Since the Gilbert family had accepted me, I was expected to become a proper Mrs. Gilbert.

Harrison said he'd always envied those couples who came home to a warm meal prepared by someone who loved them.

So I poured most of my time into learning to cook nutritious meals and devoted myself entirely to taking care of his daily life.

That was exactly when Gloria was brought into the company under the pretense of sharing my workload.

Step by step, she took over my position and stole the man I loved.

I carried the food the restaurant owner had prepared back to the hospital room. Harrison's eyes lit up, and he opened the containers eagerly.

"All these years, I've thought about your cooking more times than I can count. No one understands my palate the way you do. Sibyl, I—"

He took the first bite and his brow furrowed tight. He clamped down on his lip and barely managed to swallow. His gaze slid to me, suspicious. "Sibyl, did you even taste this yourself?"

"Why? Is it bad? It's been a long time since I've cooked. If it's not to your liking, just toss it. I'll order you something else." I picked up the container and started toward the door, but Harrison grabbed my arm.

"No, it's... it's good." He steeled himself and shoveled another large bite into his mouth.

Half reassuring me, half reassuring his own stomach, he said, "Your skills were always excellent. A little more practice and it'll all come back."

"I don't think so. Ever since that time I brought you lunch at the office, I haven't been able to get the flavors right. So I just stopped trying."

The moment the words left my mouth, Harrison's chopsticks froze mid-air. He remembered.

There had been a time when I hadn't completely given up on him. I'd foolishly believed that warmth and love could pull him back on track.

So after learning he'd drunk too much at a dinner the night before, I spent the next morning carefully preparing a stomach-soothing meal and brought it to the office.

But outside his door, I heard the unmistakable sounds of muffled moaning.

I stormed in and demanded to know why he still refused to show any restraint, why he insisted on making it everyone's business.

He couldn't have cared less. "We didn't exactly send you an invitation. If you don't want to see it, stay home where you belong. Keep making scenes and I'll start reconsidering whether you even deserve the title of Mrs. Gilbert."

I stood rooted to the spot, staring at him in disbelief.

He scoffed, took the meal container from my hands, opened it, and set it down in front of Gloria's dog.

The dog sniffed it once, then turned away and curled up on his desk.

"See? Even the dog won't touch your cooking."

After that day, I continued having the restaurant owner prepare three meals a day to my specifications.

I brought them to the hospital room, and Harrison ate every last bite without leaving a single grain of rice. He never said another word about the taste.

During the day, Harrison kept up the act with me, pretending to be broke. At night, he listened to his assistant's work reports.

Days passed, and the exhaustion became impossible to hide.

I knew Gilbert Corp was fighting for the Northgate project. Only if that deal went through could Harrison secure his footing on the board.

More than once, I caught him secretly handling work on his phone, only to shove it out of sight the moment he noticed me watching.

I said nothing. I simply carved out more time to stay by his side.

He took my presence as a sign that I was softening, and bragged to his friends. "Sibyl's still head over heels for me. So what if she finds out the truth someday? I put a billion-dollar project on the back burner just to win her back. She'll only fall harder."

"A little suffering now is nothing. I'm getting the project and the girl."

Soon enough, the day of his discharge arrived. After the paperwork was done, Harrison led me to the hospital rooftop with a secretive grin.

The entire space was blanketed in expensive flowers. Balloons and ribbons drifted through the air, shimmering like fireworks against the sky.

A crowd of elegantly dressed guests stood chatting and laughing together. The moment they spotted us, every head turned at once.

Harrison dropped to one knee. "Sibyl, from beginning to end, you're the only woman I've ever loved. These years without you have been nothing but agony. When we found each other again, I finally understood that you've loved me all along too."

"Marry me. I know I'm bankrupt, but it's only temporary. I'll give you back the life you had before, every bit of it."

I didn't answer. Instead, I let my gaze drift across the crowd of his friends, one face at a time. A few of them looked away, unable to hold my stare.

Only Brent stepped forward.

"We were out of line last time. We admit that. But Harrison wouldn't take our money. He said if we were truly sorry, we should help him set up a proposal instead." Brent gestured at the rooftop around us. "Look at him. He's lost everything, and the first thing on his mind is still you. You should appreciate how hard these years have been for him. Take the win and let it go."

Harrison seemed to steel himself, then pointed at the civil affairs bureau visible in the distance. "Sibyl, I mean it this time. If you don't believe me, we'll go get our marriage license right now. I know all you've ever wanted is a real home."

"You're saying you want to give me a home?" I looked him dead in the eye.

"Yes." His gaze was unwavering.

I couldn't help but laugh.

A home from Harrison Gilbert. Who in their right mind would want that?

He seemed to have forgotten the night I left, when he brought Gloria into our marital home under the guise of "work." The home I'd decorated with my own hands, down to every last detail.

I screamed at him, told her to get out.

Gloria didn't flinch. She just stood behind Harrison, smiling that smug, satisfied smile.

Because Harrison said, "Who gave you the right to throw out someone of mine? This house is a Gilbert family asset. It's in my name."

He shoved me out the door. "A man of my status was never going to have just one woman. If you still haven't figured out how to be Mrs. Gilbert, go stand outside and think about it."

I dug my nails into my palms, hauled myself up off the ground, and walked out under the watchful eyes of the household staff.

The night was freezing. The sky was pitch black.

I had no luggage, no phone. Forget money; I didn't even have a tissue on me.

Just as I was wiping my tears with the back of my hand, a car pulled up in front of me.

The window rolled down, revealing a face that was both familiar and ice-cold. "Get in. We need to talk."

The memory of that face made me smile out loud.

"Sibyl, you're smiling! That means yes, doesn't it?"

Harrison's delighted voice cut through my memories.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out a ring, and slid it onto the ring finger of my right hand.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gilbert. I'm already married."

At that exact moment, Harrison's assistant burst through the rooftop door in a panic.