Chapter 2

"Sign here, please."

The clerk slid the paper across the counter, her tone bored. Ashlie stared at the line. Ashlie Bradford. If she signed, that name would be gone.

She uncapped the pen. Her hand trembled slightly as she brought the tip to the paper. She forced herself to write, each stroke a tiny act of self-destruction. The ink bled into the cheap paper, permanent and unforgiving.

She glanced sideways. Ellsworth was already signing. His hand moved with swift, brutal efficiency. Ellsworth Marshall. The letters were sharp, aggressive, exactly like the man. There was no hesitation, no tremor. Just absolute control.

The clerk stamped the documents and slid two thin booklets across the counter. "Congratulations," she said, the word flat and meaningless.

Ashlie stared at the marriage certificate. It looked so flimsy, just a piece of paper with a gold seal. It was supposed to be a symbol of love, of a future. To her, it felt like a death sentence.

Ellsworth reached out and picked up both certificates. He held his own with a casual indifference, then turned and dropped the other one onto the counter in front of Ashlie. It landed with a soft slap, the sound echoing in the quiet hall. He also tossed a slim, heavy black envelope beside it. "Your compensation," he murmured, the words laced with ice. He treated it all like a receipt for a cup of coffee, not a marriage license.

He was already walking toward the exit. Ashlie's face burned, the shame hot enough to bring tears to her eyes. Her fingers dug into her palms as she told herself to endure it. For her father, for the Bradford name, this was nothing. Like a robot, she scooped up the certificate and the envelope, her movements stiff, and followed him.

Outside, the sunlight was blinding. Ashlie felt dizzy, untethered from reality. She had done it. She was a married woman. Married to her enemy.

The driver, Ray, stood by the open door of the Bentley, bowing slightly as Ellsworth approached.

Ellsworth didn't get in. Instead, he stopped and turned. He stepped into Ashlie's path, forcing her to halt. He moved closer, backing her up until her shoulders hit the cold metal of the car door. He caged her in, one hand resting on the roof of the car, his body a wall of heat and expensive wool.

He leaned down, his face inches from hers. His breath smelled like mint and something darker, something dangerous.

"Don't think this is over," he whispered, his voice a low rasp meant only for her. "Marrying you, keeping you legally bound to me... destroying your will slowly, piece by piece. That is the highest art of revenge."

The words slithered into her ear, cold and venomous. Her blood seemed to freeze in her veins. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move, trapped between the car and the solid wall of his chest.

Suddenly, the rear door of the Bentley was shoved open from the inside.

A small head popped out. A boy, maybe four or five years old, with dark hair and eyes that were a miniature version of Ellsworth's. He looked at them with a curious, innocent expression.

Ashlie's brain short-circuited.

A child.

Ellsworth had a child.

The implication hit her like a freight train. He had a son. A secret son. And he had married her anyway.

He wants me to be a stepmother to his illegitimate kid.

The humiliation was crushing. It wasn't enough to force her into marriage; he had to rub her face in his past, make her the caretaker for the evidence of his other life. It was a degradation so profound she couldn't even process it.

Ellsworth straightened up, his expression unreadable. He looked at the boy and gave a slight nod. The boy immediately scrambled out of the car, running to Ellsworth's side and hiding behind his leg, peeking out shyly at Ashlie.

Ellsworth looked at Ashlie, his gaze hardening. "Pick him up," he ordered.

Ashlie stared at him, her body refusing to cooperate. Her pride, what little was left of it, screamed in protest.

The boy-Keenen-shrank back further, clearly intimidated by the stranger.

"I said," Ellsworth repeated, his voice dropping to a dangerous register, "pick him up. That is your first task as Mrs. Marshall."

Ashlie looked at the boy. He was small, fragile-looking. He hadn't asked for this. He was just another pawn in Ellsworth's game, a tool to humiliate her.

But he was a child. An innocent child.

She closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of Ellsworth's triumphant face. She thought of her father's white hair. She thought of the Bradford Group.

She opened her eyes, took a shaky breath, and knelt down on the sidewalk. She forced her lips into a stiff, unpracticed smile.

"Hi," she said softly, holding out her hand. "It's okay."

Keenen looked at Ellsworth, who gave a barely perceptible nod. Then the boy took a tentative step forward.

Ashlie reached out and scooped him up. He was lighter than she expected. He smelled like baby shampoo and milk, a scent that was entirely out of place in this nightmare. But holding him felt like holding a bag of stones. It was the weight of her new reality.

Ellsworth watched them, a strange, unreadable expression flickering in his eyes. Then he pulled out his phone.

Click.

The flash was bright, making Ashlie blink. He had taken a picture of her, holding the child, her face a mask of misery and shock.

"What are you-" she started, but he cut her off.

"A souvenir," he said, pocketing the phone. A cold smile touched his lips. "A reminder that your new life has begun."

He didn't introduce the boy. He didn't explain. He just turned and slid into the back seat of the car.

Before Ashlie could move, Ray, the driver, stepped forward. "Ma'am," he said, his tone professional and devoid of emotion. "Mr. Marshall requires a contact number for logistical communication. May I have your cell?"

It was another order disguised as a request. Numbly, Ashlie recited her number, and he tapped it into his phone with brisk efficiency.

"Get in," Ellsworth commanded from the dark interior. "You're on babysitting duty now."

Ashlie clutched Keenen to her chest, her legs shaking as she climbed into the car. The leather was cool against her legs, the air smelling of money and Ellsworth's cologne.

The door slammed shut behind her. The sound was final, like a cell door closing.

She was locked in. With the boy she thought was his son. With the man who vowed to destroy her.