The knock hit the door so hard the walls shuddered.

I flinched and pressed myself deeper into the stranger's room, my legs turning to liquid again. The stranger's head snapped toward the door, jaw tightening.

"Bathroom," he said under his breath. "Now."

I didn't argue. My feet barely obeyed me as I stumbled toward the small bathroom tucked to the right. He opened the door, ushered me inside, and whispered, "Don't make a sound." Then he closed it, but not all the way, just enough for me to hear everything.

The next round of pounding shook the door.

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" Zane's voice roared, so loud it vibrated through the tiled walls.

I slapped a hand over my mouth.

The stranger's voice came next, quiet, controlled, and dangerously even.

"Stop hitting my door."

"Don't play games," Zane spat. "A woman ran in here. MY woman."

Through the slit of light, I saw the shadow of the stranger shift.

"No one came in here."

"Bullshit!"

A fist slammed against the door so hard I felt it in my bones.

"You think I didn't see her? She ran this way," Zane snarled. "Open it, or I'll kick it down."

The stranger didn't respond right away. The pause was thick, suffocating, coated with tension so dense I could taste it.

Then, in a low growl, he spoke, "last warning. Get away from my door."

Zane laughed, but there was no humor in it, just arrogance and rage.

"Oh, I get it," he taunted. "You want a turn too? Is that what this is? Think you can play the hero and taste what's mine?"

My stomach twisted. My fingers dug into my palms. The fact that this twisted thinking was all Zane had of me made my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. It had me asking if he even loved me to begin with.

The stranger's reply came slow, clipped.

"She's not yours."

"Excuse me?" Zane barked.

"You heard me."

A charged silence followed, too long, too dangerous.

Then, a crash.

Not the door breaking, thank God, a body hitting it.

I heard a grunt, Zane's.

Then a scrape, followed by a scuffle and the thud of a shoulder slamming into a wall. A curse. A hiss of air. The sound of someone being pushed hard.

"GET. OUT."

The stranger's voice had changed. No calm. No restraint. Just pure threat.

"You don't know who the hell you're messing with!" Zane started, voice strained.

"I don't care who you are," the stranger bit out. "Touch this door again and I'll break you."

A sharp shuffle, like Zane being dragged.

"Take your friends and get out of this hall," the stranger snapped. "If you come back..."

"You'll what?" Zane spat back, though he sounded less sure now. "You'll regret crossing me."

"Not as much as you'll regret coming back," the stranger answered.

Another impact, a body shoved against the hallway wall.

Then silence.

I didn't breathe until the quiet stretched painfully long.

Soon, the bathroom door creaked.

I'd been leaning on it, and without warning, it swung open.

I stumbled forward with a small cry, but didn't hit the floor. Strong hands caught my waist, lifting me just enough that my feet found ground again. My palms flattened against a warm, bare chest.

I gasped and looked up.

His eyes were right there-dark, intense, still burning from whatever had just happened outside. They locked onto mine like they had been waiting for me to look.

For a full heartbeat, neither of us breathed.

"You okay?" he murmured, voice roughened from the confrontation.

I swallowed. "I-I heard everything."

His hands were still on my waist. He didn't pull away. He didn't move at all.

"You dragged him out," I whispered. "You... fought him."

"Had to," he murmured. "He wasn not leaving."

His voice vibrated through me. I felt dizzy again-but not from the drug this time.

"You did not have to protect me," I said softly.

He exhaled through his nose, a shaky sound. "I did."

I wasn't sure who moved first.

Maybe we moved at the same time.

But suddenly, my fingers were in his hair, and his forehead brushed mine, and the space between us, thin and fragile, snapped like a thread.

Our lips met.

The kiss was not soft.

It was desperate, breathless, like everything I'd been holding in; the fear, the shock, the betrayal poured straight into him, and everything he had held back came crashing into me.

His hand slid up my back, pulling me closer. My fingers tightened at the nape of his neck, needing the contact, needing him real.

He kissed me like he could not stop.

I kissed him like I did not want to.

He pressed me back gently, guiding me away from the bathroom doorway until my knees hit the edge of the bed. I fell onto it with a soft gasp, and he followed, bracing himself on his arms so he wouldn't crush me.

"Fuck," he whispered against my lips. Like every restraint he'd been holding in came crashing.

My breath trembled.

"Do you..." My voice wavered, but I made myself ask. "Do you have a condom?"

His eyes darkened with a flicker of surprise, then understanding.

He nodded once.

My heart hammered.

"Okay," I whispered, my voice barely holding.

He leaned in again, kissing me with a heat that stole my breath, one hand cupping my jaw, the other sliding to the small of my back to pull me closer.

The kiss deepened, slow then urgent, his breath mingling with mine as the room blurred, everything narrowing to the warmth of his mouth and the safety of his body over mine.

His hand trailed down my back and a shiver slipped through my lips. I whimpered against his lips and he swallowed every sound that came from my lips fervently.

He pulled away to get rid of his clothes, retrieving a condom from the bedside drawer.

Fuck, this was really happening.

I woke up to unfamiliar sheets and a ceiling I didn't recognize.

For one disoriented second, I didn't breathe. My body felt heavy, drained, but my mind jumped awake all at once, pulling memories back in a rush.

The knocking, the bathroom, Zane's voice, the stranger, his hands steadying me, the kiss, the sex.

I bolted upright so fast the room spun. A faint ache pulsed behind my eyes, but the drug's fog had nearly lifted.

The bed beside me was empty.

The apartment was quiet.

I stood on shaky legs, gathering the stranger's discarded shirt from the floor and slipping into it. It hung low on my thighs, swallowing me whole, but I didn't have time to care.

I had to go.

I had to get home before Zane twisted everything, before he convinced himself he had reason to hurt me further.

I didn't know what waited for me, but I knew something had broken between us the moment he'd drugged me. No amount of pretending would glue that back together.

I found the stranger's door unlocked. The hallway outside was clear, stripped of last night's chaos. My breath hitched.

I stepped out into the morning air, cold enough to sting my skin through the thin fabric. Somehow, I made my way back to the street, flagged a taxi with trembling fingers, and kept my gaze fixed outside the window the whole drive back.

My heart pounded harder the closer we got to the house.

Zane's house. Ours. Mine?

I didn't know anymore.

The driveway was full. Sophie's car was parked where mine used to be. Zane's was crookedly pulled up like he'd rushed inside.

Something twisted violently in my stomach.

I paid the driver quickly and stumbled up the steps, pushing the door open without knocking.

The scene inside punched the air out of me.

Sophie sat on the couch wearing Zane's T-shirt, one of his favorites, one he'd forbid me to borrow because "I didn't fill it out right." Her hair was in a lazy bun, eyes bright, skin glowing like she had slept in peace.

Zane stood behind her, massaging her shoulders.

She leaned back into him with a smile I'd never seen her give me.

His hands paused only when he saw me.

"Oh," Sophie drawled, her grin widening. "Look who finally decided to come home."

My legs nearly gave out.

"S-Sophie?" My voice sounded scraped and small. "What are you wearing?"

"My shirt," Zane answered coolly, not even blinking. "She was cold."

Cold. But I slept alone in a stranger's shirt after running for my life.

I swallowed hard. "Where were you last night?"

Sophie's laugh snapped through the room, sharp as glass. "Shouldn't we be asking you that, Cuz? You disappeared."

Zane stepped around the couch and crossed his arms, looking me over with a calculating stare that made my skin crawl. "Where were you, Lily?"

"You know what happened," I whispered. "You drugged me. You took me to that room with your friends-"

"Oh, stop," Sophie cut in, rolling her eyes so dramatically it bordered on grotesque. "Always playing the victim. It's exhausting."

"I'm not-" My throat closed. "I'm telling you what you did."

"What we did," Zane corrected, stepping closer. "And from where I'm standing, it looks like you ran off with someone."

My stomach lurched. "I didn't..."

"Then where were you all night?" Sophie shot back. "Where were you when your husband was searching for you everywhere?"

"Searching?" I choked. "Is THAT what you call it?"

Zane shrugged. "You know how uncontrollable my friends get. I tried to calm them down."

"You OFFERED me to them," I snapped, voice cracking.

His expression didn't shift. Not even a flicker. "You sound hysterical."

My chest tightened. "I heard you."

"You heard wrong," he said smoothly.

"No," I whispered. "No, I didn't."

Sophie smirked. "Can we get to the point? I have a nail appointment in about an hour."

"The point?" I repeated, breath catching.

Zane sighed, as though I was the inconvenience.

"We're getting a divorce, Lily."

My ears rang. "What?"

"A divorce," he repeated coldly. "You're not the woman I thought you were. You humiliated me last night."

"YOU DRUGGED ME!" I screamed.

He waved a dismissive hand. "You're unstable. And dangerous to my reputation."

My vision blurred, tears burning hot.

"You can't be serious," I whispered. "We got married yesterday."

"And it was the biggest mistake of my life," he said without hesitation.

My heart tore cleanly in two.

Sophie stood, stretched like she'd just woken from a pleasant dream, and walked to the dining table. She picked up a stack of papers and flicked through them casually.

"Oh, Zane," she said lightly, "don't forget to tell her about the inheritance."

My blood chilled.

"What inheritance?"

Zane exchanged a glance with her, a knowing, smug, cruel little glance.

The kind you give someone you've been planning something with for a very long time.

"You didn't read the documents after your parents died, did you?" he asked.

I froze. "What documents?"

Sophie cleared her throat dramatically. "The ones that state your dear parents left everything to you-conditionally."

"Conditionally?" My voice shook violently.

"Yes," she purred. "You had to be married before twenty-five to access it."

My breath caught.

"And look at that," Zane said, picking up the divorce papers. "You married me just in time."

My knees buckled. "No... no, no, please-"

Sophie stepped closer, smiling like she was presenting a gift.

"Since we're your only living family and you're clearly... unwell... the lawyers agreed you're not in a state to handle the estate responsibly."

Zane slid the papers onto the coffee table.

"So it's been transferred to us."

My heart stopped.

"What?" I whispered.

"All of it," Sophie said, delighted. "The properties. The investments. The trust. Everything your parents left behind."

"That's not... That's not legal," I breathed.

Zane shrugged. "It is now. You forfeited your right when you abandoned your wedding reception and ran off with another man."

"I... I didn't!" My throat closed.

"It doesn't matter," Sophie chirped, tapping the papers. "All you need to do is sign these. The divorce. The release."

"And then," Zane added coldly, "you don't come back."

I stared at the two people I had trusted, my husband and my only family, and felt something inside me crack so violently I thought I heard it.

"I have nowhere else to go," I whispered.

"Not our problem," Sophie said with a bright smile.

Zane crossed his arms. "Sign the papers, Lily."

"And leave," Sophie added. "For good."

The room spun. My voice shook as I whispered, "Why are you doing this?"

Sophie tilted her head sweetly. "Because, Cuz... you were born lucky. And you never deserved it."

Zane tossed a pen at my feet.

"Sign," he repeated.

I stared at the papers, the end of everything, and felt my legs give way as I sank to the couch.

My hands trembled. My vision blurred.

But I didn't sign.

Instead, in a voice that didn't even sound like mine, I whispered.

"What if I say no?"

They both laughed with the confidence of people who believed they had already won.

"We're not asking," Zane said.

"We're telling you," Sophie added.

"You. Are. Leaving."

I froze on the couch, my hands trembling, my chest rising and falling too fast.

The papers stared back at me, cruel and final, and for the first time, I felt the full weight of what had just happened. My parents' legacy, the life I'd thought was mine, it was all gone.

Taken in the blink of an eye by the people I had trusted most.

I swallowed hard, my throat tight, and tried to steady my shaking hands. "I... I can't," I whispered. My voice broke. "I... I can't sign. I haven't done anything wrong. I..."

"You haven't done anything wrong?" Zane's voice dripped with venom. He stepped closer, looming over me like a shadow I couldn't escape. "Do you call disappearing last night and running off with some stranger... not doing anything wrong?"

I flinched at the words, at the accusation, at the way his eyes-once warm, protective-now burned with mockery and hatred. "I didn't... I didn't run off with anyone! I went somewhere safe! You drugged me, Zane! You-"

"Don't play games!" he snapped, cutting me off. "You think I don't know what kind of woman you are? You're a whore, Lily. You're reckless, dangerous, and completely incapable of handling anything. You've humiliated me enough, and now it's over."

I gasped, the word hitting me like a punch to the stomach. My lips trembled, tears blurring my vision. "Whore? I... I am not... I didn't..."

"You are," Sophie chimed in from across the room, her tone sickly sweet, each syllable cutting me deeper. "And don't think I don't know, Cuz. We see you. All of it. Every little craving, every little thought that makes you weak. And we're cleaning it up. Permanently."

I could barely breathe. My body shook violently, my knees threatening to buckle. "Please... please don't do this... I have nowhere to go. No one else... nowhere," I whispered, my voice trembling so hard I thought it might break in two.

Sophie's smile widened, the kind of smile that made the blood drain from my face. "Oh, Lily. That's the whole point. You have nowhere to go, so it's easier for us to make sure you're gone from the equation."

"You don't... you can't do this," I begged, my words raw, desperate. "It's not legal! It's... it's wrong!"

Zane sneered at me, the casual cruelty in his expression like salt poured into an open wound. "Legal? We don't need the law to clean up your mess. You've already ruined everything you touch. And now... you're going to leave. For good."

I pressed my hands to my face, my fingers clawing at the skin, at the sobs that threatened to spill. "I... I can't. I... I don't have anywhere to go!" I cried. "I have no one else, please, I'll do anything! I'll sign anything, just... just don't, don't throw me out!"

Sophie's eyes gleamed like a predator. She leaned toward me, her fingers curling as if she could wrap around my throat with the words she spoke. "Oh, you'll do nothing, Lily. You'll obey. Or you'll learn just how little you matter in this world."

I flinched, recoiling from her gaze. My throat felt raw, my body aching, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might tear free of my chest. "I... I've done nothing wrong! Please, I haven't! You're... you're twisting everything!"

Zane laughed, low and cruel, the sound bouncing off the walls like a hammer. "Twisting? I'm seeing reality, Lily. And reality is that you are pathetic. You're a joke. You're lucky we're even letting you walk out of here alive. But don't think... don't think this is a favor. This is a lesson. And you're going to learn it the hard way."

I fell forward onto my knees, pressing my palms against the polished floor, shaking. "Please... don't do this... I have nowhere else! No one!" I begged again, my voice strangled with desperation. "I'll leave, I'll leave peacefully... just... just give me a moment, please!"

Sophie moved toward me like a storm, her high heels clicking against the floor with precise, terrifying rhythm. She crouched slightly to look me in the eye, her face twisted in mock pity. "No, Lily. Enough talking. You've had your chance. Now it's time to go."

"Please! where will I go? Where will I sleep?" I cried, reaching out, my hands trembling in her direction. "I have nothing!"

Zane crossed the room, looming over me like some monstrous shadow, his expression cold and unreadable. "You'll figure it out. Alone. That's your new reality."

I tried to stand, tried to plead further, tried to reason with them. "I... I haven't done anything wrong! You can't... you can't just throw me out!"

Sophie's hand shot out before I could get more than a word out, and she grabbed my arm like a vice. The sudden force made me stumble. "You're done talking, Lily," she hissed, dragging me backward toward the door.

I fell against her, stumbling, trying to break free. "No! Let me go! Please, I'm begging you!" I screamed, my voice cracking, desperation turning into panic. "I have nowhere else! You can't do this! Please!"

Zane moved behind us, looming in the doorway, arms crossed, his expression unreadable but his presence terrifying. "She's staying gone. Permanently. That's final."

Sophie's grip tightened, dragging me along with merciless efficiency. My knees scraped against the hardwood floor. I clawed at her arms, trying to stop her. "No! I'm your cousin! I trusted you! I loved you! You can't do this! Stop!"

"You should've thought about that before betraying everyone," Sophie said, her voice smooth, deadly. "Now, you're going to leave."

I screamed again, my voice raw, sharp, echoing through the apartment. "Please! I have nowhere else! No one! I-"

The front door swung open, and Sophie shoved me forward with shocking strength. I hit the threshold, teetering, and she shoved again until I stumbled out into the hall. Zane's shadow followed close behind, ensuring I had nowhere to retreat.

I slammed against the closed apartment door, my fists pounding on the wood with all the desperation I could summon. "Please! Please! I'm begging you! Let me in! I have nowhere else! No one! Please!"

I could hear Sophie laughing behind the door, low and satisfied, her voice mocking. "Goodbye, Lily. Enjoy your new life."

"No! Please! Please! I haven't done anything! I... I-" My voice cracked completely, tears streaming down my face. I banged on the door harder, my knuckles raw, my body trembling. "I have nowhere else! No one! Please! I'm begging you! Open the door!"

Zane's cold voice cut through the hallway. "You're done, Lily. Stop crying. Stop begging. This is over."

The lock clicked. Sophie's voice, light and cruel, carried through. "Locked now, Cuz. Permanently. You're on your own."

I sank to the floor outside the door, my body trembling violently, tears streaming in hot, burning rivers down my cheeks. My fists fell limply to my sides. "No... no... please... I didn't... I didn't do anything..."

I banged on it one last time, sobbing, my voice hoarse. "Please... please... I didn't do anything! Please! Please! Open the door!"

Nothing.