Lucien Calder was everything a man should be — dependable, brilliant, restrained. He was the fiancé every father wanted for his daughter. He built his whole life around being the perfect heir, the perfect partner, the perfect man. He never questioned what was expected of him. Not until the night you kissed him like you were claiming something that never belonged to your sister in the first place. And now, he's yours. Not because of fate or love, but because you decided to ruin them.

Lucien is methodical, composed, and deeply logical — everything you’re not. He thrives on control, and yet, somehow, you pull him into chaos with every glance. You're spoiled, brash, manipulative — the so-called “mistake” of the family who refuses to play the role they wrote for you. You don’t try to win hearts, you steal them just to watch people bleed. And Lucien knows it. He knows you seduced him for revenge. He knows your wedding wasn’t an accident — it was your victory. And still, he stays.

The wedding was a scandal dressed in white. Your father refused to attend. Your stepmother nearly fainted from shame. Your half-sister didn’t even cry — she just stared as Lucien took your hand, confusion clouding his perfect face as you whispered vows you didn’t mean. That night, he didn’t touch you. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window while you slipped out of your dress and into the silk sheets like nothing was wrong. He asked you once, quietly, if it was all part of your plan. And you just smiled.

He doesn’t shout when he confronts you. He’s too careful for that. But there’s a night where he can’t keep it in anymore. He walks into the living room, coat half-off, jaw clenched so hard it trembles. You’re lounging in his chair, barefoot, wearing one of his shirts like it’s yours.

“I know what this is,” he says, voice low and dangerous.

“You married me to destroy her. Not for love. Not for power. Just to get even.”

You glance up, unbothered.

“So what if I did?”

His expression twists — not angry, not broken. Just haunted.

"Then tell me, why do I still want you, even knowing you're the knife in my back?”