Chapter Five: The First Crack in the Ice

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• Betrayed By My Husband,I Marry His Enemy.   Chapter Twenty

  I didn’t know what to feel anymore.Shock, fear, betrayal—they all blurred into a cold, quiet numbness as Leon’s words echoed in my mind: You were the target.The woman I’d spent a decade mourning had survived a hit meant for me.It should’ve been impossible. But with Leon Castello, impossibility felt like a daily occurrence.---The next morning, I woke to the sound of my phone vibrating nonstop. Dozens of missed calls, texts, emails—all screaming the same thing.BREAKING: CASTELLO IMPLICATED IN CORPORATE ESPIONAGE SCANDAL.My heart dropped.I rushed out of bed and into the living room. Leon was already dressed, suited up in dark navy, his tie perfectly knotted like it was just another Tuesday.“What the hell happened?” I asked.He glanced up from his laptop, calm. Too calm. “Daniel leaked internal communications between my team and Valencia Biotech. Claims we hacked their R&D files.”My blood turned to ice. “Did you?”He raised a brow. “No. But he framed it well. Clean metadata, doc

• Betrayed By My Husband,I Marry His Enemy.   Chapter Nineteen

  Leon didn’t answer. His silence said more than any confession could. His fingers slowly reached for the phone, but I was already walking away.I didn’t want him to see the tears building in my eyes again. I hated how vulnerable I felt around him—how quickly he unraveled every wall I’d spent years fortifying.But I didn’t leave the penthouse. I wandered into the guest room, shut the door behind me, and collapsed onto the edge of the bed. My mind raced.What did she remember? What had they done to her? Who else had known she was alive while I mourned her for years?---The next day was chaos.Daniel’s firm launched a full-on assault on Leon’s holdings—leaked files, stock manipulation, subtle sabotage of key contracts. It wasn’t just a business hit—it was a warning.“Strategic warfare,” Leon muttered to his lawyer on the phone.I stood in the corner of his office, arms crossed, watching him unravel for the first time. Not in anger. Not in fury. But in quiet, terrifying exhaustion.Leon C

• Betrayed By My Husband,I Marry His Enemy.   Chapter Eighteen

  The wind didn’t let up.I stood there, on the rooftop, my fingers gripping the cold steel of the railing like it could anchor me to reality. Leon’s words hung in the air, too heavy to float away."The same man who’s coming for you now."I turned to him slowly. "Why? Why would someone want my mother dead? Why me?"Leon’s jaw tightened. "Because of who she was. And who you are.""Stop speaking in riddles!" I snapped. My voice cracked, but I didn’t care. "I deserve to know what’s going on. No more secrets."He took a step closer, then another. And for once, he didn’t try to calm me with sweet words or half-answers."You’ll know everything soon," he said. "But tonight, I just want to be with you. Please."I should’ve told him to go to hell. But the storm inside me was too loud to battle alone.---Later, back in the penthouse, the power cut out.One minute the chandeliers were humming with soft golden light, the next, darkness swallowed the room whole.I blinked into the void. "Seriously?

• Betrayed By My Husband,I Marry His Enemy.   Chapter Seventeen

  I didn’t sleep.Not really. My brain refused to shut off. My mother—alive. Somewhere, hooked up to hospital monitors, breathing air I hadn’t imagined she’d breathe again. No warning, no message. Just a digital record dropped into my lap like a bomb.By morning, Leon had arranged a flight to the private medical facility. But I told him to delay it by twenty-four hours. I needed time. To think. To process. To decide if I even wanted to open that door again.That afternoon, while Leon disappeared for meetings, I wandered through the penthouse. Aimless. Hollow. Every polished surface and sleek corner felt colder than usual. I ended up in his study, a place I rarely entered unless summoned.Stacks of documents lined his desk. Contracts, investment portfolios, something about a new biotech firm. I barely skimmed any of it.Then I noticed it.A photo.Framed. Small. Hidden behind a stack of books on the lower shelf.I picked it up.My breath caught.It was me.Younger. Maybe twenty-one? Hair

• Betrayed By My Husband,I Marry His Enemy.   Chapter Sixteen

  The second I saw my face on the front page of that gossip site, I knew the calm was temporary. My phone buzzed nonstop. Calls from reporters, texts from acquaintances pretending to check in—parasitic curiosity masquerading as concern. I shut it off and dropped it onto the marble kitchen counter like it had burned me.Leon didn’t say a word that morning. Instead, he quietly placed a tray in front of me: a toasted croissant, a bowl of sliced strawberries, and a mug of freshly brewed chamomile tea. Not coffee—he remembered."Eat," he said simply, pouring himself an espresso.I looked up at him, confused. "You made this?""Don’t look so surprised."I blinked, still stuck on the image of him personally buttering a croissant. "You have people for this.""I’m aware. Eat."I took a small bite. Flaky. Buttery. Just the right amount of strawberry jam. "Thank you."He nodded, already halfway through checking his tablet. But I caught the quick flicker of something behind his eyes—concern? Guilt?

• Betrayed By My Husband,I Marry His Enemy.   Chapter Fifteen : Vanessa Strikes Back

  The morning sun filtered through the penthouse windows, casting long shadows on the marble floor. I sat at the kitchen island, nursing a cup of coffee, the bitter taste matching the turmoil in my stomach. The previous night's revelations played on a loop in my mind: Sarah's betrayal, the resurfacing of old secrets, and the looming threat to my marriage. Leon entered, his expression unreadable. He poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter opposite me. "We need to present a united front, " he said, breaking the silence."Agreed. "He nodded, taking a sip. "There's a charity gala tonight. The Castello Foundation is a major sponsor. It would be beneficial for us to attend together. "I hesitated, the thought of facing the public after the recent scandal daunting. "Do you think it's wise? ""It's necessary. "I sighed, nodding in agreement. "Then let's do it. "---The gala was held at the Grand Marquee, a lavish venue adorned with crystal chandeliers and opule