A couple of months had pasted living with Dom.
We usually spent everyday together from the time of our honeymoon doing all sorts of things, from dates and adventures, to even joining him in business meetings.
And all the sudden the house was to quiet.
It wasn't the kind of quiet that calmed you — it was the kind that clung to your skin. Dominic had left for a meeting downtown, and I couldn't sit still. Every room I wandered through felt too big, too polished, too perfect. And I didn't know why my chest was so tight — just that something didn't feel right.
I found myself standing outside his office.
I knew I shouldn't go in. That unspoken boundary between us — that room was his sanctuary. But maybe I didn't care about boundaries anymore. Not when my entire life was one blurred line.
The handle turned easily. Unlocked.
I stepped inside.
It was just like him — cold, meticulous, expensive. His desk sat in the center like a throne. Everything was in place. No dust, no clutter. Just control.
And I'd had enough of control.
I went to the drawers. First one — pens, watches, cufflinks. Second — invoices, project folders. Nothing personal.
Then the third.
I saw it the second I opened it.
A thick folder. Clean white label.
"Harper Family – Closure Report."
My hands froze. The air rushed out of my lungs. I didn't know why I picked it up — maybe I already knew what I'd find.
I sat on the floor, my back against the wall, and opened it.
Inside were memos… timestamps… emails between executives at Blackwell Holdings. Financial breakdowns. Legal filings. Everything.
Every. Single. Step.
He didn't stop the bookstore from being shut down.
He didn't rescue my family like he claimed.
He orchestrated the collapse from the beginning.
He already shut it down… before he ever offered me that deal.
I couldn't breathe.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I clutched the folder to my chest. My whole life, I thought I'd made a sacrifice to protect my parents. I thought this marriage — this entire twisted arrangement — was saving them.
But it had all been a lie.
He didn't save me.
He cornered me.
He used me.
A sob ripped through my throat. My hands were shaking, my face soaked with tears. I pressed my fist against my mouth to stop the sounds, but I couldn't. It hurt too much.
He let me think I had a choice.
He made me believe I still had power.
And the worst part?
Somewhere along the way… I started falling for him. I started believing he wasn't the villain I thought he was.
But now?
Now I knew better.
And I didn't know how I'd ever look him in the face again.