomach.

He walked to the bedroom door and grabbed the handle. It didn't turn.

His eyebrows snapped together. His eyes turned dark and lethal.

He reached into the pocket of his discarded suit jacket and pulled out a black electronic master key card. He pressed it against the lock. A green light flashed with a sharp beep. He pushed the door open.

The air inside the bedroom was suffocatingly hot and smelled sickeningly sweet.

Adelia was thrashing in the center of the bed. She was panting heavily, her fingers tearing frantically at the neckline of her dress.

The expensive silk of her Oscar de la Renta gown was bunched up around her waist. Her pale skin glowed under the moonlight, slick with sweat.

Axel knew exactly what he was looking at. Kian had drugged her.

He crossed the room in three massive strides. He leaned over the bed and grabbed both of her wrists, pinning her hands down. His knuckles turned white from the force.

Adelia gasped. The cold, damp skin of Axel's large hands sent a shockwave of relief through her burning body. She let out a soft, desperate sigh and arched her back, instinctively pressing herself closer to the cold source.

Her hot cheek pressed against his wet chest. Her boiling breath washed over his skin.

The heat of her breath acted like a match hitting gasoline. Axel's jaw locked. The muscles in his neck strained.

"Adelia," he barked, his voice rough and commanding. He tried to force her brain to wake up.

Adelia opened her eyes. The room was spinning. She couldn't focus. All she saw was the sharp jawline and the distinct facial structure that belonged to the Cooper bloodline.

The drugs obliterated her logic. The crushing betrayal of Coleman leaving her at the hospital flooded her mind. A dark, reckless need for revenge exploded inside her chest.

She violently twisted her wrists, breaking free from his grip. She threw her arms around his neck. She pulled herself up and smashed her mouth against his.

Her lips were soft and tasted heavily of champagne.

Axel's entire body went rigid. His brain completely short-circuited.

He raised his hands to push her shoulders away. But Adelia clung to him like a drowning woman. Her fingernails dug deep into the hard muscles of his back, leaving stinging red scratches.

Suddenly, a hot tear slipped from her eye. It dropped onto Axel's collarbone, burning his skin.

"Why did you leave me?" she mumbled against his mouth, her voice breaking with pure agony.

That single tear shattered Axel's iron control. His hands stopped pushing. His breathing turned ragged and heavy.

He flipped his hands, his large palms gripping the back of her head. He kissed her back. He crushed his mouth against hers, stealing the air from her lungs. The wet sound of their lips echoed in the dark room.

They fell backward onto the mattress. The heavy duvet was kicked off, landing in a heap on the floor. The bed frame groaned under their weight.

Axel's lips left her mouth. He dragged his mouth down her jawline, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses against the sensitive skin of her neck. Adelia shivered violently, her fingers tangling in his damp hair.

His hand moved to the back of her dress. He gripped the metal zipper. The sound of the zipper sliding down was deafening in the quiet room.

Just as the fabric began to slip off her shoulders, Adelia let out a sharp, painful whimper. Her body curled inward, like a wounded animal trying to protect itself.

The sound hit Axel like a bucket of ice water.

He froze. The dark lust vanished from his eyes in a fraction of a second, replaced by crushing, violent self-hatred.

He shoved himself off her body. He stood up by the bed, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. Sweat dripped from his forehead.

He stared at the girl on his bed. Her dress was half-off, her mind completely gone.

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath.

He grabbed the heavy duvet from the floor and threw it over her, wrapping her tightly so not an inch of her skin was visible.

Axel turned and walked straight back into the bathroom. He cranked the shower handle to the coldest setting. He stood under the freezing water, letting it shock his boiling blood back to normal.

Ten minutes later, he walked out. He was fully dressed in a fresh dress shirt and slacks. Every single button was fastened to the top.

He walked to the bed. Adelia was fast asleep. The tear tracks on her cheeks were dry. Her breathing was slow and steady.

He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face. His touch was terrifyingly soft.

He turned away and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. He pulled a cigar from a humidor and lit it. The red cherry of the cigar glowed in the dark, illuminating the harsh, grim lines of his face.

He pulled out his phone and typed a message to Kian: I will end you.

Axel sat down on the leather armchair. He did not close his eyes once. He watched her breathe until the sun came up.

Harsh, bright sunlight stabbed through the gap in the curtains, hitting Adelia directly in the eyes.

She groaned, her face twisting in pain. A massive headache pounded against her skull. The leftover drugs and alcohol made her brain feel like it was stuffed with cotton. It took her several seconds to force her eyes open.

She was lying in a massive bed with dark grey leather panels. The silk sheets were violently tangled around her legs.

She shot up into a sitting position.

The duvet slipped down to her waist. She looked down at her chest. Her collarbones and shoulders were covered in dark red marks. Long, angry scratches-left by Axel's fingernails when he tried to push her away-marked her skin.

She looked at the floor. Her custom dress lay in a heap. The zipper was busted. The delicate lace at the hem was ripped. It looked like someone had torn it off her body.

Flashes of memory slammed into her brain. Hot breath against her neck. A desperate kiss. A man's broad, muscular shoulders pinning her down.

Adelia gasped. She slapped both hands over her mouth. A wave of pure, sickening humiliation crashed over her.

She believed she had slept with him. She believed she had used Coleman's uncle for revenge.

She scrambled out of the bed. Her legs gave out instantly. She crashed to her knees on the thick rug. Her entire body ached, a deep, unfamiliar soreness settling in her bones. Bruises were already forming on her wrists and shoulders, dark marks against her pale skin, cementing the lie in her mind.

Her hands shook violently as she grabbed her torn dress. She pulled it over her head, trying to force the broken zipper up. The metal teeth ground together with a harsh, scraping sound.

The bedroom door opened.

Axel walked in. He was wearing a razor-sharp navy blue suit. He held a cup of black coffee in his hand.

His eyes swept over her messy hair and torn clothes. His face was a mask of pure ice. There was absolutely zero emotion in his grey-blue eyes. He looked at her like the kiss had never happened.

Adelia jumped back like she had been burned. She scrambled behind the thick wooden bedpost, pulling the duvet off the bed to cover her exposed legs.

Axel set the coffee cup down on the glass table. The ceramic clinked loudly.

"Wake up," he said. His voice was freezing.

He reached into his suit pocket, pulled out a brand new iPhone, and tossed it onto the mattress. "Your screen was shattered at the hospital," he stated, offering no further explanation. The phone bounced once and slid right to her trembling hand.

"Coleman contacted the press an hour ago," Axel stated coldly. "He announced an indefinite postponement of your engagement."

The words sliced right through Adelia's eardrums. She snapped her head up, staring at Axel's emotionless face in absolute shock.

Axel did not offer a single word of comfort. He turned his back to her and walked toward the door.

"You have ten minutes to get out of my suite," he ordered.

The heavy door slammed shut behind him.

Adelia stared at the closed door. The dam broke. Hot tears spilled over her eyelashes, dropping onto the back of her hands.

She felt disgusting. She felt like a joke. Her fiancé had publicly humiliated her for another woman, and she had woken up in his uncle's bed, only to be thrown out like trash.

She moved with frantic speed. She pulled the torn dress together as best as she could. She grabbed Axel's black overcoat from the chair and wrapped it tightly around her body, hiding her shame.

She snatched the new phone. She didn't even put her heels on properly. She ran out of the bedroom, sprinting through the empty suite.

She hit the hallway and mashed her finger against the elevator button. Her knuckles were white. The doors opened, and she threw herself inside.

When she reached the lobby, the morning rush had started. Wealthy socialites sipping lattes stopped and stared openly at her bare legs and messy hair.

Adelia dropped her chin to her chest. She buried her face deep into the collar of the heavy coat and power-walked toward the revolving glass doors.

She burst out onto the sidewalk. The freezing autumn air hit her lungs. She stood on the curb, completely lost.

A yellow cab pulled up. The driver slammed his hand on the horn. The loud blare made her jump.

She ripped the back door open and slid onto the sticky vinyl seat.

"Central Park West," she told the driver, giving her best friend Audrey's address.

The cab jerked forward. Adelia leaned her head against the dirty window, watching the buildings fly by. She bit down on her lip so hard she tasted blood, refusing to let herself sob out loud.

She pressed the power button on the new phone.

A dozen news alerts instantly flooded the screen. The top headline read: Cooper Heir Spends Night at Hospital with First Love. Century Wedding in Doubt.

The yellow cab jerked to a halt outside a luxury high-rise on Central Park West. Adelia tapped the new phone against the payment terminal and pushed the door open.

She pressed the buzzer for Audrey Finch's penthouse.

A minute later, the heavy door swung open. Audrey stood there in a pair of emerald green silk pajamas. When she saw Adelia's torn dress and smeared makeup, she sucked in a sharp breath.

Audrey grabbed Adelia's arm, yanked her inside, and slammed the door shut, locking out the world.

Adelia dropped the heavy black coat onto the floor. She collapsed onto the soft beige velvet sofa. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking violently as the sobs finally ripped through her chest.

Audrey didn't ask a single question. She walked to the kitchen, poured a mug of hot chamomile tea, and pressed it directly into Adelia's freezing hands. The heat from the ceramic mug slowly thawed Adelia's numb fingers.

Adelia took a slow sip. The warm liquid coated her raw throat. In a raspy, broken voice, she told Audrey about the hospital window. About Coleman holding Elia's hand.

"He postponed the wedding," Adelia whispered.

Audrey grabbed a thick fashion magazine off the coffee table and hurled it across the room. It smashed against the wall. "He is a blind, pathetic bastard!" Audrey yelled.

Adelia's hands started shaking again. She stared down at her tea. She confessed what happened at The Mark Hotel. She left out Axel's name, calling him a stranger.

Audrey's eyes went wide. She immediately sat down and wrapped her arms tightly around Adelia, pulling her into a fierce hug.

After the tears stopped, Adelia leaned back against the cushions. Her eyes were dead, staring blankly at the dying brown leaves on the trees in Central Park outside the window.

Audrey let out a heavy sigh. "This is all because of Aspen. That damn mountain."

The word Aspen triggered a violent flashback. Adelia squeezed her eyes shut.

The sound of howling wind roared in her ears. She remembered the blinding white snow. She remembered dropping to her knees, digging through the ice with her bare hands. Her fingernails snapping off. The blood freezing to her skin as she dragged a crushing, dead weight out of the avalanche crater. The absolute terror of the freezing temperature seeping into her core. She remembered the agonizing hours in the snow, sacrificing her own warmth to keep death at bay. The extreme cold had permanently damaged her nerves, leaving her with severe Raynaud's syndrome.

Audrey grabbed Adelia's cold hand. "This is all because of Aspen. That damn mountain. What Elia and the Tates did to you after that... they made you carry their cross, and for what? For him?"

Adelia let out a hollow, bitter laugh. "The Tate family told me to keep my mouth shut. I'm just the adopted orphan. Elia is the real blood. They needed the Cooper money."

She remembered standing outside the ICU. Coleman had opened his eyes and looked straight at Elia, calling her his savior.

Audrey stood up and paced across the Persian rug. "How much longer are you going to carry this cross for them, Adelia? How much more of your blood do they get to drink?"

The question hit Adelia like a physical blow. She looked down at her hands. Faint, white scars lined her knuckles from the frostbite.

She took a deep breath. The dead look in her eyes vanished. A cold, hard fire ignited in her pupils.

She slammed the tea mug down onto the glass table. The loud crack echoed in the room.

"I'm done," Adelia said. "I am done being their punching bag."

She stood up and walked straight to the floor-to-length mirror in the hallway. She stared at the woman with red, swollen eyes and a broken posture.

"Give me clothes," Adelia demanded.

Ten minutes later, she walked out of the guest bedroom wearing a razor-sharp, white Tom Ford power suit. She had used heavy concealer to hide the red marks on her neck. She painted her lips a dark, blood-red.

The broken girl was gone. A soldier stood in her place.

Audrey leaned against the doorframe, a proud smirk on her face. She tossed a set of Porsche keys through the air.

Adelia caught the keys flawlessly. The cold metal pressed into her palm, giving her a sudden surge of control.

She picked up her phone and dialed Coleman's private number. It rang twice before he sent it straight to voicemail.

Adelia smiled coldly. She waited for the beep.

"I will be at the penthouse in thirty minutes," she said to the recording. "If you aren't there, I will burn your clothes on the balcony."

She hung up and walked out the door.