Right after I won that $500M overseas order, my CEO husband's secretary kicked me out of the shareholder group.

Before I could even react, my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Julian. "Zoe accidentally removed you. Don't overthink it."

I stared at those words but didn't reply.

I knew why he sent this message—he was afraid I'd go after Zoe Carter.

But this time, I said nothing and just resigned.

I had overheard his talk with his assistant that day outside the office.

"Transfer all of Bella's shares to Zoe's name. Have Bella take over the overseas merger next week. Make sure all the paperwork is finalized before she gets back."

The assistant's voice wavered. "But if Isabella finds out, she might be upset and even leave you…"

Julian let out a sigh. "So I have to keep her in the dark. She's an orphan, and I'm all she has. She feels unsafe, so she's always been jealous of Zoe. But Zoe needs those shares to establish herself in the company. Don't worry, I'll make it up to Bella. When she comes back, I'll give her the wedding she's been waiting for. I'll make us public."

I pulled my hand back from the door. I turned and walked away without a sound.

He was convinced I was an orphan who couldn't live without him, but that wasn't the truth.

Actually, I was the cherished princess of New York's Gambino crime family.

For him, I gave up my family's protection and married him as an ordinary girl, hiding my true identity.

Now that he betrayed me, I saw no reason to cling to this marriage.

By the time Julian pushed open my office door, I had already closed every file on my screen.

The resignation sat in my drafts folder, unsent but complete, waiting for the right moment.

I sat back in my chair and watched him walk in.

Three years ago, that stride used to make my heart skip. The way he moved—confident, purposeful, like he owned every room he entered—used to take my breath away.

Now it just made my stomach tighten.

His eyes landed on my face. He paused. He seemed to choose his words carefully before speaking.

"You've been quiet. Still upset about what happened earlier?" he asked. "Zoe didn't mean it. It was an accident. Why do you have to hold it against her?"

This man used to care about nothing but work. Deadlines, deals, quarterly reports—those were his priorities.

He never noticed little things like this. He never came to my office just to check on my feelings. I'd convinced myself that was just who he was. That he was built differently, wired for ambition instead of affection.

But now, for Zoe, he had walked all the way here to make excuses. To smooth things over. To make sure she didn't feel uncomfortable. To protect her peace.

I looked at him and curved my lips. It was probably a bitter smile. A self-mocking one.

"If it was an accident," I said, "then put me back in the group right now."

Julian frowned. The lines between his brows deepened.

"If I add you back, it'll embarrass her," he said, irritation creeping into his voice. "Don't be so petty."

I froze.

My heart squeezed tight in my chest—a dull, suffocating ache. Every single word he said was for Zoe's sake. Not mine.

I looked at his face. The sharp jaw I used to kiss. The eyes that once looked at me like I was everything. Now they looked at me like I was a problem.

"Petty," I repeated, letting the word hang in the air. "That's what you think I am."

He frowned. "That's not what I meant."

"Yes, it is." I stood up from my chair, my hands flat on the desk. I spoke quietly. "Fine. I'll go overseas next week. And I won't be joining the shareholder group again."

Julian studied me. He seemed surprised. I had given in too easily. He wasn't used to that.

After a pause, he said, “Good. I'm glad you understand. You've worked hard on this deal. When you come back, we'll go public. I still owe you a wedding.”

My fingers tightened around the papers in my hand. The edges dug into my palm.

Three years of marriage. He never once showed any affection toward me at work.

Apart from a few people at the very top, no one even knew we were legally husband and wife.

I hid in the shadows for him. I celebrated his wins alone. I swallowed my pride every single day.

Now the wedding—our first public acknowledgment—was being offered as a form of compensation.

I smiled at the irony, but said nothing. What was there to say?

Julian opened his mouth to say something else.

At that moment, the door burst open.

Zoe rushed in, flustered and wide-eyed, looking back and forth between us. Her face was pale. Her lower lip trembled. She managed to squeeze out a few words in a tiny, breathless voice.

"Mr. Reed, Isabella… it was my mistake. I'm so sorry. Please don't fight because of me. I didn't mean to cause any trouble—"

I cut her off with a cold glance, my voice sharp as a blade.

"Since when do you interrupt when Julian and I are speaking?"

Zoe's eyes instantly welled up. She yanked the ID badge from around her neck. Her fingers trembled as she held it out.

She sobbed, her voice shaking with choked emotion. "Isabella, I know I'm too clumsy. I always cause you trouble. I-I'll write my resignation right now and leave the company. I won't bother you anymore."

I watched her performance. The quivering lip. The tears that fell so perfectly. She had mastered this act.

And Julian fell for it every single time.

His brow furrowed immediately. When he looked at me, his eyes carried unmistakable displeasure.

"Bella, Zoe already admitted she was wrong. Why do you have to be so harsh?" His voice was sharp and accusing. "She's my secretary. If she makes a mistake, I'll take responsibility. If you're angry, take it out on me. Don't make things difficult for her."

I stared at him. This man used to defend me against the world. Now he was defending another woman against me.

Without another word, he grabbed Zoe by the wrist and led her out of my office.

I sat in my chair in a daze for a long moment.

I remembered when we got married, Julian had held my hand and promised me that if I ever grew disappointed in him, I could leave anytime.

He had said affectionately, "Bella, this company exists because you believed in me when I was building it from nothing. I will never let you down."

I thought we would never part. I thought our love was unbreakable.

I never imagined he would give away my shares to Zoe.

Julian had made his choice. He didn't care about me anymore. So why would I cling to him?

I had spent three years loving him in silence, hiding our marriage, swallowing my pride. But I wasn't going to wait around for scraps of affection he threw my way out of guilt.

I was going to file for divorce.

Then I picked up my phone and called the Gambino family's personal attorney.

My voice came out flat, almost chillingly calm. "I need two documents. First, all shares and assets under my name—transfer them into the family trust fund. Change the beneficiary to my father. Second, draft a divorce agreement."

"Understood."

After work, I drove alone to the law firm.

My private attorney, James, slid a stack of documents across the desk toward me. His expression was grim.

"Isabella, there's something you need to know… The system shows that your marriage to Mr. Reed was dissolved a month ago."

I froze. It felt like ice water had been dumped over my head. Every nerve in my body went numb.

"What did you say?" My voice cracked.

James opened one of the pages. He turned the screen toward me. "Mr. Reed filed a petition through special procedures a month ago, requesting that your marriage be declared void. "

He paused and looked at me with pity. "And in his latest family records, under spouse, he listed Zoe."

My vision blurred. I gripped the edge of the desk.

Then I was told the date of their marriage registration was July twentieth.

That day, I had been alone in the hospital, hooked up to an IV. A sudden high fever from overwork.

I called Julian countless times, yet he never answered.

I thought he was in an important international conference.

It turned out, he was registering his marriage with Zoe.

He had been lying to me all along. How could he be so cruel?

I drove home in a daze. My hands gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white.

The moment I pushed open the door, the smell of home-cooked food hit me. Warm. Rich. Something savory.

And there was Julian, standing in the open kitchen. An apron tied around him, a pan in hand—he moved with ease.

Zoe was right beside him. She leaned into his arm. She pointed at something playfully and laughed.

I froze in the doorway. The sight in front of me shattered something inside my chest.

Zoe spotted me first. She let go of Julian's arm. Her face broke into a sweet smile.

"Isabella, you're back!" she chirped.

She welcomed me like she owned the place, like I was just some guest in her home.

She pressed a fork into my hand.

"Come look! Julian knows I haven't been feeling well today, so he made me a special meal—all my favorites!"

I looked at the table. There were dishes I had never seen him make.

Julian didn't say a word. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

My chest ached. I had begged him to cook with me so many times. He always had an excuse—too busy, too tired.

But here he was, doing it all for Zoe. For her, he had all the time in the world.

Zoe picked up a shrimp and tried to peel it. But she fumbled clumsily. The shrimp dropped on the floor.

Julian reacted almost instinctively. His brow creased. He took her hand and examined it carefully. His thumb brushed over her fingers like she was made of glass.

"Just sit there and wait," he said. "Stop making a mess for me."

His tone was scolding. But the tenderness in his movements betrayed him.

The way he held her hand. The way his eyes softened. They cut through me like a dull blade, slicing into my chest with every little gesture.

Julian and I had fallen in love at first sight.

We met for the first time at the New York Public Library. He was there researching for a business proposal. I was hiding from one of my family's tedious blind dates—another eligible son of some connected family.

He stood at the end of the bookshelf. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows and fell across him in golden ribbons.

He was so striking—sharp jaw, steady gaze, the kind of quiet confidence that didn't need to announce itself—that I forgot to breathe. He made me utterly captivated.

And he saw me too. The flicker of surprise and warmth in his eyes sent my heart racing. For that one moment, the whole world narrowed to just the space between us.

For him, I gave up the weight of the Gambino name. I hid who I really was and married him as an ordinary woman—no connections, no fortune, no dangerous last name.

I used my family's connections to pave the way for his company. Deals fell into his lap. Obstacles melted away. But I never let him know. I wanted him to believe he'd done it all on his own.

All he ever knew was that luck always seemed to be on his side. That he always managed to close the toughest deals.

That man—the one who once looked at me like I was the only person in the room—was a total stranger tonight.

I couldn't watch anymore. The way he laughed at something Zoe said, the way he didn't even glance in my direction.

I set down the fork and stood. "I'm tired. I'm going upstairs to rest."

Without waiting for a response, I turned and climbed the stairs.

I had just set my bag down when Zoe pushed the door open and followed me inside.

I told her coldly to get out. But she just leaned lazily against the doorframe. She tilted her head and smiled.

"Bella, let me tell you some good news!" Her voice was bright and cheerful, like we were old friends catching up.

She smiled and enunciated every word clearly. "I'm pregnant with Julian's baby."

My brain went blank. The world seemed to go silent all at once.

I felt the blood drain from my face. My hands went cold. I couldn't feel my fingers. I couldn't feel anything except the ground opening up beneath me.

Zoe watched me carefully. She was enjoying this. I could see it in the way her eyes sparkled.

"I've wanted to tell you for a long time. But Julian wouldn't let me. He said it might upset you." She paused, letting that sink in. "And we've already registered our marriage last month. He said he wanted to give our baby a proper family."

I stared at her. My chest felt hollow, like someone had reached inside and scooped out everything I had.

"You were the one who was kind enough to let me into the company. Because you felt sorry for me. I've always been so grateful." Her voice dripped with false sweetness. "Since you've helped me so much, why not go all the way? Just give me your husband."

I remembered the first time I saw her at the company gate. She was covered in bruises, her clothes torn, her eyes swollen from crying. Her father had sold her off to pay his debts, and she'd run.

I was the one who felt sorry for her. I fought to keep her on, even though she didn't have the qualifications and everyone told me not to. I gave her a chance when no one else would.

Back then, she thanked me tearfully. She swore she'd repay me for the rest of her life.

And now she was standing in my bedroom, telling me she had taken my husband from me, and that she had his child.

A wave of nausea churned in my stomach, but I tried my best and held it back.

My voice trembled when I spoke. "My biggest regret is treating you like one of my own. I let a snake into the house. You and Julian… both of you are scumbags!"

Zoe's face went cold. The sweetness vanished. Her eyes were full of contempt.

She hissed, "Who do you think you are? Some high-and-mighty princess?"

She stepped closer. Her voice dripped with irritation and humiliation. "Julian got tired of you a long time ago! He's into me now. He can't get enough of me."

I dug my nails into my palms and said nothing.

She continued, her voice dripping with smugness, "Everything you have will soon be mine. Your shares. And your husband."

I looked at her flat stomach and let out a bitter smile.

She had already won. She had the papers, my man, and his baby.

Zoe stepped even closer. Her eyes brimmed with barely contained malice.

"And now I'm carrying Julian’s child. If you know what's good for you, you'll get out of his life for good. Otherwise, you're just the other woman. The homewrecker!"

The heat rushed to my head, and before I could stop myself, my hand flew up and slapped Zoe hard across the face. "Shut up!"

Zoe let out a sharp cry and clutched her cheek. Then, as if she had rehearsed it a thousand times, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

She looked up at me with the perfect expression of a wounded victim. "Ah! Isabella, why did you hit me? What did I do wrong?"