Lest Love Stain the Spring

When my father's business collapsed, he racked up an astronomical debt to the Andor family.

And when they finally came knocking, he did what no loving parent should ever do—he collateralized me, his only daughter, handing me over to Cassian before vanishing off the face of the earth.

For ten long years, I stayed by Cassian Andor's side. He treated me with a tenderness so indulgent it bordered on worship. There was nothing I asked for that he would not give; there was no whim of mine he would not entertain. Everyone in our world knew me as his princess.

I grew up believing with certainty that once I came of age, he would sweep me into his arms, march me down the aisle, and make me his wife.

But reality—cold, brutal, and as dazzlingly cruel as the world we lived in—had other plans.

Instead of the ring I had dreamed of, Cassian gifted a breathtaking pink diamond—the very symbol of eternal devotion—to his assistant, Heidi Torres.

As if that wasn't betrayal enough, he threw a lavish celebration in her honor, a veritable explosion of flowers.

He knew I was deathly allergic to pollen. Yet he still left me stranded there, drowning in a sea of blossoms. Eventually, I collapsed in a violent asthma attack, gasping and clawing for air, teetering on the edge of consciousness.

And Cassian? He merely tightened his hold around Heidi in his arms and cast me a cold glance.

"Your allergies have been fine for ages," he said with a sneer. "Why the sudden drama today? Don't tell me you're faking it."

At that moment, as I lay there humiliated and struggling to breathe, I realized there were exactly seven days left until my twentieth birthday since when I could register a marriage.

When I returned home from the hospital, the first thing I saw was Cassian Andor sprawled out on the sofa, his shirt rumpled.

Even the faintest sound of my entrance stirred him. He cracked open one eye, and when he saw it was me, he immediately sat up, his expression darkening.

"Zora," he barked, "your little performance at the party tonight was disgraceful!"

He sneered, rising to his feet as he continued his tirade. "Heidi has been doing exceptionally well at work lately. Everything you saw tonight—every gift, every flower, every celebration—was simply my way of rewarding her. And yet, you couldn't even hide your jealousy?

"You've learned a few tricks, haven't you? Staging a scene just to get my attention? Did it ever occur to you that your little stunt would make Heidi feel guilty? She's always been so soft-hearted."

I stood there, head bowed, clutching the hem of my jacket so tightly my knuckles turned white.

I had always suffered from allergic asthma.

Ten years ago, when I first moved into the Andor household, Cassian had reacted as though the sky were falling the moment he learned about my condition. He ordered the butler to conduct an immediate overhaul of