CHAPTER ONE: THE CONTRACT

“You can’t be serious.” I blink, unsure if I heard him correctly.

“I’m deadly serious.” Rex leans back again, folding his arms over his chest. “A marriage contract. Nothing personal. You’ll get what you need, and I’ll get what I want. It's a win-win”

Five years. It’s been five long years since he walked away from me, from everything we stood for. Yet here I am, sitting across from Rex Patterson, the man who once owned my heart, and now owns half of my soul’s misery. My palms sweat, my heart races—this is the last place I ever wanted to be. I can’t believe I’m here. Yet, the thing about life is that it has a way of forcing you to face what you thought you’d escaped forever.

“Vanya Moon.” His voice rumbles like thunder across the luxurious boardroom, and I fight the instinct to flinch. “This contract is the only way I can give you what you want. You give me what I want. I give you what you want. Quid pro quo.”

I don’t respond, though every part of me wants to. Instead, I focus on the cold, sterile feel of the glass tabletop in front of me. I wish I could ignore the heat rising between us, the tension that pulls at my skin as though we’re still the same people who once shared whispered promises in the darkness. But we’re not.

“Five years, Vanya,” Rex says softly this time, leaning back in his chair. His steel-blue eyes lock onto mine, as if daring me to look away. “And you’re still just as beautiful. I thought you would have moved on by now.”

I let out a slow breath, trying to ground myself in the present moment. “I have moved on. Haven’t you?”

His lips twist into a smile that feels like a challenge. “Moved on from you? Hardly.” He pauses, his gaze flickering briefly to the papers on the table between us. "But enough about the past. I’m here for business."

Business. That’s the word he uses, as if it’s all that ever mattered between us. He didn’t even say my name right in that moment. It’s almost as if he forgot that we were once more than just business transactions.

I set my jaw, my heart refusing to cooperate with the logic my brain is trying to impose. “What’s this about, Rex?”

He leans forward slightly, his gaze never leaving mine. The room suddenly feels too small for the two of us. “It’s simple, really. Your brother needs a multimillion dollar investment in his company to escape bankruptcy. I need a wife.

“It’s only for a year anyway, Vanya. You’re not the same woman I knew. I know you'd rather work nine jobs than be with me again. But I’m offering you a way out. You need me.”

His words hit me like a slap across the face. He’s right in a way—my life isn’t perfect. After all these years of struggling to rebuild myself, I’m still barely afloat. But I’m not about to let him think I need him. Not after everything.

“Five years ago,” I begin, my voice a little colder than I intended, “I didn’t need you then either. And I sure as hell don’t need you now.”

Rex tilts his head slightly, and his gaze softens. There’s something in his eyes, something that flickers like a fire threatening to burn down the walls I’ve so carefully built. I know that look. It’s the same one that had me falling for him the first time.

“Vanya,” he says softly, his voice suddenly lower, more intimate. “I never wanted to hurt you. You know that, right?”

I swallow hard, my throat tightening. “If you didn’t want to hurt me, you wouldn’t have done it. You wouldn’t have left me with nothing but broken dreams and a shattered heart.”

His jaw clenches, and for the first time, I see a flicker of regret in his eyes. But it’s too late for that. I’ve buried the pain, hidden it away so deep that I’ve forgotten what it feels like to let someone in again.

“So, what’s this about, Rex? What’s the catch?” I try to sound indifferent, but my voice wavers despite my best efforts.

He opens the folder between us and slides a contract across the table toward me. The papers are neatly stacked, the sharp, cold edge of his offer cutting through the space between us.

“There’s no catch,” he says smoothly. “We both get what we want. A mutually beneficial arrangement. You’ll be my wife in name only—no emotional attachment. You’ll live in my house, attend events with me, and you’ll have the freedom to do whatever you want. In return, I’ll provide you with financial security. And I’ll help you get your brother's life back on track.”

I stare at the contract. It’s too easy, too perfect. It feels like a trap—one I can’t escape. And yet, I know what he’s offering is more than just an opportunity for me. It’s a chance to be closer to him, a chance to be in his world again, to feel the things I tried so hard to forget.

But can I really do this? Can I go back to him, knowing what he did? Knowing how he abandoned me when I needed him the most?

I look up at him, his eyes watching me with that intensity that always made me feel like I was the only person in the room. The only person in his world.

“You think this is easy?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. “You think this won’t destroy me all over again?”

He’s silent for a moment, his gaze never leaving mine. “I’m not asking you to forgive me, Vanya. I’m asking you to survive. This is your chance to prove to yourself that you’re not the same woman you were. You don’t need me. You never did. But I can make sure you never fall that far again.”

I want to reject him. I want to throw this contract back at him and walk out of this room. But I can’t. Not just because of my brother's company, but because deep down, a part of me—the part that I thought had died five years ago—still wants him.

And as much as it scares me, as much as it hurts, I know that the only way to truly let go of him is to face him again. To take control of my own fate. But this time, on my terms.

“I’ll sign it,” I say, my voice firm, despite the whirlwind of emotions inside me. “But don’t think for a second that this changes anything between us. We’re just business. Nothing more.”

Rex smiles, a flicker of triumph in his eyes. “We’ll see about that, Vanya.”

I pick up the pen, my hand trembling slightly, and sign my name at the bottom of the page.

As I sign, I realize that I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life—or maybe the biggest mistake of his.

And I’m not sure which one scares me more.