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?"

The words had barely left Zoe’s mouth when the door burst open.

Julian stormed in, shoved me aside with brutal force, and pulled Zoe protectively behind him.

My feet lost their grip on the floor. I flew backward and slammed into the sharp edge of the desk.

A searing pain shot through my lower back, and my vision went black for a moment.

Julian didn't even glance at me. He wrapped his arms around Zoe and held her close, his icy eyes fixed on me. "Bella! How could you hit Zoe?"

I tried to push myself up, but my body wouldn't cooperate. The pain was too much.

Zoe pressed her hand to her reddened cheek and curled into his chest. Her voice came out trembling. "Don't blame Bella, Julian... it's my fault. I'm clumsy. I always make her angry. She helped me once, and I have nothing to give her in return. So if she wants to hit me or yell at me, I deserve it…"

A flash of tenderness crossed Julian's eyes. He turned to me, his voice cold and sharp. "Zoe is young. She doesn't know any better. When did you become so petty, Bella?"

"Julian..." I was drenched in cold sweat. My hand pressed against my throbbing lower back, and my voice came out weak, pleading. "It hurts so much... please, just take me to the hospital..."

Before I could finish, Zoe suddenly clutched her stomach and doubled over with a pained cry. "Ah! Julian... my stomach... it hurts so much..."

Julian's expression changed instantly. He didn't spare me a single glance. He scooped Zoe into his arms and strode toward the door. "Don't worry. I'm taking you to the hospital right now. You will be fine. I promise."

He carried her out of the room. His footsteps faded down the hallway.

Then I heard the front door slam. The engine of his car roared to life and peeled away.

I was alone.

I lay curled on the cold floor. The icy tiles pressed against my cheek.

The world fell silent around me, broken only by the ragged sound of my breathing and the unrelenting agony radiating from my waist.

I didn't know how long I stayed there. When I finally gathered enough strength, I reached for my phone with trembling fingers and called for an ambulance.

By the time the paramedics arrived, I was barely conscious. The last thing I remembered was being lifted onto a stretcher. Then everything went dark.

When I woke up, I found myself in a hospital room.

The sharp scent of disinfectant filled the air. The room was quiet and empty. No one sat by my bedside. No Julian.

I let out a bitter laugh. How pathetic did I look? Lying here all alone while he was somewhere else, taking care of Zoe.

I struggled to sit up and reached for the glass of water on the nightstand. Then I heard it—Julian's voice, soft and tender, drifting through the wall from the room next door.

I froze. So Julian was in the same hospital.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed. Every movement sent a fresh wave of agony through my back. I gritted my teeth and stumbled to my feet. I held onto the wall for support, shuffling out of my room and down the hallway.

I stopped outside the door next to mine. It was slightly ajar.

I peered through the gap.

Inside, Zoe lay in bed, her face pale. Tears glistened in her eyes as she smiled up at Julian.

The room was crowded with doctors and nurses. They hovered around her, running tests, checking monitors. Everyone was so focused on her.

Julian sat at her bedside, holding her hand. His grip was firm, gentle. His eyes—the same eyes that used to look at me with so much love—were soft and worried.

"Don't be scared," he whispered. "Everything is fine. The baby is fine too."

Their hands were intertwined. They looked like a young couple deeply in love.

The sight cut through me like a knife.

And what about me? What was I, then? I was his wife. I was supposed to be the one holding his hand.

I leaned against the cold wall and slid down to the floor. My knees gave out. I couldn't stand anymore.

I pressed my hand to my chest. The ache there was worse than my back. It was a different kind of pain. The kind that didn't heal with medicine.

I didn't know how long I sat there. When my legs finally went numb, I pulled myself up using the wall for support and returned to my room.

I ignored the nurses who tried to stop me. I checked myself out against medical advice since I felt the desperate need to get out of there.

I drove back to the house we used to share. Our house. The one where I had dreamed of growing old with Julian.

I walked into the bedroom and pulled out my suitcase. I packed only the essentials. My passport. A few changes of clothes. And one photograph—our very first picture together.

It was taken at the library entrance, on the day we met. A stranger had offered to snap it for us. I had kept it hidden inside a book all these years.

Everything Julian had ever given me—the jewelry, the designer watches, the limited-edition bags—I left behind. I didn't want any of it.

Our wedding photo still sat on the nightstand. I stared at it for a long moment. Then I picked it up, tore it in half, and kept the half with my face. The half with his face went straight into the trash.

When I finished, I grabbed my suitcase and walked out of that gilded cage without looking back.

Soon, I arrived at the airport as the first light of dawn broke over the horizon. I was leaving this city behind. I was leaving everything behind.

The airline attendant smiled warmly as she handed back my documents. "Have a wonderful trip, ma’am."

I had used my family connections to acquire a fake identity—a one-way ticket to a small town in the south of France.

I sat in the waiting area and pulled out my phone. I was going to erase every trace of Isabella. The name. The life. The history.

I thought about eight years ago. Julian had held my hand on the Brooklyn Bridge and watched fireworks explode across the night sky.

"Bella, you're mine," he had said, "You're never leaving my side. Not for the rest of your life."

But you were wrong, Julian. For the rest of my life—I would never have you in my world again.

Meanwhile, Julian had finally put Zoe to sleep. He stepped out of her room and walked to the room next door. The bed was empty. A nurse was stripping the sheets.

A strange unease crept into his chest—a hollow feeling, like he had lost something precious and didn't know it until now.

"Where's the patient in this room?" he asked worriedly.

The nurse glanced up at him. "Are you family? The young lady checked herself out last night."

"What?" Julian's heart dropped. He fumbled for his phone and dialed my number.

A cold, mechanical voice answered, "The number you have dialed is no longer in service."

His face went pale. He called the villa's housekeeper immediately. "Where's my wife? Put her on the phone!"

There was a pause on the other end. Then the housekeeper's voice came back, hesitant and nervous. "Mr. Reed... your wife was gone. She took her suitcase and left this morning..."