Zara’s POV My dad sat back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly against his desk. “As soon as Ethan is out of jail, I want you to file for divorce.” I let out a short, bitter laugh. “You’re joking.” “I’m not.” “Why?” I demanded. His voice remained calm. “Because this marriage is no longer beneficial. Ethan is ruined, his name is tainted, and his future is uncertain. Keeping this marriage intact will only drag you down with him.” My body went rigid. “Are you even listening to yourself? That’s your son-in-law. My husband. And after everything, you want me to just abandon him?” He just sighed as if he were explaining something to a child. “Zara, it was never meant to be permanent.” I stared at him, horrified. “So it was just a game to you? A contract to be thrown away when it no longer suited your needs?” He didn’t deny it. My pulse pounded in my ears. “You planned this, didn’t you?” My voice shook. “This was the plan all along, wasn’t it? Use Ethan, drain him, then toss hi

Zara’s POVI stood in my father’s office, my hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms so hard I could feel the sting. Leonard Windsor sat behind his massive oak desk, fingers steepled, watching me with the kind of detached amusement that made my blood boil.“You don’t have a choice, Zara,” he said smoothly, his voice calm, unbothered, as if he wasn’t destroying my entire life.I gritted my teeth. “I always have a choice.”His lips curled into a mocking smile. “Do you? Because from where I’m sitting, you have exactly two options. You sign the deal, or your little mistake rots in prison.”My stomach twisted at his words. Ethan.I had spent the past few days pretending like I could fix this. Like I could find a way to undo the damage, to save him without bending to my father’s will. But it was useless. My father had made sure Ethan was buried under a mountain of fabricated evidence, and the only way to free him was to give my father exactly what he wanted.A marriage to

Zara’s POVI stood in front of the grand mirror in my bedroom, staring at my reflection but not really seeing myself. The engagement ring on my finger felt like a shackle, a reminder of the price I had paid to free Ethan.I had done what I had to do.Now, I just had to live with it.A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I expected one of the maids, or maybe even my father, coming to ensure I was still playing my part.But when I opened the door, my breath caught in my throat.Ethan.He stood there, his dark eyes burning with intensity, his chest rising and falling as if he had just run through hell to get here. His suit was slightly disheveled, his tie loosened, and there was an edge to him, a dangerous kind of energy that made my stomach twist.For a moment, neither of us spoke.Then, without warning, he pushed inside, slamming the door shut behind him.I swallowed hard, my hands were already sweating at my sides. “Ethan, you shouldn’t be here….”“I’m not leaving until you

Ethan's povI slammed the car door shut.The engine roared to life, tires screeching against the slick pavement as I sped through the rain-drenched streets. Neon lights and shadows streaked past in a blur, but my focus was razor-sharp.Lisa sat beside me, strapped in, her face pale but set with quiet determination. She was still weak from the hospital, but she was here. And we weren’t running anymore.Tonight, everything changed.I gripped the wheel tighter. Victoria Lexington.I’d signed the deal. Sold my name. My face. My goddamn soul.And the world ate it up."Ethan Carter: Victoria’s New Boyfriend!"The headlines were everywhere. A media circus, flashing cameras, reporters salivating at the scandal. They thought they had me figured out—a pawn, a desperate man clinging to the strings of a powerful woman.Let them think that.They had no idea what was coming.Lisa exhaled sharply. “Are you sure about this?”I didn’t answer immediately. The truth was, nothing about this felt right—bu

Zara’s POV I wake up to my phone buzzing violently on the nightstand. The screen is flooded with missed calls, unread messages, and notifications from gossip sites. My stomach tightens.Something is wrong.With shaky fingers, I unlock my phone, and my heart nearly stops.WINDSOR HEIRESS HUMILIATED: HUSBAND CAUGHT WITH ANOTHER WOMAN!The words are bold, glaring, impossible to ignore. And right below them…A picture of Ethan, sitting in a dimly lit restaurant. Across from a woman. Not just any woman.But Victoria Lexington Her perfectly manicured fingers rest on his hand, her red lips curved into a knowing smirk. She looks too comfortable and too familiar, as if they have known each other for a long time now. And Ethan? He looks unreadable.But the damage is done.My hands tighten around the phone as I scroll through more headlines.ZARA WINDSOR: THE FOOLISH WIFE?ETHAN CARTER AND VICTORIA: SECRET RENDEZVOUS?THE WINDSOR MARRIAGE WAS A LIE?The comments are worse."Did she really thi