Chapter 1

I'm a cake decorator.

One day, I received an online order from a girl who wanted me to make an "apology cake."

"Could you hide a pair of handcuffs inside the cake?" she asked.

"I went to a bar last night without telling my boyfriend first. He's upset with me. I want to make it up to him tonight."

I thought of my own fiancé, Adrian—cold and emotionally distant.

We only had sex once a month and never played games like this.

I couldn't help but envy this girl a little.

That evening, I delivered the cake to the address she'd given me.

The moment the door opened, I froze.

Standing there was my fiancé—the one who'd told me he was going back to his hometown for a relative's funeral.

Adrian.

The air felt like it had been sucked out of my lungs.

The cake box in my hand nearly slipped from my grasp.

The shock in Adrian's eyes lasted only half a second.

The next moment, his face returned to its usual cold detachment.

Ruby poked her head out from behind him, her eyes darting curiously between Adrian and me.

"Babe, do you know this delivery girl? Why is she staring at you like that?"

Adrian wrapped his arm around Ruby's waist, his fingers tracing lazy circles at the small of her back.

He took the cake from me, frowning slightly.

"No. Never seen her before."

Ruby said "Oh" and eagerly tore open the cake box.

The handcuffs I'd carefully selected tumbled out.

The silver metal gleamed harshly under the entryway lights.

"Wow, these look high quality!" Ruby exclaimed.

She held up the handcuffs, playfully waving them near Adrian's wrist.

"Mr. Hotshot Lawyer, are you my prisoner tonight?"

Adrian's eyes held an indulgent affection I'd never seen before.

I opened my mouth, my throat dry and aching.

"Adrian, you—"

Before I could finish, Adrian grabbed a few bills from the entryway table and tossed them at me.

The money hit my face lightly before scattering at my feet.

"Thanks for the delivery. That's your tip."

His voice was cold as ice, his eyes carrying a warning.

Ruby was still laughing.

"Babe, you're so generous! Come on, pick it up! That's a few hundred dollars right there."

I bit down hard on my lower lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood.

I wanted to smash that cake in his face.

But I couldn't.

I thought of my brother, Cameron, still in prison, waiting for Adrian to help overturn his case.

He'd been caught up in an art forgery scandal and was facing ten years.

I crouched down and picked up the bills one by one.

I turned and left, not even having the courage to look back.

Behind me, I heard the door lock click shut.

Then came Ruby's teasing voice, dripping with pleasure.

"Ooh, careful... the handcuffs are so cold..."