Chapter 1

At Sterling's 80th birthday gala, my husband's childhood sweetheart stumbled out half-naked, sobbing that my brother had raped her.

The ballroom buzzed. Manhattan's elite shot daggers at my family.

"That poor girl was about to marry into the Sterling family—and they ruined her!"

Mr Sterling, out of respect for our family's history, didn't press charges.

He ruled that my brother Luca should marry Elena.

A marriage to fix the mess.

But my husband, Dominic Ashford, stood up in front of everyone. He personally shattered both of my brother's legs.

Then he grabbed my hand, feigning reluctance.

"The Sterlings own this city, Vivian. If we don't let them have their pound of flesh, they'll come for the entire Moretti family next."

Seven and a half months later, Elena gave birth to an eight-pound baby boy.

Luca sat in his wheelchair, screaming until his voice broke. "I told you! I never touched her! Not even a finger!"

He'd said it a hundred times that night. No one believed him.

They mocked him. Called him a coward.

Said he could do the crime but couldn't own up to it.

He grabbed that baby from its crib. Said he was going to the press.

Going to expose the truth.

Dominic smashed something into the back of his skull. Luca dropped like a stone.

I opened my mouth to scream, Dominic's hands closing around my throat.

"If you two make a scene, what happens to Elena? To the child?"

His eyes were pure venom.

He knocked me out.

Then I opened my eyes.

And I was back—the night of the gala.

This time, I hog-tied my brother myself. Locked him in the storage room.

Three deadbolts.

But Elena still stumbled out, claiming someone had forced himself on her.

…

She stood there wrapped in nothing but Dominic's suit jacket.

Bare shoulders.Bare legs. Suspicious red marks everywhere.

She covered her face, wailing like the world was ending.

"I've failed Don Sterling's trust. I can't face anyone."

"Dom, don't stop me, just let me die!"

She lunged toward one of the marble pillars.

Several of the older women grabbed her, pulling her back.

They turned to look at me. Disgust.Fury.

"That Luca Moretti is out of control. God knows what habits he picked up overseas."

"Elena was supposed to marry the Sterling heir next month. It's all ruined now!"

I glanced at Dominic, standing behind Elena like her personal shield, glaring at me with murder in his eyes.

I swallowed the smirk threatening to break across my face.

I pushed through the crowd. Walked straight up to Elena.

"Miss Hart. Look carefully."

"The man who supposedly forced himself on you- are you sure it was my brother?"

Elena flinched. Cried harder.

"Mrs. Ashford, I know you love your brother, but something like this- why would I lie about it? I want to die!"

She threw herself toward the pillar again. The women scrambled to hold her back.

Dominic stormed over. Grabbed my wrist so hard the bones ground together.

Yanked me aside.

His face was black as thunder.

"Vivian. Your brother did something worse than an animal, and instead of dragging him here to apologize, you're interrogating the victim?"

"Your father spent his whole life building respectability, and you two have destroyed it in one night!"