SIGNED TO THE DEVIL
Chapter 1
LIORA'S POV
On the day of my wedding, I found the man I loved fucking my sister in a hotel bathroom.
"Ahhh... harder, Oscar!"
A breathless moan cut through the rushing water, followed by the wet slap of skin against tile.
My entire body went rigid.
"I'm coming..."
That voice.
Dora?
Thick steam rolled into the hallway, heavy with his cologne and her floral perfume.
I rushed toward the door, my fingers gripping my bouquet so fiercely that a thorn punctured my skin. Blood slid down my fingers, staining the white petals red.
There they were.
Oscar had my sister pinned against the wet tiles, his hand fisted in her hair. Dora's fingers dug into the same compass tattoo on his shoulder that I used to trace with my own fingertips.
The bouquet hit the floor with a soft thud.
Neither of them looked up.
"Don’t worry, baby," Oscar groaned against her neck, slamming her back against the wall.
"Once Liora marries Sterling, we won't have to hide anymore."
This can't be true.
I shook my head in denial. He had forgotten her... He swore he loved me and was over his childhood crush.
"Tell me I’m better than her," Dora groaned.
Oscar laughed. "You're the fucking best. Liora’s probably twirling around somewhere in her wedding dress like the pathetic idiot she is."
Every promise he had whispered, every kiss, and every dream we had built together crumbled before my eyes.
I stared at them, waiting for someone to laugh and tell me it was a sick joke.
No one did.
That's when it hit me... It wasn't a joke or an April Fool's prank.
Tears blurred my vision as I stumbled backward to escape, but my legs froze when I caught my reflection in the couple's photo sitting on the nightstand—Oscar kissing my temple, everything in the picture looking so perfect.
I grabbed the heavy frame, rushed back to the bathroom door, and slammed it against the wall.
Glass exploded across the tiled floor.
Dora scrambled backward as Oscar jerked out of her. "Liora—what..." He yanked a towel around his waist. "What the fuck?!"
I looked at him through my blurred lashes. "Our relationship just shattered like that frame."
"Liora—"
I faced my sister, forcing a smile. "Sis... thanks for taking out my trash."
"What?!" she screamed.
I gathered the heavy skirts of my wedding gown and walked out.
Don't cry. Don't you dare cry.
I sped out of the parking lot, leaving Oscar chasing after me into the hotel lobby.
Buzz. My phone rang.
"Dad..." My voice broke.
"Liora, darling, where are you...?"
"I'm..."
"Just come back home. We're waiting for you, dear."
I nodded, tears rolling down my cheeks as I pulled into the driveway.
Three black SUVs sat on the gravel. My father’s warm, relieved laughter drifted through the open windows—a sound I hadn’t heard in years.
I stepped through the front door.
"Dad," I called, ignoring the man sitting near the fireplace.
Damien Sterling.
The man I swore to make disappear if he ever came near the Hale family. The son of the monster who murdered my mother.
He leaned against the mantel, the orange flames casting a sharp, golden light across his chiseled jawline, looking as if he owned the world.
"What is he doing here?"
My father smiled, looking from me to him. "Mr. Sterling, your wife is back."
"Wife?"
Damien swirled his glass before lifting his dark gaze to mine.
"Mmh," he murmured. "I knew she would be."
"What the hell is going on here...?"
His brown eyes moved from my face down to my ruined wedding dress, finally halting at my hands.
"Liora, dear..." My father grinned. "Remember I told you that our 30-million-dollar debt was paid...?"
How could I forget the day I was told a crushing weight had been lifted off my shoulders?
"He's the one... who paid it?"
My head snapped back to my dad. "What?"
"And..."
"And what?!"
Thud.
Damien tossed a file onto the table in front of me.
My gaze dropped to the bold headline printed across the cover:
LIORA HALE WILL MARRY DAMIEN STERLING.
"Liora, dear, you will marry Damien..."
I chuckled. "You must be joking..."
Damien set his glass on the table.
"Go get ready," Damien commanded. "We're leaving now."
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