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The thunder rolled across the pitch-black sky as heavy rain poured down like it was trying to drown the entire city.
At the end of a winding mountain road, inside a secluded villa, Louise Bennett's body was pinned down by a man's overwhelming strength.
His breath brushed hotly against the shell of her ear, sending a wave of heat spiraling low in her belly.
Her mind was foggy, but she forced her eyes open, trying to focus. All she could make out in the darkness was a shadowy figure looming over her.
"Who... are you?" she rasped, her voice hoarse from the alcohol.
He chuckled lowly, then dipped his head to press a kiss to her neck. His breath was heavy, his voice dark and laced with wicked amusement.
"The one who's gonna make you feel real good."
Louise's limbs felt terrifyingly weak-she knew then, someone had drugged her.
Frantically, she reached around until her fingers brushed the bedside lamp. Gripping it gave her a flicker of reassurance.
She tried to sound fierce, though her voice trembled, "Get off me, or else-"
"Or else what?" he taunted, his hand sliding firmly around her waist.
Without hesitation, Louise gritted her teeth, swung the lamp with all the strength she had left, and smashed it against his head. He let out a groan of pain and collapsed, going still.
She didn't wait to see if he was okay. Her only thought was escape. But when she tried to sit up, her body betrayed her-she had no strength at all. Her vision swam and everything faded into black.
When she came to, flashing lights and loud voices crashed into her ears.
"Miss Bennett, why did you sleep with another man right before your engagement?"
"Miss Bennett, have you considered how Mr. Shaw must feel about this?"
Out of nowhere, a reporter shouted, "Look at that man! Someone call an ambulance!"
Louise sat up in a daze, clothes disheveled, her mind blank-until a harsh slap landed on her face.
Tears instantly welled up. "Edgar, I... I didn't-"
The disgust in Edgar Shaw's eyes was like ice. His voice was colder than steel. "Slut."
One week later, in court.
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