Did she think I was a fool?

Lies that clumsy might have worked once. Even twice. But three times, four times? I'd injured my kidney, not my brain.

"You're right, we really should thank Daniel properly."

As Bella spoke, her right hand drifted unconsciously to her lower belly, her eyes soft with a sweetness that had nothing to do with me.

"Honey, I have a suggestion. Tell me what you think?"

I nodded. "Go ahead."

"Well..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Here's what I was thinking. Daniel's been my personal assistant for a year now. He knows every aspect of how the company operates. So I'd like to promote him to Director of the General Manager's Office. And to give him a real sense of belonging, I want to reward him with fifteen percent of the company's shares."

My expression didn't change.

Director of the General Manager's Office. Fifteen percent of the company. Quite the generous package.

"Sure," I said. "But where would that fifteen percent come from?"

Bella looked at me with guilt pooling in her eyes. "Honey, could we take it from your shares?"

Before I could respond, she rushed to explain. "Don't overthink this. I know the seventy percent you hold was compensation for nearly dying to save me, and it's a symbol of our love. But I'm doing this for the company. For our future. You understand that, don't you?"

I nodded. "I understand. But if I remember correctly, when you transferred those shares to me five years ago, you promised you'd never take them back or give them to anyone else. I have absolute authority over them, including selling them to a third party. Isn't that right?"

The color shifted in Bella's face. After a beat, she forced a smile. "That's right. You have a good memory. Of course I haven't forgotten either. It's just that—"

"Good. As long as you haven't forgotten." I cut her off, turned, and headed toward the bedroom. "It's late. Let's get some sleep."

"Honey!"

She threw her arms around me from behind, her voice cracking.

"Are you angry? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to give up your shares. Can you forgive me?"

I let out a sigh, turned around, and gently pushed her away.

"I'm not angry. And I'll give the fifteen percent to Daniel."

"Really?"

Tears still clung to her lashes as she studied my face, searching every inch of it.

"Really."

But whether Melody would hand those shares over to Daniel was none of my concern anymore.

I didn't let a single thing show on my face.

Bella's tears dissolved into a smile.

"You're so good to me!"

Then a coy blush crept across her cheeks. "Honey, let's have a baby."

"A baby?" A bitter laugh escaped me. "How? Strictly speaking, I'm not even a real man anymore."

The damage to my kidney, the inability to father a child—that was a wound that would never heal.

"Don't say that. It hurts me to hear it." Bella's face crumpled with tenderness. She reached up and stroked my cheek, then pressed herself against my chest, her skin warm against mine.

"We could adopt," she murmured.

My expression went cold. I looked down at the woman nestled in my arms, nuzzling her cheek against my chest with that blissful smile on her face.

So that was her plan. She wanted to fabricate a legitimate identity for the child growing inside her.

Clever. Very clever.

Being taken for a fool wasn't enough. She wanted me to play the happy father too.

In that moment, staring at the face I'd once loved down to the marrow of my bones, the face I'd been utterly captivated by, all I felt was revulsion.

Every word out of her mouth was love—but from Daniel's promotion to the shares to manufacturing an identity for her unborn child, every single step had been calculated.

What a joke.

Bella Simmons!

Since you were so good at scheming, how could I not lend you a hand?

The next morning, Bella kissed my forehead gently before leaving.

"Honey, I left breakfast in the microwave for you. Remember to eat when you get up. I also laid out your outfit for tonight's promotion ceremony. Don't forget to change into it."

I kept my eyes closed and let out a soft "Mm."

"See you tonight, honey!"

She kissed my forehead once more.

I listened to her footsteps fade, listened to the door open and close, then opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a while before getting out of bed to wash up.

Inside the microwave sat a bowl of oatmeal and some stuffed pastries—my favorites. On the hanger hung a white suit, pressed to crisp perfection without a single wrinkle.

I never actually liked white. It reminded me of hospitals, reminded me that I wasn't really a man anymore.

But Bella liked it. So for five years, I'd forced myself to swallow the discomfort and pretend I liked it too.

Now I could finally be myself.

I didn't touch the oatmeal or the pastries. I didn't put on the white suit. Instead, I pulled a black suit from the closet, changed into it, grabbed the old share transfer agreement, and walked out the door.

When I arrived at Melody's office, she looked me up and down before breaking into a smile. "You look very handsome today!"

I pulled a chair across from her and sat down. "Are you saying I wasn't handsome before?"

"You were, but today there's something different. Something..." She searched for the word.

"Like a new beginning?"

"Yes! Exactly!" Melody clapped her hands together. "Before, no matter where you showed up, you were always trailing behind Bella like some accessory hanging off her arm. But now you're just... you."

"An accessory? Is that really how you saw me?" I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

She wasn't wrong, though. Back then, Bella was the only thing in my world. I couldn't see anyone else. I couldn't even see myself.

"Alright, enough catching up." I placed the share transfer agreement on the desk. "Ms. Gilbert, one share for one million dollars. Seventy shares total. Seven billion. Not a penny more, not a penny less."

Melody smiled and produced her own share transfer agreement, setting it on the desk beside mine.

I frowned. "What's this supposed to mean?"

"A share swap."

She pointed at the agreement I'd brought, then at the one she'd laid out.

"I could scrape together seven billion to buy your shares, but it would shatter Gilbert Group's cash flow overnight. I don't do deals that destroy me just to win."

"So here's my offer: my seventy percent of Gilbert Group for your seventy percent of Simmons Corp. You agree, and starting today, you become Gilbert Group's majority shareholder with absolute authority. You won't be getting the short end of this deal."

I froze. I hadn't expected Melody to propose a share swap. But she was right. This deal didn't shortchange me at all.

"Aren't you worried I'll just turn around and sell off the Gilbert shares the moment the ink dries?"

"You won't."

She shook her head, her tone carrying absolute certainty.

"You nearly threw your life away to save Bella Simmons, and then you sat on a mountain of gold—seventy percent of Simmons Corp—for five years without touching a cent. That tells me everything I need to know about the kind of man you are."

I fell silent.

With Bella—my wife—all I'd ever felt was deception and manipulation. Yet here, with Melody—my wife's sworn rival—all I felt was genuine sincerity.

The irony was almost too bitter to swallow.

I exhaled slowly and extended my hand. "Ms. Gilbert, I look forward to working together."

"A pleasure doing business!"

Melody's lips curved into a dazzling smile.

With the deal settled, I asked, "Any interest in watching a good show tonight, Ms. Gilbert?"

Her eyes lit up.

"A show starring Bella Simmons? I'm very interested."

That evening, Melody and I arrived together at Simmons Corp headquarters.

The moment Bella spotted us, her expression shifted. She strode over, latched onto my arm, and fixed Melody with a hard stare.

"What are you doing here? I don't recall sending you an invitation."

Melody glanced down at Bella's fingers digging into my arm, amusement playing across her face. "Your husband invited me. Why? Am I not welcome?"

Bella whipped her head toward me, eyes wide with disbelief. "Honey, is that true?"

Before I could respond, Daniel sauntered over with a grin. "Ms. Simmons, it doesn't matter who invited Ms. Gilbert. She's here, so she's a guest. Business rivalries are business rivalries. No need to make things personal."

He extended a hand toward Melody with a polished smile.

"Ms. Gilbert, a pleasure!"

Melody folded her arms across her chest and let out a derisive scoff.

Daniel's smile froze.

"Melody Gilbert, don't push it," Bella snapped.

I caught Melody's eye and gave her a subtle look. She nodded, then stretched lazily and stifled a yawn. "Boring. Owen, I'll wait for you inside. Don't take too long."

She hadn't made it ten steps before Bella seized my arm, her grip tight with anxiety. "Since when are you two so close?"

"You're reading into it," I said evenly. "We bumped into each other outside and walked in together. That's all."

"Really?"

"Really."

Bella exhaled, visibly relieved, then fixed me with a stern look. "Stay away from that woman. She's bad news."

I almost laughed.

Melody is bad news, but you're not?

Betrayal. Manipulation.

What right did you have to call anyone else bad news?

"Why aren't you wearing the suit I picked out for you?"

Only then did Bella notice I wasn't in the white suit she'd prepared. Her brow furrowed.

"Didn't fit," I said casually. "Too small."

Bella blinked, then pressed her lips together. "Honey, you..."

A secretary rushed over before she could finish. "Ms. Simmons, everything's ready. You can go on stage for the opening remarks."

"Got it. Do one final check. Nothing can go wrong tonight." Bella waved the secretary away, then turned back to me. "Honey, I need to head in. After this is over, there's something I want to talk to you about."

I smiled and nodded. "Go ahead."

The second Bella was out of earshot, Daniel sidled up and gave me a mocking thumbs-up. "Impressive. You already know Bella's going to toss you aside, so you've latched onto Melody Gilbert. I've got to hand it to you, Owen. That's resourceful."

"Say what you actually mean," I said coldly.

"You—" Daniel's face twisted with irritation, but it quickly melted into a sneer. "Owen, running your mouth is the only thing you're good at. Just watch. That fifteen percent was only the beginning. Bella, the rest of your shares, everything you have, I'm going to take it all. Piece by piece."

"Be my guest." I gave him a nod and walked toward the main hall.

The real show was about to begin.