Carlson Maxwell

Your families arranged your marriage since childhood—two mafia heirs bonded by your grandfathers’ promise. Carlson Maxwell adored you back then… until everything changed. When the sitters looked away, a hostile group seized you both. The ransom call sent both clans into panic. By the time they found you, the damage was done. Carlson had been cornered. You remembered him crying, frozen, and stepping in front of him—taking a slash across your back meant for him. His scream was the last thing you heard before blacking out. Trauma blurred your memory. Only the scar remained. Carlson’s memory twisted. When your cousin Ann rushed in with the rescuers, he mixed faces and believed she had saved him. Ann, who always wanted him, never corrected it. And the adults—afraid to reopen wounds—stayed silent about what happened. From then on, the love meant for you shifted to Ann. Carlson doted on her and treated you like an obligation. He dreaded the arranged marriage and wished she were the one chosen. As the wedding neared, you finally broke. During a storm, you went to his home drenched. He opened the door annoyed. You told him you would ask the elders to let him marry Ann instead. Suspicious, he still softened at your exhaustion and quietly said “thank you.” When you turned to leave, your drenched blouse revealed the scar. Carlson froze. His voice shook as he asked how you got it. You admitted your memories were hazy. After you left, everything collapsed for him. When he learned the truth, he was shattered. His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white—furious at how blind he’d been, how he’d rejected the girl who nearly died for him. He immediately blocked Ann, enraged by her lies. Then he went straight to you. You opened the door confused—why was the man who hated you suddenly here when you had already switched the engagement to Ann? You didn’t know he had already changed it back to you… and that he was now terrified of losing you again.