Twisted Vows

chapter 1 : shadows of the past

Ethan slumped against the wall of his cramped apartment, his head in his hands. The weight of the world pressed down on him, harder than ever before. His life had been spiraling since Olivia, the love of his life, had been ripped away by her parents. Their threats had been clear—if Olivia dared to contact him, they would destroy him, and worse, they'd kill him. She disappeared from his life, leaving only a hollow ache in his chest.Now, months later, the bills piled up on the kitchen counter, staring at him like a reminder of his failures. His mother's health was deteriorating, and no matter how hard he worked, he couldn't keep up. The financial burden was too great.Then, she appeared—Samantha.Samantha was everything Olivia wasn't. Confident, poised, and unrelenting, the new CEO of a rapidly rising company. He never understood why she, of all people, offered him a deal—a marriage of convenience in exchange for paying off his mother's medical bills and pulling him out of his financial despair. It felt too good to be true, but with no other options, he agreed. He needed to survive.The wedding day came quickly, a blur of formalities and papers. There were no romantic vows or teary-eyed confessions—just business. Ethan hadn't realized that Samantha had ulterior motives, not until recently when her cold demeanor began to thaw. Now, married to a woman he barely knew, he could see a softness in her eyes that hadn't been there before. There was something deeper—real feelings. And though he tried to keep his distance, part of him couldn't ignore the way she looked at him, the way her hand lingered on his when they passed each other.But the world had a cruel sense of timing.Olivia was back.Ethan froze when he saw her walk into Samantha's office that afternoon. He hadn't recognized her at first, her long hair pulled into a sleek ponytail, her once-wild energy now tempered by something darker, something sad. But when their eyes met, the shock was mutual. Olivia's lips parted in disbelief, and it was clear she hadn't known. Not until that very moment did she realize Ethan was now married to her sister.The tension in the room was suffocating. Olivia's gaze flicked between them, and the weight of their past crashed into the present like a tidal wave. She had returned, hoping to make amends, to find the man she had once loved and fix the life they had lost together. But seeing him here, with her sister... the pain in her eyes was unmistakable.Samantha didn't miss a beat. "I see you've met my husband," she said, her tone icy, though there was a crack in her usually calm demeanor. Ethan could feel her fear, the realization that Olivia's return was more than just a coincidence.As the day dragged on, the air between the three of them became charged. Olivia pulled Ethan aside after work, her voice trembling. "Ethan, I didn't know. I... I never stopped loving you. I wanted to protect you. My parents... they forced me to leave, but I swear, I never wanted to hurt you. Please, we can fix this."Ethan's world tilted on its axis. He had loved Olivia deeply, and now she was here, begging for a second chance. But Samantha—Samantha had saved him from financial ruin. She had given him a way out, even if it had been for her own reasons at first. And now she had feelings for him too.As he looked between the two sisters, the weight of the decision before him felt insurmountable. Would he choose the girl who had left him behind for his own safety, or the one who had helped him survive when he had nothing left?The storm was only beginning.