Tears, Lies, and a Heart of Fire — Free Preview

The dim yellow light mixed with the smell of burning incense, thickening the air with tension. Wearing nothing but a sheer nightgown, Natalie Summers found herself pinned against the door, Jensen Luke's hand wrapped around her throat. "Natalie," he murmured, voice low and dark, "you're mine tonight." He leaned in. At 6'2", Jensen towered over her, making her look even smaller, even softer beneath him. Before she could say a word, his mouth crashed into hers, stealing her breath. Natalie tipped her face up and met the heat in his eyes. His Adam's apple dipped just inches from her lips, and every exhale brushing her skin made her flush and tremble. It was their fifth anniversary. Overflowing with love, she kissed him back—hard. Fabric tore. Their breaths tangled. The tension snapped tighter and tighter. Just as they were about to become one, Jensen's phone rang. His frustration was immediate, but he still answered. Panting softly, Natalie glanced at the caller ID: Felix—Jensen's best friend. "Jensen, have you completely lost it? You—” "Switching to Fracian. Now's really not the time." Jensen slipped into another language instantly. There was a beat of silence, then Felix's voice came through in fluent foreign speech: "You actually married Sharon? What the hell were you thinking? Five years ago, you almost died street racing to save her. She ditched you, remember? Ran overseas with another man! She's had boyfriend after boyfriend since—she never gave a damn about you! And now you went and married her?" Natalie froze. Even in another language, every word slid perfectly into meaning. Her mind translated it automatically. Her eyes flew open. Heat still clung to her skin, but her heart dropped straight into ice. Jensen didn't notice. His tone stayed maddeningly calm. "Sharon has cancer. She doesn't have long. Her last wish was to marry me—to end our first love story properly. She said the person she owes most in her life is me. I can't let her die with regret." "And Natalie?" Felix shot back. "After your crash, she never left your side. She cared for you every day, gave you everything she had. And now you want her to find out she's the other woman? How the hell is she supposed to live with that?" Felix's fury didn't shake him. "She won't find out," Jensen said coldly. "As long as everyone keeps quiet, she'll never know. When Sharon's gone, I'll marry Natalie." Felix's next question cut him clean. "And you seriously believe Sharon has cancer?" That snapped Jensen. "That's enough. I know what I'm doing." He hung up. Jensen turned back to her, ready to pick up right where they'd left off—but Natalie pushed him away. "I… I don't feel well." Her arms wrapped around her waist, her body trembling, her face pale as chalk. Jensen, of course, had no idea she'd spent the last six months secretly mastering three foreign languages—one of them Fracian. She'd never had a reason to use it. Not until he shattered her heart with it tonight. It was their fifth anniversary. Seeing her like that, Jensen's expression softened with real concern. "What's wrong? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" The worry in his voice didn't sound fake, and that made her heart twist even more painfully. How could he care so much… while secretly married to someone else? She was about to refuse him when his phone dinged with a WhatsApp notification. He glanced down. "Something's come up at the office. I need to handle it right away. Try to rest. If you still feel sick, call me—I'll have someone take you to the hospital." Natalie barely had time to nod before he grabbed his clothes and headed out the door. She watched him leave. Only after he disappeared down the hallway did her tears finally fall. She had seen the message. It was from Sharon. "Jensen, I'm in pain. Please come." Natalie's fists clenched so hard her nails dug into her palms. Her chest felt like someone had carved a hole straight through it. Tears blurred her vision as memories she thought she'd buried long ago began clawing their way back. She had been switched at birth and raised by the Summers family in luxury until she was eighteen—when they finally found the real Summers daughter, Sharon, and brought her home. That's when Natalie's life became a nightmare. Sharon hated her—blamed her for "stealing" eighteen years of love. She demanded Natalie be locked in a dark, airless basement. That damp floor and moldy corner became her whole world. Sharon would come down with a sick smile, whipping her with vicious joy. Every lash was punishment for the "crime" of being loved. And her adoptive parents—who should've protected her—turned a blind eye just to please their real daughter. Night after night, Natalie curled up in the corner, trembling with pain and swallowing her sobs because crying only made Sharon hit harder. A year later, she finally caught a small opening, slipped past a careless guard, and escaped the basement on shaking legs. She didn't make it far. Bruised, bloody, half-conscious, she collapsed right at the feet of a visiting guest— Jensen. He had looked like a ray of light piercing through her darkness. He took her away. He saved her. He promised to protect her, to be her family now. He knew what she'd suffered. That's why he shielded her from the Summers family and never let her see them again. And over the years, she fell in love with him—deeper than she ever intended. Then one day, Jensen suddenly insisted on joining a street race. No one could talk him out of it. By the time Natalie learned, he'd already crashed—critically injured and in a coma. Doctors said he might never wake up. The Luke family was powerful; losing Jensen wouldn't destroy them. But Natalie had no one else. Only him. She devoted everything she had to saving him—day and night care, searching for miracle doctors. Eventually, she found one—an elusive healer rumored to work actual miracles. But his price was steep. Brutally steep. Natalie gave up something unimaginably precious to save Jensen's life. He survived. Less than a year later, Jensen took complete control of Luke Corp and became its CEO. And he told her he'd marry her on their fifth anniversary. Yet on the very day he promised to propose— He married Sharon instead. Natalie had never once imagined leaving him. But now that she knew the truth, she would never be the other woman. Especially not to Sharon. Wiping her tears, Natalie pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "I accept Grant International Holdings' training offer in Murica. I'm leaving Jensen. For good."