I was twenty-five when my life shattered.
Once upon a time, life had been beautifully ordinary.
A small family. A loving mother. A hardworking father. And my little brother—the five-year-old chaos I loved more than life itself.
I had a stable job in a reputed company, a decent salary, and dreams were simple enough to fit inside an ordinary life. I believed happiness was found in small moments—family dinners, late-night laughter, and quiet mornings filled with peace.
Everything was perfect.
Until Christian Hawthorne entered my life.
Thirty years old.
Cold-hearted.
Ruthless.
A millionaire CEO feared by everyone around him.
A man who looked at people as if emotions were weaknesses.
A man I hated with every piece of my broken heart.
And somehow…
He became my husband.
Not by love.
Not by choice.
But because fate had a cruel way of destroying people.
The day my parents died in a car accident, my world burned into ashes.
And before I could even grieve, I was forced into a marriage with the one man I despised the most.
The same man standing in front of me now.
“Leave me!” I cried, tears blurring my vision.
My eyes burned from hours of crying, turning painfully red.
Christian stood in front of me, calm as ever.
Expensive black shirt. Sharp jawline. Cold eyes that never softened.
The kind of man who could make a room fall silent with just one glance.
The kind of man who never cared.
His fingers tightened around my wrist.
It hurt.
“Enough,” he said, his deep voice dangerously calm.
I let out a bitter laugh.
“Mr. Christian Hawthorne,” I snapped, trying to pull away, “what more do you want from me, huh?”
My chest tightened as emotions spilled out all at once.
“You already ruined my life. I was forced to marry you. I’m trapped in this house that doesn’t even feel like home. What more do you want?”
Silence.
He simply stared.
As if he could see through every wall I had desperately built around myself.
I hated that look.
I hated him.
Suddenly, the room spun.
My vision blurred.
I grabbed the edge of the nearby table before I collapsed.
“Annie!”
Strong arms wrapped around my waist before I hit the floor.
I stiffened.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself against his chest.
My so-called husband.
The man I hated.
I pushed against him immediately.
But Christian Hawthorne stood like an immovable wall.
Untouched.
Unaffected.
“Don’t touch me,” I whispered sharply.
His jaw clenched.
“You didn’t take your medicine again.”
This time, his voice lowered.
Controlled.
Dangerously controlled.
He stepped toward the nearby drawer and pulled out my medication.
Without another word, he poured water into a glass and held the medicine out toward me.
“Take it.”
I turned my face away.
“No.”
A dangerous silence settled between us.
His expression darkened.
“Anastasia.”
The warning in his tone sent chills through me.
But I refused to look at him.
I was tired.
Tired of obeying.
Tired of surviving.
Tired of him.
When I still didn’t respond, he exhaled sharply and crouched slightly in front of me.
His voice dropped lower.
“You need the medicine.”
“I don’t care.”
His eyes stayed fixed on mine.
Cold.
Unreadable.
Yet somehow… concerned.
And that only made me angrier.
Tears slipped down my cheeks.
“I hate you,” I whispered, my voice trembling.
For the first time that night, something flickered in his expression.
Gone before I could understand it.
He stepped closer.
Too close.
Close enough for me to feel the warmth of his breath.
His hand gently tilted my chin upward.
Our foreheads almost touched.
“Then hate me,” he said quietly, his voice rough around the edges.
His eyes searched mine.
“But stop destroying yourself to punish me.”
I froze.
Because for one impossible second…
The ruthless Christian Hawthorne looked less like a monster.
And more like a man carrying storms of his own.
But I still hated him.
Didn’t I?
Or maybe…
Hate was only the beginning of something far more dangerous.
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Ruthless Vow
RomanceI was twenty-five when my life shattered. Once upon a time, life had been beautifully ordinary. A small family. A loving mother. A hardworking father. And my little brother-the five-year-old chaos I loved more than life itself. I had a stable job in...
