BOUND BY HIS NAME
"Isabella this is the right time for you to choose between me or Hector, because any one you choose now will be your husband till the contract end."
"Think well Isabella don't make mistake."
She spilled coffee on the wrong man.
Isabella Ramirez is drowning in debt, exhaustion, and fear-working double shifts to keep her dying mother alive. One mistake in a crowded café brings her face-to-face with Alejandro De La Vega, a billionaire feared for his cold heart and ruthless power.
His punishment is cruel.
His offer is worse.
One year as his wife in exchange for her family's freedom.
But inside his mansion, Isabella learns that marriage without love is a cage. Betrayal hides behind charming smiles.
A former wife returns with secrets. A cousin watches from the shadows. And the contract that binds her may destroy her heart.
When lies explode and power turns brutal, Isabella must choose between survival and love-before she loses herself completely.
Tropes
Contract Marriage
Poor Girl × Billionaire CEO
Forced Proximity
Inheritance Deadline
Emotional Abuse & Redemption
Love vs Power
Public Scandal
Love Triangle
One True Love
Chapters
Share
Chapter 7
A contract marriage? Like, am I dreaming?
I went through it to be sure I read it well. After I had read it for the second time, I blinked, my mind spinning. He was really proposing... marriage? A contract marriage? My first instinct was disbelief, then anger.
How dare a stranger come into my life at this moment and offer me such a thing? But as I read further, my pulse quickened.
Because he made mention of the things I needed the most, which are Mother's hospital bills, protection, status, and leverage-all the things I had lost in the wake of Alex's betrayal were suddenly within reach.
Are you kidding? I asked, "What is the meaning of this? Are you making a mockery of me or what?" I murmured.
You're thinking it's absurd," Alejandro said, his voice calm, almost teasing. "And yes, on paper, it is. But think about it carefully.
He continued.
"Yes, a contract marriage. You're looking for someone to take care of your mother's hospital bill. I am willing to be the person for one year; all I ask in exchange is that you'll be my wife by contract for a complete year.
I swallowed hard, my thoughts tumbling over themselves. Could I really trust him? Could I allow myself to accept help from a man I barely knew? But deep down, beneath the fear and disbelief, a small spark of hope flickered. This was my only chance to save my mother's life.
"And, I hope you're not doing this to cage me and make me pay for ruining our million-dollar suit? What do you want in return?" I asked, suspicion lacing my voice.
The smile on his face said it all. He smiled in a faint manner, a glimmer of something I couldn't quite place in his eyes. As he whispered,
"I have forgiven you. I noticed you didn't do it intentionally."
My mind raced. The idea was dangerous, unpredictable, and thrilling. I could feel my pulse in my throat, in my fists, and in every nerve. The choice before me was terrifying-and yet, for the first time after I lost my job, I felt alive. I had someone willing to stand by me.
I looked up at him, searching his face for deception, for lies, for something that would make me turn away. But all I saw was... opportunity. A chance to reclaim my mother's health.
My phone buzzed, and we both stared at it. It was a message from my doctor; your mother just lost consciousness. She is now in a coma.
Miss Isabella, you have six hours left for her life span to expire.
Immediately my blood ran cold; I felt like it was all the doctor's doing. Is he God? How will he be telling me the time my mother has to live?
Tears gathered in my eyes, and I whispered in my mind, "I'm doing this because of you, Mommy."
My eyes met Alejandro's gaze, and my lips trembled as I whispered, "Fine. I'll be your wife."
Alejandro's smile widened, sharp and knowing, and in that moment, I realised there was no turning back.
Let's not waste more time. Alejandro murmured, "Let's head straight to the court, and let's sign the contract once and for all."
I nodded instantly. Giving him the response he wanted.
We drove to the court; to my greatest surprise, he had everything planned. The judge, the lawyer, the witnesses, the crowd, and his business partners were all sitting in the courtroom. And waiting elegantly.
The look on their face made my heart sink deep into my stomach; I was shocked. Surprised. Speechless.
He knew I had no choice but to concur because of my present condition.
*****
I signed all the necessary documents I was meant to sign. With the help of the lawyer.
Finally the judge concludes, "Miss Isabella Ramirez and Alejandro De La Vega, you both are hereby joined in marriage by contract for one complete year. And Alejandro will be María Ramirez's guarantor for the next year.
The judge hammered his desk, and the crowd stood and gave a lot of clapping; their clapping felt like a knife tearing deep into my skin, and I couldn't stand the sound of their clapping, so I rushed out.
Outside the courtyard I wait for Alejandro to come out; when he comes out, I beg him.
"Please let us head to the hospital so that my mother will be attended to, please."
He nodded slightly, and we entered the car and drove to the hospital.
In the hospital I wasn't allowed to see my mother, because she was in a coma.
We went to the doctor's office and did the necessary signing, and Alejandro paid the two million dollars they requested, and immediately they began the treatment.
"And where are you going?" Alejandro asked.
"To my mother's apartment, of course," I replied, looking at him.
"No need for you to go back to your apartment; now that you are my wife, you must live with me in my apartment," Alejandro whispered as he opened the door to his SUV.
"Ok fine, but first let me get a few things from my mother's apartment," I said.
Back home.
I was completely exhausted, and I lay on the bed, my arms and legs spread wide over the bed.
Then suddenly my phone buzzed again.
1 New Message.
From Hector: 'I gave you money, but you refused, yet you accepted Alejandro's offer.'
Then my phone buzzed again; another message, still from Hector: 'I guess you have answers to my question because I'm outside your house.'
My heart jumped the moment I read the message. I gently walked towards the window to see if it was true, only to see Hector standing outside my mother's apartment.
Keep Reading
The story is getting intense! Switch to App to
Unlock All Chapters
You may also like
9.3
Camila Damien has spent years avoiding Eric Sylvester-the ruthless CEO whose cold reputation precedes him. But when a career-making promotion forces them together on a billion-dollar pharmaceutical project, avoidance becomes impossible. Eric can't shake the feeling that he's seen her before. The mysterious woman in his wallpaper. The missing pieces of a night he can't remember. And now, the brilliant scientist who challenges him at every turn. But Camila is hiding something darker than career ambitions. Three weeks of her life is gone. Stolen by a drugging incident she can't remember and a saboteur she can't identify. As corporate espionage, toxic family ties, and a dangerous conspiracy close in around them, Camila and Eric must decide: trust each other with their carefully guarded hearts, or lose everything, including their lives. In the high-stakes world of pharmaceutical giants, where betrayal comes from those closest to you and the truth is buried in forgotten memories, love might be the most dangerous risk of all.
8.5
For two years, I was the perfect shadow of another woman. I wore the silk robes Brittain Austin bought, styled my hair exactly how he liked, and spoke in a voice pitched half an octave higher than my own. I was a placeholder, a living statue in a minimalist Manhattan penthouse, waiting for a man who looked at me but never actually saw me.
Everything shattered when a news alert flashed on my phone: "Caryn Newman Spotted at JFK." The original was back. The woman I was hired to mimic had returned to claim her throne, and my secret two-year contract as her stand-in was set to expire in three days.
Brittain didn't even give me the courtesy of a phone call. While he was supposed to be on a business trip, photos surfaced of him shielding Caryn from the paparazzi, his hand on her waist with a tenderness he never showed me. When I walked into his office to return his keys, he didn't look guilty; he just looked annoyed. He pulled out a checkbook and asked, "How much for the hurt feelings?" When I refused his money, he coldly ordered his assistant to freeze every one of my accounts before I even reached the elevator.
I stood on the sidewalk with zero dollars, realizing that to him, I wasn't a partner—I was just an expired lease. I had spent two years erasing my soul to fit into his world, only to be tossed out like trash the moment the real thing came home.
But Brittain forgot one thing: before I was his doll, I was an actress. I pulled my secret weapon from under the bed—a notebook and a raw film cut he never knew existed. I called my agent and launched a high-profile "showmance" with my co-star that set the internet on fire.
As I blocked Brittain's number and moved into a dusty apartment in Queens, I realized the show wasn't over. For the first time, I was the leading lady.
8.7
Five years ago, I was the invisible scholarship charity case at an elite Manhattan prep school, trying to survive in a sea of trust-fund babies.
Arlo Hammond, the untouchable billionaire heir, made sure to completely dismantle my soul.
When his wealthy friends asked if he noticed me, his mocking laughter echoed down the hallway.
"Are you out of your mind? You seriously think I'd be interested in a boring little nerd like her?"
But the moment we were alone, he would corner me in dark alleys, pinning my wrists against brick walls with terrifying, possessive jealousy if my phone even buzzed. He played his twisted games until I was left standing in the rain with my shattered dignity.
Now, I am an Assistant District Attorney. I spent years burying those memories under mountains of legal files.
But tonight, he returned.
When we crossed paths at an exclusive club, he looked at me with the cool detachment he'd give a piece of furniture. In front of a crowd of elites, he coldly declared:
"We have absolutely nothing to do with each other anymore."
Then he walked away to pick up a supermodel, leaving me trembling from the sheer humiliation.
I didn't understand. If I was so worthless to him, why did he still have my birthday tattooed in dark ink on his wrist? Why did he look at me with such raw, painful vulnerability in the shadows?
I stared at my pale reflection in the mirror and made a silent vow.
I am not that pathetic seventeen-year-old anymore, and I will prove to him that I am completely, entirely over him.
7.9
Ariella Quinn never imagined that survival would come with a wedding ring.
Once, her life was quiet. Ordinary. Safe. Then her family's name was dragged into a scandal they did not create, their finances collapsed overnight, and every door that once opened to them slammed shut. Behind it all stood one name-Blackwood. A name whispered with fear, respect, and power. A name Ariella learned to hate without ever seeing the face behind it.
Lucien Blackwood is not a man who explains himself. As a billionaire with influence that stretches far beyond boardrooms, he is known for control, precision, and results-no matter the cost. When Ariella is summoned under the pretense of a legal negotiation, she expects humiliation. What she doesn't expect is a contract that will change the course of her life forever.
Marriage.
Cold. Legal. Non-negotiable.
Lucien offers protection, financial security, and silence in exchange for one thing: her name beside his. To the public, it will look like a fortunate match. To Ariella, it is a cage built by the very man whose decisions ruined her family. Refusal is not an option. Acceptance feels like surrender.
Their marriage is not born of love, attraction, or trust. It is built on resentment, fear, and secrets deliberately left unexplained. Lucien keeps his distance, enforcing rules rather than affection. Ariella enters his world surrounded by luxury that feels more like surveillance than comfort. Guards watch her movements. Strangers know her schedule. Danger lingers just beneath the surface.
And the worst part?
No one will tell her why.
As threats begin to surface and pieces of the past refuse to stay buried, Ariella realizes that her "ruin" may not have been accidental. The marriage that destroyed her freedom may also be the only thing keeping her alive. Every answer Lucien withholds deepens her anger-and her curiosity. Every moment of forced proximity tightens the tension between them.
This is a slow-burn romance driven by emotional restraint, power imbalance, and psychological conflict. Love does not arrive easily. Trust is hard-won. And forgiveness may be more dangerous than hatred.
Married to the Man Who Ruined Me is a gripping billionaire romance that blends contract marriage, suspense, and emotional depth. With carefully paced revelations and chapter-ending cliffhangers, the story keeps readers questioning motives, loyalties, and the true cost of power. It explores what happens when a woman is forced to bind herself to the man she blames for her destruction-and discovers that the truth is far more complicated than she was ever allowed to see.
In a world where appearances are currency and silence is survival, Ariella must decide: remain a victim of Lucien Blackwood's shadow, or learn how to stand beside him without losing herself.
8.2
My ex-boyfriend of three years, Axel, married a perfect wealthy heiress.
I attended his wedding, not to mourn our relationship, but because he had spent the last three years bleeding me dry.
He left me with absolutely nothing but a final notice from the hospital for my dying brother's life support.
Instead of feeling guilty, Axel cornered me in the church hallway, crushing my wrist.
"I'll set you up with an apartment. You won't have to work another day in your life."
He thought he could buy my silence with spare change, while leaving my seventeen-year-old brother, Julian, to die when his treatments were cut off the very next day.
When I refused to be his dirty little secret, Axel used his power to utterly destroy my acting career.
He had my talent agency terminate my contract under a fake morals clause, publicly humiliated me on set, and blacklisted me across the entire industry.
I was shoved out into the freezing rain, left with a torn dress and absolutely no way to pay the five hundred thousand dollar medical bill.
He actually believed he could step on my brother's dying body to build his own fake empire.
He thought I was just a weak, pathetic victim who would eventually crawl back to him on my knees.
But he forgot about the one monster he was absolutely terrified of: his legitimate, ruthless billionaire half-brother, Jace Bauer.
Looking at the three positive pregnancy tests hidden in my drawer, I stepped right in front of Jace's armored Maybach.
"Marry me, and I'll give you the heir you need to secure your empire."
7.5
I am the biological daughter of the wealthy Fitzpatrick family, but I spent my childhood eating out of dumpsters.
When I was finally brought back to the estate at age seven, I thought I would experience my parents' love.
Instead, my biological parents looked at my dirty clothes with raw disgust. They only cared about Hallie, the fake daughter who lived like a princess.
The moment I walked in, Hallie hurled a heavy ceramic cup at my head, slicing my hand open.
"Get out of my house!"
My father didn't even look at the blood. He raised his hand to strike me, accusing me of bringing trailer park rules into his home.
In my past life, I dropped to my knees and begged for their forgiveness. I endured their abuse, hoping they would eventually love me.
But they let the maids humiliate me, let Hallie steal my identity, and eventually threw me back onto the streets to die. Even my playboy Uncle Byron, the only person who ever showed me mercy, was driven to suicide by them.
I didn't understand why my own flesh and blood hated me so much, or why a vicious liar deserved everything while I was treated like a jinx.
Opening my eyes again, I was back on the exact day I first returned to the estate.
As my father raised his hand to hit me, I didn't cower.
Instead, I looked at the family patriarch and pointed directly at my notorious, alcoholic uncle.
"I want him to be my new guardian."