Chapter 1

Annabelle Owen, a violin prodigy, found her world in Jack Hyde, a tech billionaire who promised her everything. He shielded her, showered her with gifts, and became her entire universe.

But then, his half-sister, Everly, moved in, and everything changed. Everly, a manipulative whisper in Jack's ear, slowly poisoned their relationship, turning him against Annabelle.

Annabelle, pregnant with their child, discovered Jack's betrayal on their anniversary. He chose Everly, humiliating Annabelle, forcing her to change her dress because it "upset" Everly. He then denied her pregnancy, forced her to donate blood to Everly, and later, in a fit of rage, beat her, causing her to lose their baby.

Jack, blinded by Everly's lies, believed Annabelle had cheated. He tortured and humiliated Annabelle, stripping her of everything he had given her, even her grandfather's violin, which Everly deliberately destroyed. Annabelle, broken and desperate, faked her own death by walking into a fire, hoping to escape the nightmare.

Jack, consumed by grief and rage, was manipulated by Everly into believing Annabelle was a cheating liar. He sought brutal revenge on Everly, but the truth about Annabelle's innocence and Everly's deceit eventually came to light.

Annabelle, meanwhile, had found refuge with her brother, Adan, and entered into a marriage of convenience with Julian Cordova, a war hero in a coma. She nursed him back to health, and they fell deeply in love, building a new life free from Jack's shadow.

When Jack discovered Annabelle was alive and marrying Julian, he crashed the wedding, begging for forgiveness. But Annabelle, hardened by his cruelty, coldly rejected him, choosing her new life and love with Julian, leaving Jack to face the consequences of his actions alone.

Chapter 1

Annabelle Owen was a name whispered with awe in the hushed halls of conservatories. At fourteen, her violin spoke a language older than words. At nineteen, she was a prodigy, her future a brilliant, blinding light.

That light had a name: Jack Hyde.

He saw her play once. He was twenty-four then, already a name in the tech world, a billionaire with an empire built on code and ambition. He sat in the front row, his gaze fixed not on her fingers, but on the soul she poured into the strings. After the final note faded, he found her backstage. He didn't offer praise. He offered her the world.

For five years, he was true to his word. He became her patron, her mentor, her lover. He built his company, Hyde Industries, into a global titan. He was a man of immense power, and he used it to shield her from everything.

He was her hero. If she shivered, a coat would appear on her shoulders. If she looked hungry, a chef was summoned. He moved her into his sprawling mansion, a cold palace of glass and steel that she slowly filled with warmth.

Once, she idly mentioned a rare Guarneri violin she' d only seen in books. A week later, it was in her hands, its case resting on their bed. The price tag was a string of zeroes that made her head spin. He just kissed her forehead and told her nothing was too expensive for his girl.

His study was his sanctuary, a place no one, not even his most trusted executives, could enter without permission. He gave her a key on their first anniversary. "This place is yours, too," he had said, his voice a low rumble. "Everything I have is yours."

He promised to be her rock, her shield. "Just focus on your music, Annabelle," he'd whisper, tracing the curve of her ear. "I'll handle the rest of the world for you."

And she, young and desperately in love, believed him. She let him build a gilded cage around her, and she called it home. She fell, completely and utterly.

But there was a shadow. Jack, for all his devotion, feared marriage. He spoke of his parents' divorce, a nasty public spectacle that had taught him love was a transaction and commitment a trap. He refused to be trapped.

Annabelle tried. On anniversaries, on birthdays, after concerts that left the audience weeping, she would gently bring it up. Each time, he would shut down, his face closing off, the warmth in his eyes turning to frost.

Then, on the fifth anniversary of the day they met, he changed.

"Annabelle," he said over a candlelit dinner on their private balcony overlooking the city.

"Marry me."

The words she had longed to hear for years. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a wild, joyful rhythm. Tears welled in her eyes, and she could only nod, a choked sob of happiness escaping her lips. He slipped a diamond onto her finger, a stone so large it felt like a beautiful weight.

"Yes," she finally managed to breathe. "Yes, Jack."

He smiled, that rare, breathtaking smile that was hers alone. But then, it tightened. "There's just one thing."

Her joy faltered. "What is it?"

"My sister, Everly. My half-sister. She's... having a hard time. She needs a place to stay for a while. I want her to move in with us."

Everly Foley. Annabelle had only heard the name. Jack's younger sister from his father's second, disastrous marriage. He rarely spoke of her.

"Of course," Annabelle said, relief washing over her. "She can stay as long as she needs. A few weeks?"

He looked away. "We'll see."

That was the beginning of the end. Everly arrived not for a few weeks, but for good. She was a ghost in their home, a whisper of poison in Jack's ear. The mansion grew cold again. The warmth Annabelle had so carefully cultivated vanished.

On what would have been their sixth anniversary, a day that was supposed to be a celebration of their upcoming wedding, Annabelle stared at two pink lines on a pregnancy test. A secret, precious joy bloomed in her chest. She couldn't wait to tell Jack. This baby, their baby, would surely fix everything. It would mend the growing cracks Everly had carved into their life.

She dressed with care, choosing a soft blue dress he loved. She found him in the living room, but he wasn't alone.

Everly was curled on the sofa, her head in Jack's lap, sobbing. Her delicate shoulders shook. Jack was stroking her hair, his expression a mask of pained sympathy.

"What's wrong?" Annabelle asked, her own joy faltering.

Jack looked up, his eyes cold. "It's our anniversary, Annabelle. Did you forget?"

"No, of course not. I was just about to..."

"Everly remembered," he cut in. "She's been so fragile since her last... episode. She planned a special dinner for us, to celebrate."

Annabelle's heart sank. She looked at the dining table, set for three.

"Jack, I thought we would be alone tonight," she said, her voice small.

"Everly is family," he snapped. "She is not some stranger. She is my sister, and she is unwell. She needs our support."

"I know, but..."

"She can't be left alone, especially not tonight. The doctor said any stress could trigger a relapse," Jack said, his voice hardening. It was the same excuse he used for everything now. Everly's fragile mental state. Her history of addiction.

He stood up, his towering frame casting a long shadow over her. "We will have dinner here. The three of us. You will be nice to her. We will not be going out."

The reservation at their favorite restaurant, the one he had made weeks ago, was forgotten. Her news, the beautiful, life-changing secret she held, felt like ash in her mouth.

"And Annabelle," he added, his voice dropping to a low command. "Change your dress. The color is too bright. It's upsetting Everly."

She looked at him, at the man who had promised her the world, and saw a stranger. This wasn't Jack. This was a puppet, and Everly held the strings.

"I'll just... get you a gift card for the restaurant," he offered, as if that could fix it. As if money could patch the gaping wound in her heart.

She didn't want a gift card. She wanted him. The him from before.

"No, thank you," she said, her voice hollow. She turned and walked away, the pregnancy test feeling like a lead weight in her pocket.

"I want you, Jack," she whispered to the empty hallway. "All of you. Not just the parts Everly allows me to have."

From the living room, she heard Everly's soft, triumphant voice. "Jack, is she angry with me? I didn't mean to ruin your anniversary."

Jack's reply was a low, soothing murmur. "She'll get over it," he said, confidence dripping from his tone. "She always comes back. Where else would she go?"

She stopped, her hand on the grand staircase. He was right. She had nowhere else to go. But she made a silent promise to herself then, a promise she would one day be forced to keep.

If love was a choice, she would choose herself.

One day.

She didn't go to the hospital that night. She couldn't. Instead, she went to her brother Adan's apartment.

"Adan," she said, her voice breaking as he opened the door. "I need to get away."

He pulled her into a hug, his familiar scent of old books and coffee a small comfort.

"What did he do?"

She told him everything. The sister, the cruelty, the baby.

He listened, his face hardening with every word. When she was done, he looked at her, his eyes serious.

"There is a way out, Anna. But it's drastic." He told her about the Cordova family, about their business struggles, and about their son, Julian, a war hero lying in a coma. "They need an alliance. We need a lifeline. A marriage."

The idea was insane. Marry a man in a coma? But as she thought of Jack's cold eyes and Everly's triumphant smile, insanity started to feel like the only sane option.

"I'll do it," she whispered. "I'll marry him."