Chapter 1
The day my father died, all seven of my uncles were brutally killed before sunset.
Damian paid with his legs and drenched in blood, he slaughtered his way through the gang to secure my power.
"Don't be scared, Raven. Those monsters are dead. You're safe now."
For years after his paralysis, I searched everywhere to test countless experimental drugs, praying at temples nationwide. I'd have given anything to see him walk again.
When Damian found out, he swallowed a bottle of pills one night.
They saved him just in time. He woke up smiling, wiping away my tears, saying,
"Raven, I won't hold you back. You deserve better than this."
That night, we held each other and cried. Swore nothing would ever tear us apart.
Until seven years later, a sweet-faced girl showed up at my door with hundreds of intimate photos.
"While you were praying in church every month, Damian was teaching me new tricks," she said, flipping her hair. "Miss Gray, didn't you know? No man wants a worn-out shoe. No wonder he'd rather fake paralysis than touch you."
I looked through every photo. Then sent the whole collection to a black-market auction.
Damian arrived as the 999th photo went up for bidding.
"Damn, who knew this innocent-looking girl was such a slut? This last one's so hot I'm getting a nosebleed!"
The crude remarks made his face darken.
My grip on the wineglass tightened when I saw his legs, moving smoothly, without any trace of injury.
He stood before me, radiating tension. Seeing my expression, he softened his voice, "Raven, she's just a kid. I'll explain everything, and just take those photos down."
The silence between us grew razor-thin. Then he dropped to his knees, head bowed.
"Let her go, and I promise she'll disappear from your life." His voice broke as he whispered, "I'm begging you."
This was the man who'd never begged, even when my uncles' men broke his legs.
Now he was on his knees for some girl.
The sight made me sick.
The glass shattered with a crash at my feet. I slapped him hard across the face.
He didn't flinch. When it was over, he took my stinging hand and gently kissed it.
"Punish me all you want," he murmured, "but Clara's fragile. This will ruin her."
I pulled my hand back with a cold smile.
"Fine."
When the photos disappeared from the auction screens, his shoulders sagged in relief.
Before he could say another word, the crowd below erupted into even louder cheers.
The auction's final item was revealed.
Clara, quivering like a cornered rabbit, crouched inside a massive glass display, wearing the same skimpy outfit as in the photos. The men, already hungry for more, lit up with greed, their eyes gleaming like starved wolves. Bids flew furiously, voices shouting over each other in a heated frenzy.
I watched as Damian's eyes turned redder by the second. Yet, I felt no satisfaction at all.
"Raven, stop this!" he demanded, his voice rough.
Arthur frowned and spoke up from behind me. "Mr. Vale, that brazen woman provoked Miss Gray first. She crossed a line no one should've crossed, so this punishment is already merciful."
Damian's fists clenched at his sides, shaking with rage.
Then, bang! The auctioneer's gavel came down.
A portly, sleazy CEO, practically drooling with impatience, grabbed Clara and dragged her off to a private room.
I locked eyes with Damian.
"Let's just leave," I said coldly. "Walk away with me now, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened."
"Damian... save me!" The desperate, hiccuping cries spilled from the private room.
Before I could finish, he bolted toward the commotion.
