Chapter 1

Chloe Davis felt a sharp pain in her head, a familiar ache that pulsed behind her eyes. The room was white, and the sheets on the bed were a sterile, cold white. Her arms were covered in dark bruises, ugly marks against her pale skin. She was so tired, a deep exhaustion that settled in her bones and made it hard to even breathe. They had done the electric shock therapy again this morning. It left her mind feeling like a fog, with little sparks of agony that flared up without warning.

A key turned in the lock, and the door opened. Ethan Miller walked in, his face handsome but cold. He was the man she was supposed to marry, the man she had loved with everything she had. He looked at her not with concern, but with a mix of pity and disgust.

"Still acting like this, Chloe?" he asked, his voice sharp. "Liam told me you had another episode. That you tried to hurt one of the nurses."

The accusation was a lie, another brick in the wall they were building around her. She was too weak to argue, too broken to fight back. The words just hung in the air, another layer of injustice she had to bear.

"Okay, Ethan," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse.

She closed her eyes, wishing for a darkness that could swallow everything. She wished she could forget his face, forget his voice, forget the love that had turned into this nightmare. The memory of him was a source of constant pain, a reminder of a life that had been stolen from her.

The door opened again. This time it was Liam Thorne, her half-brother. He had a look of fake concern on his face, a mask he wore so well. He stood next to Ethan, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"See, Ethan? She' s completely gone," Liam said, his voice smooth and filled with false sympathy. "The doctors say her violent tendencies are getting worse. It' s because of the stress she put on me, learning about my illness."

"I' m so sorry, Liam," Ethan said, turning his gaze from Chloe to his friend. "This is all my fault for not seeing how unstable she was sooner."

Dr. Sarah Jenkins, a psychiatrist who had been assigned to Chloe' s case, stepped into the room. She held a chart in her hands, her brow furrowed with worry.

"Mr. Miller, Ms. Davis's condition is deteriorating in a way that is not consistent with her initial diagnosis," Dr. Jenkins began, her tone professional and firm. "The severity of her depression and the physical evidence suggest-"

Liam cut her off immediately, a pained expression on his face. "Doctor, are you saying Chloe is faking it? Or that we are somehow making it worse? We' re just trying to help her. She hurt me yesterday, you know. Look at my arm." He gestured to his perfectly fine arm, hidden under his sleeve.

Ethan' s face hardened, his trust in Liam absolute. He turned back to Chloe, his eyes cold and resolved.

"Liam is dying, Chloe," Ethan said, his voice flat and devoid of the love it once held. "He doesn' t have much time left. He wants a child, an heir to carry on his name. Since you caused all this pain, since you pushed him to this point, you will help me atone for your wrongs. I will have a child with him, through a surrogate. It's the only way to honor his dying wish."