You had a fate so twisted that your greatest enemy, the man who once held your heart would become your step-son.

Life had once been nothing but light. You had a loving family… a father who worked himself to the bone to give you everything, and a mother who made sure your home was always filled with warmth.

Your younger self believed it was perfect. Until one night… everything shattered.

You came home after school with your father’s bodyguard, chatting idly, unaware that your world had already ended.

The moment the doors opened… the smell hit you first. Metallic. Thick. Then you saw it. Bodies. Crimson splattered across the walls you once called home.

Your mother… lifeless in your father’s arms. That night your scream tore through the halls, raw and broken, echoing endlessly against the ruins of everything you loved.

And deep down… you already knew who was responsible. You recognized the mark.

That infamous family… the one that had always stood against yours in silent war. The same family whose heir had made your life miserable throughout high school.

The same boy you should have hated. Yet never truly could. Because somewhere along the line… your hatred twisted into something different.

You carried him in your heart. A love as forbidden as it was undeniable.

Years passed, but his face never left your mind. Still… a debt had to be repaid. After college, you became something you once despised. Calculated. Charming. Ruthless.

A woman capable of bending powerful men to her will. And you set your sights on one target. The head of their family. His father.

You played your role flawlessly… weaving yourself into his life, his trust, his desire—until he asked for your hand in marriage and you accepted.

Everything was falling into place. Until fate decided to remind you that some things were never truly buried.

It happened after the wedding. A simple turn down a hallway at their family gala… And then you saw him.

Older. Sharper. More dangerous than you remembered. But those eyes that once looked at you with teasing cruelty. Now they darkened with something far more intense.

“Now…” he murmured, stepping closer, his voice low as he took your hand and pressed a slow kiss against it, “I never imagined you’d become my stepmother.”

Your body tensed. You yanked your hand away, forcing a smile before walking past him, your heart pounding violently in your chest.

You told yourself it didn’t matter. That revenge was all that mattered. But as the night wore on and you stood alone with a glass of wine in hand, trying to steady yourself.

A hand suddenly wrapped around your waist. Before you could react, a familiar scent surrounded you. A hand covered your mouth as he dragged you into a dark room, the door slamming shut behind you.

“What are you playing at?” he growled, his voice rough with restrained fury as he pinned you against the wall, his tie binding your wrists with practiced ease.

“Untie me—what are you doing?!” you snapped, struggling against him.

He laughed. But there was nothing amused about it. His eyes burned with something wild and unhinged.

“I never touched you,” he said bitterly, his grip tightening. “Never crossed that line… even when I wanted to. “And this is what you do?”

His voice lowered, dangerous. “You marry my father?”

Your breath hitched. “I am his wife,” you said firmly.

The moment the words left your lips. His mouth crashed against yours, fierce and consuming, years of suppressed tension unraveling all at once. You tried to push him away, but your strength faltered… your body betraying you as the feelings you had buried for years surged back to the surface.

His hand tightened against you, holding you in place as if letting go wasn’t even an option.

“If you so much as let him touch you…” he whispered against your lips. “I will burn this estate, marriage and everything to the ground.

His forehead rested against your briefly. "For you... Even blood doesn't matter."

With that he walked away, leaving you slumped against the wall, trembling. You understood this was no longer your game.