Chapter 1

"It's so hot," Amelia Martinez muttered, her head spinning. The stifling heat made her claw at her clothes, desperate for some relief.

Where was she?

The bed beneath her was so soft it felt like it might swallow her whole, yet the chest of the man in front of her was hard and scorching.

"Relax, I'll take responsibility for this," a voice said.

Who was speaking?

Amelia tried to open her eyes to see the person in front of her, but a sudden, searing pain shot through her body, jolting her awake.

"It hurts," she whimpered.

Instinctively, Amelia struggled, but the pain in her lower body only intensified. In that instant, she realized what was happening, and a wave of terror washed over her.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, her eyes filling with tears as she fought with all her might.

But the man easily pinned her wrists above her head. "Stop moving," he said, his voice hoarse. The veins on his forehead bulged as he fought to control his own desires. If he lost control, Amelia would cry even harder.

He cursed himself for being careless tonight, not noticing that there was something wrong with the drink, which led to this situation. Now, he could only try to restrain himself to avoid hurting Amelia further.

Amelia couldn't process anything he was saying. Her tears flowed uncontrollably, and she was drowning in despair.

She had no idea how she made it through the night.

When the man finally stopped, Amelia felt like she'd been run over by a truck. She struggled to get up, noticing that the man beside her was already fast asleep.

Suppressing her trembling, she hastily grabbed her clothes and stumbled out of the room.

It wasn't until she was in the elevator that Amelia dared to breathe a sigh of relief. She leaned against the wall and couldn't help but cover her mouth and sob.

Behind her, a figure appeared silently. Mia Wilson glared furiously in the direction Amelia had gone, her delicate features twisted with anger and darkness.

Damn it!

The trap she had painstakingly set up had ended up benefiting that little bitch!

Mia gritted her teeth, her eyes flickering with malice. She turned and went back into the room, finding the man still asleep. Only then did her tightly furrowed brow relax.

She closed the door, stripped off her clothes, and slipped into bed beside the man.

No one was going to take the position of Mrs. Moore from her.

Amelia stumbled out of the hotel into the bright morning light.

She walked aimlessly along the street, her mind racing.

Last night, her stepmother, Aria Clark, had suddenly called her to come home for dinner, saying she had bought food from Ocean Crab Restaurant.

Though Aria was her father's second wife, she had always treated Amelia fairly well over the years, always setting aside something for her. Amelia hadn't thought much of it.

But after drinking the wine Aria handed her, she had lost consciousness.

When she woke up, it was...

Amelia realized what had happened and immediately called Aria.

It took a while for the call to be answered, and Aria's impatient voice came through. "Who's calling so early?" After a pause, she added sarcastically, "You still have the energy to call? Did you have a good time last night?"

Amelia gripped her phone tightly, shocked that Aria wasn't even trying to hide it.

"So, you set me up last night?" Amelia's voice trembled, her emotions surging. "You sent me to that old man's bed. Aren't you afraid Dad will find out?"

Aria sneered, "What's with the drama so early in the morning? Since you married Matthew Moore, you haven't even had sex, right? Cody was kind enough to give you a taste. You should be thanking me, not whining."

Amelia couldn't believe the shamelessness in Aria's words. It seemed all her kindness had been an act.

"And don't think about going to the cops. I have a video of you willingly entering Cody's room. Don't say I didn't warn you," Aria continued, her false kindness vanishing to reveal her true malice. "Your father cares most about his reputation. If the video gets out, do you think he'll help you or kick you out?"

Amelia's already pale face turned ghostly white. Her lips trembled, and she was overwhelmed with despair. She knew Aria was right.

Her marriage to Matthew had been her own doing. In the three years since, their marriage had been in name only, with no intimacy. If last night's events were exposed, the marriage would be over, and not even her father would stand by her.

Amelia's long silence made Aria even more smug. "Amelia," she drawled, pretending to be concerned, "I'm doing this for your own good. The Moore family has never respected you. I think your divorce is inevitable. It's better to find another man sooner rather than later, don't you think?"

Aria's snake-like voice filled Amelia with a nearly tangible hatred. Even if she wanted to risk everything by going to the police, with Aria's video, the police would likely believe she was a willing participant. She would be forced to fabricate more lies.

Amelia gritted her teeth, suppressing her urge to confront Aria. She decided to get the surveillance footage from her first. She hung up and went straight to the pharmacy. Since it had already happened, she couldn't let the mistake continue. Amelia bought a box of emergency contraception and followed the instructions.

Back at home, she ran into Luna Moore coming down the stairs.

"You still know how to come back?" Luna, Matthew's sister, had always looked down on Amelia, often mocking her to her face. She sneered, "Out all night and just coming back now. Were you out cheating?"

Amelia was used to it and tried to walk past her.

"Stop!" Luna grabbed her, and in the struggle, Amelia's collar revealed a kiss mark.

"What's this?" Luna's eyes widened. She yanked Amelia's collar, exposing more hickeys. "Amelia, you really did cheat!"

She shrieked. "You've only been married to Matthew for a few years, and you're already cheating! How many times has this happened? Have you no shame?"

Luna's grip tightened, hurting Amelia's wrist.

"I didn't..." Amelia tried to explain, but the words died in her throat. After all, Luna wasn't wrong. She had indeed slept with someone else last night, and the kiss marks were undeniable evidence.

"Let's see how you explain this." Luna glared. "Trash is trash. You're a disgrace. Come with me to see Grandpa. Today, you have to divorce Matthew! The Moore family won't tolerate a woman like you!"