Chapter 1 · Chapter 1
I woke up to sunlight burning through my eyelids and a headache that felt like someone was jackhammering inside my skull.
The sheets were too soft. Too expensive.
This wasn't my bed.
I opened my eyes slowly, squinting against the light pouring through floor-to-ceiling windows. The room was massive. Modern. Cold marble and sharp edges everywhere.
Where the hell was I?
I sat up too fast and immediately regretted it. My stomach lurched. My mouth tasted like tequila and bad decisions.
That's when I saw him.
A man stood by the window, his back to me. Tall. Broad shoulders in a crisp white shirt. Dark hair perfectly styled even though it had to be—I glanced at the clock—seven in the morning.
"You're awake," he said without turning around. His voice was deep. Controlled. The kind of voice that was used to giving orders.
"Who are you?" I croaked out.
He turned then, and my breath caught.
He was beautiful in a dangerous way. Sharp jawline. Cold gray eyes. The kind of face that belonged on magazine covers or in boardrooms where people's lives were destroyed with a signature.
"Your husband," he said flatly.
I laughed. It came out strangled and slightly hysterical.
"My what?"
He walked toward the bed, and I instinctively pulled the sheets higher. That's when I noticed I was wearing nothing but a hotel robe.
He held up his left hand. A platinum wedding band gleamed on his ring finger.
Then he pointed at my hand.
I looked down.
No.
No, no, no.
A matching band sat on my finger. And next to it, a diamond so large it looked fake.
"What did we do?" I whispered.
His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "We got married. Last night. At a chapel on the Strip."
My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. "This is insane. We'll just get it annulled. Today. Right now."
"No."
The word was simple. Final.
I stared at him. "What do you mean, no?"
He leaned against the dresser, crossing his arms. Those cold eyes studied me like I was a problem he was calculating how to solve.
"I mean no, Emma. We're staying married."
How did he know my name?
And why did he look so calm while my entire world was falling apart?
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Married to the devil: A …