Chapter 2

Allyson Cote POV:

The first time Kennedy sabotaged our wedding, it wasn't just a phone call. It was a staged car crash, her car wrapped around a lamppost, just blocks from the church.

She was pulled out, bleeding, screaming Archer' s name. The paramedics were there, the flashing lights, the chaos.

Archer, pale and frantic, ripped his tie off and ran. He left me in my pristine white gown, trembling at the altar, the silence of the abandoned church heavier than any noise.

My carefully chosen diamond necklace, our "token of eternal love," lay forgotten on the dressing table, a cold, glittering lie.

The second time, it was a fabricated scandal involving Archer's company, a fake corporate espionage claim that threatened to ruin his reputation. Kennedy had conveniently "uncovered" it, then threatened to expose him if he didn't come to her aid.

Archer, believing his empire was at stake, barked orders into his phone, then turned to me, "I have to fix this, Allyson. It's for our future." He left me, again, with the media hounding his properties, turning me into a public spectacle.

Journalists whispered about Archer's "unstable fiancée" who brought constant drama. The humiliation stung, deep and raw. My reputation, once impeccable, now felt tarnished.

After each disaster, I would consider leaving.

The thought would flicker, a tiny rebellious flame in the darkness. But then Archer would come back, his eyes wet, his voice hoarse with fabricated despair. "Allyson, please. Don't leave me. You're all I have. I know I messed up, but I promise..."

He'd beg, he'd plead, he'd cry, and I, broken and exhausted, would always soften.

It was a weakness rooted deep in my past.

In college, I' d been the target of relentless bullying, framed for a cheating scandal that almost ruined my academic career.

I spiraled, feeling utterly alone, unseen. I' d stood on the edge of a bridge, the wind whipping my hair, contemplating an end to the pain. Archer, then just a casual acquaintance, had found me. He' d talked me down, his voice calm, his eyes full of a strange, powerful conviction that I was worth saving.

He didn't just save me that day.

He became my protector.

He believed in me unconditionally when no one else did. He pulled strings, hired lawyers, used his family's influence to clear my name.

He enveloped me in a cocoon of care, showering me with gifts, attention, and a fierce, unwavering loyalty.

He nurtured my talent, encouraged my scientific pursuits, becoming the solid ground beneath my feet. I owed him everything.

I loved him, truly believed he was my soulmate, my savior. That blind devotion, that deep-seated gratitude, made me forgive him, again and again. Each failed wedding, each public slight, each broken promise, I swallowed it down, believing his love was real, that he would eventually choose me.

Until tonight.

The air in the hallway was thick with the scent of Archer's expensive cologne, mingled with something sickly sweet – Kennedy's perfume. I pressed my ear closer to the study door, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs.

"Archer," Kennedy purred, her voice dripping with possessiveness, "do you truly love that woman? Or was it all just a charade for me?"

My breath hitched. This was it. The real question. The truth, finally, laid bare.

Archer hesitated, a long, agonizing silence. "Kennedy, you know... she was useful. Her family... they had connections. Resources."

My father's "accident." My mind reeled. It wasn't just my father's liver. It was his legacy, his influence that Archer had needed. A cold, hard knot formed in my stomach.

"Useful?" Kennedy scoffed, a cruel laugh escaping her lips. "And her father's perfect liver, a match for mine? Was that just 'useful' too, Archer? Your grand plan to save me, to secure my future? Did she ever suspect?"

The world outside the door crumbled. My father. My sweet, brilliant father. His death was no accident. It was a calculated murder. Archer, the man who held me when I cried at his funeral, had orchestrated it. All for Kennedy. The betrayal was so profound, it stole my ability to feel.

"She's too naive, too blinded by her pathetic love for me," Archer said, his voice devoid of emotion, a casual cruelty that pierced me deeper than any knife. "She thinks I saved her life when she tried to jump off that bridge. She thinks I'm her hero."

A wave of nausea washed over me. He had used my deepest trauma, my moment of utter despair, to weave his web. My savior was my tormentor.

"And all these failed weddings?" Kennedy asked, her voice turning playful. "My little acts of chaos? Did you secretly enjoy watching her squirm, knowing she was just a pawn?"

Archer chuckled, a low, unsettling sound. "She always came back. Always forgave me. It was... convenient."

My hand flew to my mouth, stifling a gasp. Convenient. My love, my pain, my humiliation. Convenient.

"You know, Archer," Kennedy continued, her voice seductively low, "she's so desperate for your affection, she probably doesn't even realize you two barely have any intimacy. She just clings to the idea of 'us,' doesn't she?"

Another long silence. Archer didn't deny it. The silence was louder than any confession. It confirmed the cold, sterile reality of our relationship. There was no real intimacy, only a performance.

"Perhaps I should just marry someone else," Kennedy mused, her voice deliberately provocative. "An old family friend, a CEO in Europe. He's been chasing me for years. It would solidify our family's position, and you know... I do need to move on from this drama."

Archer's body stiffened.

I heard a sudden, sharp intake of breath. "No!"" His voice was rough, laced with a sudden, fierce possessiveness. "You're not going anywhere. You belong to me, Kennedy."

The words were an iron fist clenching, claiming.

He didn't say "I love you." He said, "You belong to me." And the difference was everything.