Chapter 1

My fiancé, Griffin Cooper, was turning me from a wild heiress into his perfect trophy wife. My father approved, eager to tame the rebellious spirit I' d inherited from my mother.

A near-fatal car crash was my wake-up call. But the real horror began when Griffin punished me for defending myself at a gala by throwing me into an icy fountain.

As I shivered, bleeding from my period into the freezing water, his orders were chilling.

"Let her bleed," he told his guards. "Perhaps it will teach her a lesson."

That was before he scalded me with boiling water and locked me in a panic room, where my venomous stepsister tasered me until I passed out.

I finally understood. He didn't want a partner; he wanted a prisoner to break.

So on his wedding day, I arranged a little surprise. I sent my stepsister down the aisle in my place, blew our family mansion to smithereens, and boarded the first flight to freedom. My revenge had just begun.

Chapter 1

My blood painted the crushed metal of the car, a morbid masterpiece on the pavement. The world spun, then went black. When I opened my eyes, the sterile scent of the hospital replaced the stench of burnt rubber and my own fear. It was a wake-up call, screaming louder than the sirens, telling me the perfect life I was living was a lie.

I used to be Hayden Quinn, the wild-spirited heiress, known for my rebellious streak, my love for extreme sports, and an edgy travel vlog that had amassed millions of followers. Now, I was just Griffin Cooper's fiancée, a trophy wife in training. My life, once a vibrant canvas, had been reduced to a carefully curated Instagram feed, a muted echo of who I truly was.

My father, Edmond, had always called my passions "frivolous." My extreme sports were "reckless." My travel vlog, "a waste of time for a woman of your standing." He saw my vibrant spirit as a liability, a painful reminder of my mother, the free-spirited artist he couldn't control. So, he stripped me of them, piece by painstaking piece, until the only thing left was the shell of Hayden Quinn, molded to fit the Cooper family's pristine image.

Every morning began not with the thrill of a new adventure, but with a list of etiquette lessons: how to hold a teacup, how to make polite conversation with an ambassador's wife, how to smile without showing too much teeth. I was being polished, refined, tamed, like some wild animal destined for a gilded cage.

Last week, at Mrs. Van Der Bilt's charity gala, Charlie had cornered me by the champagne fountain. Her voice, sweet as poison ivy, had dripped with fake concern. "Hayden, darling, don't you think that dress is a bit... much? Griffin prefers a more classic look. You wouldn't want to embarrass him, would you?"

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. "Griffin will prefer whatever I choose to wear," I shot back, my voice sharper than I intended. "Unlike some, I don't need to dress to impress a man who isn't even mine."

Her smile faltered, a hairline crack in her perfect facade. "Oh, Hayden, always so dramatic. Just try to remember your place. Some of us actually belong here."

Before I could retort, a hand clamped down on my arm. Griffin. His eyes, usually cold and calculating, were colder still as they swept over me, then flicked to Charlie, who was now douting a perfectly innocent pout.

Later, in the privacy of his study, he didn't ask what happened. He didn't ask how I felt. He just tightened his grip on my arm. "Hayden, you are my fiancée. Your behavior reflects on me. On us. Can you not simply follow the rules?" His words were not a question, but a reprimand.

That night, lying in the too-large bed of my childhood home, the truth hit me like a physical blow. He didn't care about me. Not Hayden, the adventurous, rebellious Hayden. He cared about the image, the reputation, the control. He wanted a wife, not a partner. He wanted a docile queen for his empire, not a wild spirit who challenged his perfectly ordered world.

Then came the crash. The screech of tires, the shattering glass, the sudden, violent jolt that threw me against the steering wheel. Darkness. When I woke up in the hospital, my body ached, but my mind was clearer than it had been in years. The doctors said I was lucky. A miracle, even. They didn't know the real miracle was that I had been given a second chance. A chance to stop being the Hayden Quinn they wanted, and start being the Hayden Quinn I wanted.

I looked at my reflection in the hospital mirror. Pale, bruised, a bandage on my forehead, but in my eyes, something new flickered. Not the dull resignation I'd grown accustomed to, but a fierce, almost primal glint. A hunger for something I thought I'd lost forever. Freedom.

"No more," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "No more."

The next morning, I walked into my father's study. He sat behind his imposing mahogany desk, looking every inch the Wall Street titan. Charlie was there too, perched on the edge of a velvet armchair, radiating an artificial sweetness that made my teeth ache.

"Father, I'm calling off the engagement to Griffin," I stated, my voice steady, surprising even myself.

Edmond's face, usually a mask of calm authority, contorted. "What nonsense is this, Hayden? Are you still reeling from the accident? This is not a game!"

"It's not nonsense," I countered, meeting his furious gaze. "And I'm not a child playing games. I'm a woman who's tired of being traded like a commodity."

His fist slammed onto the desk. "A commodity? This is a merger, Hayden! A grand alliance that will benefit our family for generations! You think I don't know what's best for you?"

"What's best for you, Father, is what's best for the Quinn legacy," I shot back, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "And for Charlie. She's always been your favorite dutiful daughter, hasn't she? Always so eager to please, so willing to play the part."

Charlie flinched, her sweet facade cracking under the implied accusation. Edmond's eyes narrowed. "What are you implying?"

"I'm implying," I said, a dangerous calm in my voice, "that if the Quinn-Cooper merger is so vital, and if Charlie is so perfect, then why doesn't she marry Griffin instead?"

Edmond stared at me, his mouth agape. Then, a slow, predatory smile spread across his face. "Hayden, you... you might be onto something." His eyes gleamed with a calculating light, completely ignoring the shock on Charlie's face. He was actually considering it.

He stood up, already pacing, already making plans. "Yes, yes, this could work. Charlie has always been more... amenable. More controllable." He didn't even notice the irony in his words. His back was to me, his shoulders already hunched with the weight of new schemes. My father, the ruthless businessman, the man who valued control and reputation above all, was actually pleased at the prospect of swapping his inconvenient daughter for his more obedient one. The irony hit me like a cold wave, chilling me to the bone.

The next few days were a blur. I applied for my passport and a non-immigrant visa to France. My best friend, Chloe, was initially shocked. "Hayden, are you serious? You're just going to leave?"

"I'm serious," I said, my voice firm. "I'm leaving everything behind. The gilded cage, the suffocating rules, the man who thinks he owns me."

That night, I found myself in a downtown club, neon lights flashing, bass thumping through my chest. The air was thick with the scent of sweat, spilled drinks, and raw freedom. I danced, I laughed, I drank, truly living for the first time in years. Chloe, looking horrified, kept tugging at my arm. "Hayden! What has gotten into you? You're acting like a wild woman!"

I just grinned, my eyes sparkling. "Maybe I am. It feels good."

"But... Griffin?" she whispered, her eyes wide with worry. "What about the engagement? The wedding is next month!"

I took a long sip of my drink, the liquid fire warming my throat. "Oh, that?" I flashed her my most rebellious smile. "Consider it handled. I transferred it to Charlie."

Chloe nearly choked on her drink. "You what?! Hayden! You actually loved him, didn't you? All those years, you fought for him, you changed for him!"

I shook my head, the memories feeling distant, like a dream I'd finally woken up from. "That wasn't love, Chloe. That was an obsession, a delusion. I was just trying to earn a place in a world that never wanted me. Now, I want freedom. Real freedom. And this is just the beginning." I caught the eye of a male model across the room, his dark hair falling over intense eyes. I leaned in, a dangerous glint in my gaze, and watched him approach. He smiled, and I smiled back.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over us. A cold, familiar presence. I didn't even need to look up. My heart clenched, not with fear, but a flicker of annoyance. Griffin. He was here.

Hayden POV: