Chapter 1

On the outskirts of Aldenria, Evelyn Carter received the devastating news—her own brother had sold her off for a hundred thousand dollars to settle his gambling debts.

Technive was a lawless district, a cesspool of crime where scams, human trafficking, and violence thrived. Life held no value here.

Evelyn’s striking beauty had drawn the attention of ruthless criminals, who now sought to force her into prostitution.

She fought back with every ounce of strength, but her resistance only earned her brutal beatings. Her clothes were torn, her body covered in bruises.

Overwhelmed by pain, she thought of her husband, Liam Blackwood.

"Please, don't touch me!" she begged, her voice trembling. "I can get my husband to pay you whatever you want—just name your price!"

For the first time, she pleaded instead of resisting.

One of the criminals, whose specialty was ransom demands, smirked.

The leader, Brett Hawkins, signaled his men to stop. He grabbed a phone and shoved it into Evelyn’s hands.

"Tell your husband to bring twenty million dollars," he sneered. "A single dollars less, and you'll service every one of us before we sell you off."

A violent shiver wracked her body.

She had admired Liam from afar for three years before finally marrying him a month ago.

Would a man who had barely spared her a glance be willing to pay such a fortune for her?

"Okay," she whispered weakly. Right now, Liam was her only hope.

She dialed his number. The call connected—but a woman’s voice answered instead.

"Hello? Who is this?"

Evelyn’s heart plummeted.

She forced herself upright, wincing in pain. "This is Evelyn Carter, Liam Blackwood’s wife. Please, let me speak to him!"

The woman on the other end drawled lazily, "Liam’s asleep right now. You can talk to me."

Evelyn’s chest tightened. "This is urgent. Hand him the phone."

The woman’s tone turned venomous. "Evelyn, don’t fool yourself into thinking that marriage makes you his real wife."

"I know you manipulated his grandmother into forcing him to marry you. But I’m the one he loves—you tore us apart!"

Her voice dripped with malice. "Liam would never waste a thought on a shameless gold-digger like you. You deserve to rot alone."

Evelyn’s face drained of color, her heart shattering.

Then, faintly, she heard Liam’s voice in the background. "Who is it, Victoria?"

"Just a scam call," Victoria Dawson replied before abruptly hanging up.

Laughter erupted around Evelyn.

"Your husband already has another woman," one of the men jeered. "Forget about him rescuing you—he probably doesn’t even remember your name."

Evelyn hadn’t known Liam was in love with someone else.

For three years, she had foolishly pined for him, unaware that his grandmother’s claims of his affection were lies.

She had unknowingly destroyed a relationship.

Tears spilled down her bruised cheeks as she closed her eyes.

The physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in her heart.

Suddenly, one of the men shifted uneasily. "Wait… the name she mentioned earlier… her husband isn’t the commander of the Aldenrian military, is he?"

Everyone in Aldenria knew Liam Blackwood.

During the bloodiest conflict in the Middle East, he had led his forces to rescue countless civilians and annihilated every enemy in his path.