I was an orphan. He was a billionaire. He adopted me to hide his money, and for six years, he didn't even know my name. But when I turned eighteen, the cold, apathetic monster finally looked at me. And he decided he wanted to play with his investment. I thought I could survive him. I thought I could make him love me. But in Julian Thorne's world, you don't get loved. You get owned. Dark. Taboo. Unhinged. Enter at your own risk.

I married into a joint family. Three branches. Five cousins. A lifetime of tradition, laughter, and noise. I thought I was gaining a home. I didn't know the walls had ears. The wedding was perfect. The groom was kind. The family welcomed me with open arms. But someone heard me through the ceiling. And from that night on, I was never alone again. Every bride enters a cage. Some just don't know it until the door locks behind them. Dark. Taboo. Unhinged. Enter at your own risk.

I almost kissed the hottest girl in my batch. Then I looked out the window - and forgot her name. Elsie Crowe. Older. Beautiful. Living in the empty house next door. My hot neighbor paid me to lie about where I was. Now I can't tell if I'm her alibi... or the reason she needed one. "Say you were with me." I did. I should've asked why.