Early in the morning, Lily Foster slowly stirred awake, groggy and dazed, ears catching the sound of deep breathing close by.

Wait—

She jerked her eyes open and froze.

She was lying in a man’s arms.

Holding her breath, Lily stiffened, barely daring to move. After a beat, she cautiously turned her head.

The moment she saw the man's sharp, chiseled face, her mind went blank.

Ethan Carter?!

What the hell?!

When she was ten, her parents were framed and died tragically. Debt collectors hounded her, even trying to force her into selling her body. Ethan had shown up then and pulled her out of that mess, bringing her to his place and taking her in.

But when she turned fifteen, she overheard a call of his by accident—his dad had died because of her father. Keeping her around was never about kindness—it was payback.

Terrified, she ran away that very night.

She never thought that, three years later, they'd meet again like... this.

Last night the room was pitch dark, and Ethan had been drunk. He probably didn’t recognize her.

Good. Before he wakes up, she needs to leave—now.

The man stirred slightly. Lily seized up, heart pounding. Seeing Ethan about to open his eyes, she panicked, grabbed his jacket, and bolted.

Just then, as if sensing something, Ethan’s eyes snapped open.

He stared at her fleeing figure, his gaze turning cold.

…

Lily took a cab straight home.

She lived in a run-down, messy apartment complex—cheap rent was the only reason she could afford it.

She pulled out her key, ready to unlock the door, but the lock looked messed with.

Someone broke in?

Uneasy, she slowly opened the door, gripping her self-defense baseball bat tightly, walking in as quietly as possible.

The place was a complete mess.

Heart racing, Lily rushed into her bedroom and swung without thinking at the moving figure.

"Whoa, stop! Hey! Calm down!"

Her swing was caught mid-air. She froze when she saw a familiar face.

"Uncle Henry?"

Henry Williams snatched the bat from her hands, scowling. "What’re you doing back now? Weren’t you supposed to be at work?"

Lily blinked, stunned, then quickly pieced it together.

Seriously? This was her place! He broke in, rummaged through her stuff, and had the nerve to question her?

"Uncle, maybe you should explain what you’re doing in my house. What exactly are you looking for?"

He looked totally unbothered. "Your grandpa’s out of his meds this month. I tried calling you last night, but you didn’t pick up, so I had to come find it myself."

Lily stared at him, eyes wide. "I already gave you the medicine money, didn’t I?"

Henry snapped, fed up. "Your cousin’s starting school—I used it for his tuition!"

Lily's expression turned cold. "You used the same excuse last month, and that money? You blew it on booze and gambling, didn’t you?"

"And what if I did?" he shot back shamelessly. "I take care of that dying old man by myself every damn day. Don’t you think I deserve a drink or two?"

Without a hint of guilt, he started jabbing her with the bat, pushing her back.

"Damn it, this place’s empty. Lily, where the hell’s your money? Don’t tell me you’re hiding it on purpose!"

Pressed up against the wall, Lily clenched her fists, knuckles pale. "I told you, I’m broke. I already gave you my whole paycheck this month."

She was still a month behind on rent. She had to find a way to scrape that together too.Henry Williams almost swung the bat right at her face. “You’ve got the nerve to say you’re broke? You serious right now?”

Lily Foster just stood there, deadpan. No cash, no help—do what you want.

Henry completely lost it, smashing her bedroom with the bat like a madman.

When he finally stopped, he glared at her, eyes bloodshot. “Look at you, all dressed up. Which guy were you messing around with last night? Who are you fooling—obviously landed a man and still claiming you’ve got no money!”

He stepped closer, voice full of venom. “Listen up, Lily. The old man’s pills are almost gone. If you don’t show up with money by this weekend, you might as well get ready for his funeral!”

With that, he spat and stormed off, leaving the bat behind.

Lily’s back was pressed to the wall, her lips pale and tightly shut. She looked around at the mess—everything trashed, the broken mirror reflecting her tired, ashen face.

She hadn’t thought Henry’d stoop this low. Using grandpa’s meds as leverage? Now the money’s gone, and he’s taking it out on her too.

Her grandpa had always been her only real family since she was little. She couldn’t let him go without meds. She had to figure something out.

Quietly, she crouched down and started picking up the mess. After she finished, drenched in sweat, she collapsed onto the couch.

Her pocket buzzed.

Without thinking, Lily reached in, froze when she pulled out the phone. Wait—was this Ethan Carter’s?

She must’ve thrown on his coat when she rushed out this morning… and accidentally took his phone too.

Crap.

The phone buzzed again. Probably the fourth or fifth time. Still calling.

Seeing the unfamiliar number, she hesitated a while before sliding to answer.

She was just about to explain—when a low, cold voice came through.

“Hello.”

The sound sent a chill down her spine—Ethan.

She recognized that voice instantly.

Lily held her breath. Neither spoke for a beat. Then the man spoke again, sharper this time. “You took my phone.”

Judging by his tone, maybe he hadn’t figured out who she was yet.

Trying not to panic, Lily pinched her nose and said, “Sorry, sir. I left in a rush this morning and grabbed the wrong jacket. I’ll drop your phone at the hotel front desk tomorrow, you can pick it up there.”

She hung up before he could say more.

When no follow-up call came, she finally let out a shaky breath.

But thinking about the night before made her heart sink all over again. Why—why did it have to be Ethan?

He was intense, aggressive, and downright scary. The last person she ever wanted to deal with.

If Ethan found out that the girl he slept with was the daughter of the man who killed his father… she was done for.

She was barely eighteen, and what happened last night felt like a nightmare. But no matter how awful she felt, she had to swallow it all down.

The next morning, she had a night shift ahead, but getting the phone back to Ethan came first.

Terrified of bumping into him, she went before sunrise.

She left both jacket and phone at the hotel front desk. Just as she was explaining things to the receptionist, the phone rang again.

Same number from yesterday.

Lily stood frozen, then slowly steadied herself and picked up.

This time, she spoke first. “Sir, I brought your phone and left it at the front desk. You can come grab it anytime.”

There was a long, weird pause on the other end.

Then came that deep, chilling voice again.

“Lily Foster.”

Her heart slammed in her chest.

Blank. Her mind went completely blank.