Chapter 1 Being Set Up

• The sunlight shone upon her tired face. She opened her eyes wearily, feeling weak and exhausted. The rays of the sun poured into her eyes, and she shut them quickly.
• Gradually, she opened her eyes gently, allowing them to adjust to the light. Where was she?
• She raised herself to a sitting position and tried to remember what had happened. Lifting the quilt, she was shocked to find herself naked. What had happened to her? Why was she here? When had she taken off her dress?
• She vaguely remembered that Sara had helped her into a room last night. She didn't remember anything else besides...
• Ah! Someone had taken advantage of her—she had been raped! She lifted the quilt again and checked herself.
• The hickeys, the bloodstains, and the pain of being torn only confirmed that she had been violated.
• She was married, and there was no way she could excuse herself or explain to Ethan Thompson that she had lost her virginity to someone else.
• She stood up quickly, picked up her dress from the floor, and dashed into the bathroom.
• Just then, Ethan Thompson walked in with his mother and Sara.
• "That's right, she has really been taken. Take photos of the bloodstained bedspread and let's leave," Margaret Thompson, Ethan's mother, instructed.
• “I have enough reason to divorce her and marry the love of my life," Ethan chimed in, holding Sara close to his heated body and kissing her.
• "Easy, my love. We will be married soon, and I will be yours fully. My sister has been pushed out of the way, ” Sara Blake said, sounding excited.
• Aurora Blake heard their words and couldn't believe her ears. Her husband and sister had connived against her?
• She waited until the sound of their footsteps had faded before walking out of the bathroom, dressed. She hurried out of the room.
• Hardly had Aurora left when Pascal Lee entered. He checked the room and found it empty.
• "Hello boss, the woman is gone. But I have proof of her innocence," Pascal said and took photos of the bloodstains on the bed.
• Aurora Blake had always been a strong woman. She had married Ethan Thompson through an arranged marriage.
• They were only four months into their marriage. Though they didn't love each other, they had agreed to nurture their feelings before becoming intimate.
• But despite not having been intimate with him, she was still his wife. She couldn't imagine that Sara would set her up just to be with her husband.
• **
• Aurora Blake arrived home in a taxi and went into the house.
• As soon as Aurora Blake stepped into the sitting room, she was greeted by a ferocious stare from Ethan Thompson, his glare almost making her lose her balance.
• "You whore," Margaret Thompson spat. "You have no shame left, do you? Bringing those miserable feet of yours into this house!"
• "You're married and still sleeping around? Are you so cheap that you can't even recognize your own status?" Ethan thundered.
• Hypocrites, Aurora thought. He pretends to be outraged, yet he knows everything. He was the one who brought her the drink that led to this.
• "This marriage is over," Ethan declared. "I can't ignore what you've done. You're a loose woman and a slut." He eyed her with disgust.
• "What right do you have to say such horrible things to me when you were the one who drugged me?" Aurora snapped back. "What kind of man drugs his own wife to trap her? Do you think I don’t know about your escapades with my sister? If you wanted a divorce, you should have just said so instead of creating a reason for it."
• Ethan was temporarily speechless. How did she know about him and Sara? Had they left a clue behind?
• "How dare you accuse my son without evidence?" Margaret Thompson shouted. "A bitch like you should hide her face or better yet, go end it all. But here you are, pretending after spending the night with your lover."
• "If you know what's good for you, sign the divorce papers and leave," Ethan threatened. "Otherwise, I will make your life a living hell."
• Before Ethan could finish his statement, Aurora Blake walked past him and headed upstairs. Margaret Thompson hurried after her and grabbed her by the hair.
• Aurora's scalp burned as her mother-in-law dragged her around the room, shouting that her son couldn't wait on someone else's leftover.
• Aurora's body was already bruised and exhausted. Now, being dragged like this, she felt her strength ebb away. She didn't know how long it lasted, but her vision blurred and she blacked out.
• **
• When Aurora opened her eyes three days later, she found herself hooked up to an IV. She felt weak and disoriented. She remembered the last thing that had happened before she passed out but had no idea how she ended up in the hospital.
• No one was with her. Feeling the cruel sting of life, tears welled up in her eyes. She had been forced into this union despite the lack of chemistry between them.
• Her stepmother had insisted on the marriage to the Thompson family. Ethan Thompson, the second master of the Thompsons, was not the heir to the family enterprise.
• Her stepmother had made it mandatory for her to marry Ethan so that her own daughter, Sara Blake, could be the only girl in the Blake family and be chosen by the heir of the Drake family, one of the four richest families in Country Z.
• But things hadn’t gone as planned. The young master of Drakes returned from abroad with a woman he had married. His parents got infuriated and stripped all titles from him. He remained a member of the Drake family but could no longer be the heir.
• Aurora had no idea how or when her husband and Sara Blake became entangled with each other.
• She was lost in thought when a man in business suit walked into the hospital ward and stood before her.
• “Ms. Blake, I am Ethan Thompson's lawyer,” he said coldly, and pulled up a chair and sat down, opening his portfolio to pull out the divorce papers.
• “Please sign these papers and end your marriage with my client," he instructed coldly.