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Amara never thought her life would end up like this. Left heartbroken by the man she once believed was her soulmate, she's forced to marry Liam Blackwood-a rich, powerful CEO known for his cold heart and sharp tongue. For Liam, the marriage is nothing but a business deal. No love. No feelings. Just a contract. But Amara is carrying a broken heart and a painful past she doesn't talk about. All she wants is peace, but Liam's icy eyes and possessive ways make it hard to breathe, let alone heal. When her old love suddenly walks back into her life, everything becomes even more complicated. Now she's caught between the man who hurt her and the husband who never planned to love her. Feelings grow. Jealousy burns. Secrets unfold. And Amara must choose: stay in a cold marriage that's starting to warm her heart, or return to the past that once destroyed her.
Chapter 1 The Last Goodbye
Theme: Broken Hearts
"Why are you here?"
His voice was sharp, cold. Not like the man I once loved.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to hold back tears.
"I needed to see you," I said quietly.
He looked away.
I reached out but stopped. My hand trembled.
"I thought you promised you'd never leave," I whispered.
He finally faced me, eyes hard. "I never promised anything, Amara. You were just a mistake."
The words hit me like a slap.
I staggered back, my breath caught in my chest.
"Why?" I begged. "Why leave when I needed you most?"
He stepped closer. "Because you're weak."
The door slammed shut behind him.
Alone, I sank to the floor, clutching my phone-the text was still on the screen.
It's over. Don't contact me again.
I didn't sleep that night.
I stared at the ceiling, replaying his words.
Weak.
I was broken. But I still hoped.
The next morning, my phone buzzed.
A new message. Not from him.
It was from someone else.
Someone I wasn't ready for.
I met Liam Blackwood three days later.
He wasn't what I expected.
Tall, sharp suit, cold eyes like ice.
We met in a conference room-him sitting at the head of a long table, me standing awkward in the corner.
"Miss Williams, I hear you're good at fixing things," he said without a smile.
I swallowed. "I design interiors."
He raised an eyebrow. "Fixing broken things counts too."
His voice was low, commanding.
I didn't like him.
But I needed him.
"We need an agreement," Liam said, sliding a contract across the table.
I looked down.
Marriage.
A business deal.
No love.
No promises.
Just survival.
I left the room shaking.
How did I end up here?
Married to a man I barely knew.
Married to a man who looked through me like I was air.
Later that night, I sat by my window, watching the city lights.
My phone buzzed again.
A message from Liam.
"Don't think this changes anything. This is business."
I closed my eyes.
Could I survive this cold marriage?
Suddenly, a knock at the door.
My heart stopped.
I wasn't expecting anyone.
I opened it.
And there he was.
The man in front of me didn't look like the person I once trusted.
His eyes were distant, cold.
"Why are you here?" he asked again, but this time his voice had a tired edge.
"I..." I paused, looking at his face, trying to find a trace of the boy I loved. "I just needed to say goodbye."
He scoffed softly. "Goodbye? You don't get to say goodbye."
I blinked back tears.
"I thought we meant something."
He shook his head.
"You were a mistake I don't want to repeat."
I felt the room spin.
"Is that why you left? Because I wasn't good enough?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he turned away and walked toward the door.
"Please," I said, voice breaking. "Don't leave me like this."
He stopped.
Without turning, he said, "I already have."
Then the door slammed shut.
I fell to the floor, the cold creeping through my skin.
The days that followed were worse than the night he left.
Every corner of my small apartment reminded me of what I lost.
I didn't want to get out of bed.
But I had to.
I had to fight.
Because I had no one else.
Then came the message.
It wasn't from him.
It was from Liam Blackwood.
The man whose name I had heard whispered in the city.
The cold CEO.
The man who owned half the buildings in town.
The man who would decide my fate.
"Meet me tomorrow. Noon. Blackwood Tower. Room 1502."
No explanation. No greetings.
Just a command.
I spent the whole night rehearsing what I would say.
But when I got there, my mouth went dry.
The elevator doors opened.
There he was.
Liam Blackwood.
Dressed in a black suit, white shirt, no tie.
His eyes scanned me like I was a puzzle.
"Amara Williams," he said, voice low.
I nodded.
He stepped aside and gestured toward the room.
Inside, the air was cold and smelled faintly of leather.
He didn't offer me a chair.
"I hear your family is in trouble," he said.
My heart sank.
"Yes," I whispered.
He studied me.
"Good. Then you understand why this marriage is necessary."
I swallowed hard.
"Marriage?" I echoed.
He slid a contract across the glass table.
"Sign it. Or find another way."
I looked at the paper.
My name, his name, and terms that felt like chains.
"I don't want this," I said softly.
He raised an eyebrow.
"This isn't about want. It's about need."
"I'm not a business deal."
He smiled thinly.
"You will be."
I signed.
Because I had no choice.
Because love had left me broken.
Because survival was the only option.
The next day, the world felt colder.
Liam didn't speak to me.
He didn't look at me.
He was a shadow in the mansion I was now forced to call home.
I tried to reach out.
One night, I found him in his study.
"Liam, can we talk?"
He didn't look up.
"This is not a marriage."
I swallowed.
"What is it then?"
He closed the book he was reading.
"It's a contract."
I felt tears sting my eyes.
"A contract doesn't keep you warm at night."
He looked at me then.
A flicker of something I couldn't place.
"Don't expect warmth."
Days later, the past came crashing back.
A knock at the door.
My heart jumped.
I opened it.
And there he was.
The man who left me.
Standing in the doorway.
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