panic

Blurb: It was out of a nightmare, a betrayal of the highest order. Damien's, hair was disheveled, his body entwined with another woman, they were both naked and slick with sweat. The intimacy of it was unmistakable, the mingling of their breaths, a moment never to be seen. "What the hell?!" Damien's voice finally boomed within the breaking, suffocating silence. Assuring herself that she was no longer alone, the woman tried to cover her body as she struggled to do so. There was a flicker of panic in her eyes. "Get the hell out of here!" he roared, his face twisted in anger. Noah Miller's life took a tumultuous turn after Mr. Miller's sudden demise, forcing her to form an unexpected alliance with the Andersons, long-time rivals. This unconventional alliance is a result of a contract marriage, despite Noah's heart still belonging to her first love, who was presumed dead after a failed kidney transplant two years ago. Will Noah be able to navigate the complexities of her new life with the Anderson' and her husband, or will the sudden reappearance of her supposedly deceased first love alter the course of her life once again?

I stared down at the contract, a wave of defiance bubbling up in me. I turned back to him, meeting his gaze head-on. "I never asked for your help," I said, "I would've found a way to save my mother on my own. You may think you own me, but I'd rather die than marry you." A slow smile crept across his face, a smug, knowing look that sent a chill down my spine. He knew exactly what I was thinking, as if my resistance only entertained him. "Look at me," he commanded. I reluctantly turned back, locking eyes with him. His face had shifted, his expression darkened, and for the first time, true fury was etched in his eyes. "I’ll count to ten," he said, "If that contract isn’t signed by the time I reach ten, I’ll make the same call I made to pay those bills. Only this time, the instructions will be different. Your mother... your sister…they’ll both be gone." He took a breath, settling back as if the threat were a mere matter of routine. "So… ONE!!" I swallowed hard, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Could he be bluffing? No, I'd seen him kill before, seen how casually he turned life and death into sports. "FOUR," he counted. My hands started to shake. What could I do? If I signed, I'd be bound to him forever, trapped as his wife. But if I didn’t... my mother and sister’s lives hung in the balance. "SEVEN." I closed my eyes, fighting the panic rising in my chest. He wouldn’t do it, I told myself. He couldn’t be that monstrous. But even as I thought it, the doubt crept in. I wasn’t sure. Then, he hit "TEN" himself