Simon opened the door, looking like he was just on his way out.

Elianna dug her nails into her palm, forced a polite smile, and nodded. "Mr. Campbell."

Then, without another word, she walked right past him to deliver the documents.

Behind a sprawling executive desk sat Cayden in a sharply tailored suit, a choice that only amplified his devastating good looks.

But Elianna noticed something immediately—this wasn't the same suit he'd worn last night.

She lowered her gaze. "Mr. Evans, the marketing report needs your signature."

Cayden's face remained a mask. He signed the document and handed it back.

Elianna took the file and left without a word, noting that Simon was still standing by the door, a stunned look on his face.

It wasn't until her silhouette had vanished into the elevator that he finally spoke. "Shit. You think Anna heard that?"

Cayden's striking eyes didn't even flicker. Simon's concern meant nothing to him.

Elianna had always been accommodating, never the jealous type.

As long as she knew her place, he would make it worth her while.

Inside the elevator, Elianna tipped her head back, fighting the burn of tears.

But they slipped free anyway, tracing silent paths down her temples.

She'd thought two years would be enough. Enough for him to see her, to feel the depth of her love...

But it had all been wishful thinking.

No matter what she did, she could never compete with his first love.

By the time the doors slid open, Elianna had wiped her cheeks dry. Only the unnatural pallor of her face betrayed the storm she'd just weathered.

She forced herself toward the break room, needing a cup of coffee to steady her nerves.

She heard the snippets of conversation just before she stepped inside.

"Did you see the news? Valerie Wilson is back."

"Wait, who?"

"You don't know? The Wilson Group heiress. She's a famous designer. And the only woman our CEO has ever publicly dated. They say she was his first love!"

"What about the rumors between Mr. Evans and Ms. Briggs?"

"Her? Please. She was just a placeholder, a convenient bed warmer. Mr. Evans never even acknowledged her. The way she carries herself, like she's actually his wife... it's pathetic."

A bitter smile twisted Elianna's lips. They all saw it more clearly than she ever had.

She was the only one foolish enough to deny the truth.

"Well, well. Did the dream of being Mrs. Evans finally come crashing down?"

The mocking voice came from behind her. It was Chloe Williams, Cayden's cousin. Elianna had never gotten along with her.

Chloe had obviously overheard the gossip inside as well.

Not wanting a scene, Elianna turned to leave, but Chloe moved to block her path.

Holding her own cup of coffee, Chloe sneered. "Now that Valerie's back, do you really think Cayden still wants a cheap whore like you in his bed?"

Seeing Elianna's lack of reaction, Chloe pressed on, her voice dripping with venom.

"How about I introduce you to some old sugear daddies? With your talents in sex, what difference does it make who you're spreading your legs for?"

Elianna's hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her voice was dangerously calm. "This is a corporate office, not a brothel. If you're looking to pimp someone out, Ms. Williams, I suggest you take your business elsewhere."

"You...!"

Chloe realized Elianna was essentially calling her a pimp.

Her face twisted in rage.

Without warning, she hurled the entire cup of scalding coffee directly at Elianna.

Elianna never expected her to be that unhinged. She instinctively threw her hands up, but the boiling liquid splashed across her forearm. Her skin immediately flushed a vivid, angry red.

Elianna gasped in pain and anger. "Are you out of your mind?!"

It was break time, and the crowd of onlookers only seemed to make Chloe bolder.

Her expression was pure poison. "Don't you be so smug! Everyone knows you're nothing but a pathetic orphan—"

The sharp, stinging slap cut off the rest of her words.

Chloe froze, completely stunned. She had never, ever imagined the quiet, long-suffering Elianna would actually strike her.

It took her a moment to find her voice. "You... you actually hit me?!" she snarled.

Elianna looked at her coldly. "Someone had to teach you some manners."

She had lost her parents young, but she would never allow anyone to defame herself.

Chloe's face went livid. As Cayden's cousin, she was used to being fawned over. No one had ever laid a hand on her.

"You bitch!"

With a shriek, she lunged forward, her hand raised to slap Elianna back.

But this time, Elianna was ready. She caught Chloe's wrist in a vice-like grip.

Chloe was smaller than Elianna, and her frantic struggling only made her look ridiculous.

She was beyond livid, screaming mindlessly, "Who do you think you are? You're just Cayden's whore!"

Chloe's words were vile, and with every shout, the crowd of onlookers seemed to grow.

"Enough!"

A deep, authoritative voice cut through the noise. Cayden had just stepped out of his office, witnessing the entire spectacle.

Instant silence fell over the break room.

"Cayden?" Chloe was visibly afraid of him. Her older cousin was notoriously strict; even her own mother warned her to be on her best behavior around him.

But remembering she was the one who'd been hit, she found a sliver of courage. Pointing at her own red, swollen cheek, she whined, "Cayden, look what she did! She's gone crazy, she attacked me!"

The sun streamed through the window, carving Cayden's features into a sharp, unreadable silhouette.

A familiar, bitter sting filled Elianna's nose, a mix of injustice and the throbbing burn on her arm.

Their eyes met. Cayden frowned deeply. "Ms. Briggs, have you forgotten the company's rules of conduct?"

His coldness was a physical weight, pressing the air from her lungs.

A suffocating silence hung in the air.

She stood there, alone and exposed, her slender figure held ramrod straight. Despite everything, she remained unbowed.

From her first day, Cayden had made it clear: the office was not a stage for her emotions, and he would not tolerate any lack of composure.

Elianna understood. She could even accept his logic.

But right now, she desperately wanted to ask him if he had heard what Chloe said or if he simply agreed with it.

That she, Elianna, was nothing more than his whore.

The nosy employees had scattered the moment Cayden appeared, but a few bold ones lingered at a distance, eager to see how the drama would end.

Cayden's glacial gaze made her blood run cold.

Elianna dug her nails into her palm, fighting the overwhelming urge to break. Then, she lowered her head toward Chloe.

"I'm sorry. As an employee of the Evans Group, I should not have struck you."

Watching Elianna bow her head, Chloe lifted her chin in smug triumph. "Ha! Don't think a simple apology—"

But Elianna cut her off, her voice clear and steady. "That slap was personal. And for that, I am not sorry."

Without another glance at the man beside her, she turned on her heel and walked away, her shoulder brushing past his.

"You... you bitch!"

Chloe's face contorted with fury.

She was used to getting her way and had never been so thoroughly humiliated, especially by a woman she considered beneath her.

Tearing Elianna to pieces wouldn't be enough to erase the insult.

She was hysterical. "Cayden, did you hear her? She hit me and she's still acting so high and mighty! Get her back here! I want to tear her face off!"

Cayden's gaze followed Elianna's retreating figure, a dark shadow crossing his features.

"It ends here," he said, his voice like ice.

Chloe's methods had always been vicious. Seeing that Cayden hadn't immediately defended Elianna, she assumed Elianna meant nothing to him.

A venomous glint filled her eyes as she stared after Elianna. "Next time," she hissed through gritted teeth, "I'll pay someone to ruin that pretty face."

"Chloe!"

Cayden's eyes narrowed dangerously.

A chill ran down Chloe's spine.

His handsome face was thunderous. "I will only say this once. Keep your petty games to yourself. Stay away from her."

Suffocated by his terrifying aura, Chloe swallowed every vicious plan she had just begun to form.

"I-I... got it..." she stammered.

Cayden threw one last icy look at Chloe. As he walked away, he gave a command to Derek behind him. "From now on, no unauthorized persons are permitted inside."

Still oblivious, Chloe tried to curry favor. "A company this big needs proper rules. That's a good call."

The next second, Derek stepped forward, gesturing pointedly toward the exit. "Ms. Williams, this way, please."

It took a moment for the words to sink in. She was that unauthorized person. She tried to run after Cayden, but security guards, summoned by Derek, roughly grabbed her arms and dragged her toward the gate.

She screamed and struggled, but the guards were merciless.

......

Back in her office, Elianna changed into a fresh set of clothes.

Cayden's icy expression settled over her, a heavy, cold grief spreading through her chest.

When the workday finally ended, she found Derek blocking her path at the exit.

"Ms. Briggs," he said, "Mr. Evans had an urgent matter to attend to. He asked me to give you a ride."

Elianna refused.

For so long, she'd been blind. Now, she saw that... She was nothing to him.

Besides, Cayden would never have come with her to visit her grandmother anyway.

When Elianna arrived at the hospital, the caregiver was about to help her grandmother with dinner. Elianna took over, gently feeding her bite by bite.

Her grandmother had always lived alone in remote countryside. Last month, a routine checkup revealed pancreatitis. Against her protests, Elianna had insisted on bringing her to the city for proper treatment.

Her grandmother knew nothing about her secret marriage.

Elianna had planned to bring Cayden today. She'd wanted to give her grandmother a happy surprise. Now, the thought was just a bitter reminder.

Once her grandmother had fallen asleep, Elianna left the room and stood by the hospital entrance, waiting for a cab.

In the distance, a sleek black luxury car rolled to a stop at the main doors.

A flicker of hope ignited in Elianna's chest. That car... it was Cayden's.

Could he have come all this way for her?

In that instant, the hurt and humiliation of the day vanished.

If he came to find her here, didn't that mean that somewhere, deep down, he still cared about her?

The car door opened, and Cayden stepped out.

Elianna started toward him, her heart brimming with joy.

But in the next second, she froze.

She watched as Cayden walked around to the other side of the car, bent down, and carefully, so tenderly, lifted a girl out of the passenger seat and into his arms.

His handsome features were tight with worry and concern.

In that instant, all the color drained from Elianna's face. A sharp, shattering pain ripped through her, and something deep inside her finally broke.

Cayden's tall figure approached, then strode past her without a glance, not even breaking his stride.

Elianna couldn't tell if he hadn't noticed her or had simply chosen to ignore her.

But she had seen the woman in his arms, her face instantly recognizable from the news reports.

That was Valerie.

Elianna dragged herself out of the hospital, each step a leaden weight.

She was in a daze, numb from head to toe.

In the taxi, the driver asked, "Where to?"

Such a simple question, yet it left her stunned.

She didn't want to go back to Crest Estate. That villa might not be her home for much longer.

After a long pause, she finally answered, "Azure Apartments, please."

That apartment was bought in her own name after the wedding.

Back then, she'd pictured her grandmother living there one day. It was modest, but it was enough for two.

At the time, Cayden hadn't understood. He'd offered to buy her a bigger place, but she'd refused.

Looking back, that might have been the only right decision she had ever made.

When she arrived, she sat on a bench in the small park out front, letting the cold air wash over her, hoping it would clear her head.

She replayed their past in her mind, the sweet moments and the bitter ones.

Two years... Over seven hundred days and nights...

She had believed that even the coldest heart could be thawed with enough time and warmth.

But now, she could almost hear mocking laughter echoing in her ears, telling her it had all been her own foolish wishful thinking.

It was nearly midnight when Elianna finally went upstairs.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Cayden by her door.

His sleeves were rolled to his forearms, the top two buttons of his shirt undone, revealing the elegant line of his neck and the sharp angle of his collarbone. He looked as composed and effortlessly handsome as ever—infuriatingly so.

Elianna froze.

Wasn't he supposed to be at the hospital with Valerie? What was he doing here?

Their eyes met. Cayden's coat was draped over one arm, his other hand tucked loosely in his pocket as he watched her through narrowed eyes.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?"

His expression was flat, but his eyes were shadowed with fatigue, and a sharp edge of irritation laced his voice.

She pulled out her phone and saw it was on silent.

Five missed calls, all from Cayden.

In two years, this was a first.

Cayden had called her so many times to look for her.

Before today, her heart would have soared at the sight and she would have been ecstatic.

But now, Elianna just tossed the phone back into her bag, leaned against the wall, and said in a hoarse voice, "I didn't notice."

Cayden raised his wrist and glanced at his watch, his voice tight with impatience. "I've been looking for you for two hours."

He had settled Valerie in at the hospital, only to return to an empty house. When he couldn't find Elianna, he'd gone so far as to have Derek pull surveillance footage from near her office.

He never imagined she would come to Azure Apartments without a word.

"From now on, let me know where you're going. Let's go." Cayden turned and walked toward the elevator without a backward glance.

He meant for her to follow him back to Crest Estate.

Watching his broad back, Elianna felt a pang of longing and bitter loss.

From now on...

Did they even have any future?

Cayden turned, frowning when he saw her still standing there. "Are you waiting for me to carry you?"

His handsome face was sharply defined under the motion-sensor light, flawless and utterly remote.

Elianna took a deep breath and met his gaze. "Cayden, let's get a divorce."

"What did you just say?"

Cayden's voice dropped, turning cold. A shadow crossed his handsome features.

"I'm moving here. Soon, we won't have any relationship at all—"

Elianna forced a smile, but a sharp, unrelenting pain seized her chest.

"Relationship?"

Cayden's lips curled into a cold smirk. "Elianna, what kind of relationship do you think we have?"

The question made her breath catch in her throat.

Cayden had been clear from the beginning: theirs was a contract marriage. No feelings, just an arrangement. To the rest of Crestwick society, they were just employer and employee.

Cayden was still Crestwick's most eligible bachelor, the man every socialite was desperate to win.

Now, in her thoughts, his words were a clear warning, as if he feared she might try to cling to him.

Elianna bit her lower lip, swallowing the bitter taste in her throat. "You're right, Mr. Evans. My mistake. Take care on your way back and you can forget about Azure Apartments."

As she spoke, her eyes began to burn, and she fought back the sting of tears.

How could she not be heartbroken? This was the man she had loved for ten years.

But as hard as it was, she had to learn to let go.

She couldn't let herself become a laughingstock.

The hallway motion-sensor light flickered, casting the space in and out of shadow.

Cayden's eyes narrowed, his lips pressing into a hard line. His entire posture radiated a dangerous stillness.

He could tolerate her occasional moods, but this—this was crossing a line.

But his anger faltered when he saw the glint of tears in her eyes. His voice softened slightly. "If this is about Chloe—"

"It has nothing to do with her. Goodbye, Mr. Evans."

Chloe was hardly the only thing standing between them.

Exhausted, Elianna simply moved past him to unlock her door.

Her defiance grated on him.

He yanked at his tie in frustration, then closed the distance and seized her wrist.

"Enough."

His frown deepened. In the next instant, he spun her around by the shoulder and pulled her against his chest.

She felt scorching hot against him, as if he were holding a live coal.

"You have a fever?"

Dizzy and burning up, Elianna sagged against him, her legs threatening to give out.

The air between them crackled with a sudden intimacy.

He bent his head to check on her, his face so close it felt as if he might kiss her at any moment.

Elianna's fever-addled mind took a moment to catch up. When she registered their intimacy, she instinctively pressed her hands against his chest to push him away.

But before she could step back, his hands clamped around her waist, pulling her flush against him. "Why are you avoiding me?" Cayden said, his voice dangerously low.

The overhead light flickered. Before she could react, he swept her into his arms.

Without a moment's hesitation, he started toward the elevator.

With her mind fuzzy with fever, Elianna murmured, "What are you doing?"

Cayden's frown deepened. "Taking you to the hospital."

"No!"

Elianna cried out, the fog of her fever clearing in a rush of panic.

An IV, medication... the tiny life inside her wouldn't survive.

Even if this baby wasn't wanted, it was still hers. As long as it was inside her, she was its mother, and she had to protect it.

She struggled to get out of his arms, but his grip was unyielding. His arms were like steel bands, and she couldn't break free.

"You're sick. You need a doctor." He ignored her struggles, his tone leaving no room for argument.

As he carried her toward the elevator, Elianna's heart hammered in her chest. She grabbed his arm in desperation and blurted out, "I can't go to the hospital!"