Chapter 2

Zoe's eyes instantly welled up. She yanked the ID badge from around her neck. Her fingers trembled as she held it out.

She sobbed, her voice shaking with choked emotion. "Isabella, I know I'm too clumsy. I always cause you trouble. I-I'll write my resignation right now and leave the company. I won't bother you anymore."

I watched her performance. The quivering lip. The tears that fell so perfectly. She had mastered this act.

And Julian fell for it every single time.

His brow furrowed immediately. When he looked at me, his eyes carried unmistakable displeasure.

"Bella, Zoe already admitted she was wrong. Why do you have to be so harsh?" His voice was sharp and accusing. "She's my secretary. If she makes a mistake, I'll take responsibility. If you're angry, take it out on me. Don't make things difficult for her."

I stared at him. This man used to defend me against the world. Now he was defending another woman against me.

Without another word, he grabbed Zoe by the wrist and led her out of my office.

I sat in my chair in a daze for a long moment.

I remembered when we got married, Julian had held my hand and promised me that if I ever grew disappointed in him, I could leave anytime.

He had said affectionately, "Bella, this company exists because you believed in me when I was building it from nothing. I will never let you down."

I thought we would never part. I thought our love was unbreakable.

I never imagined he would give away my shares to Zoe.

Julian had made his choice. He didn't care about me anymore. So why would I cling to him?

I had spent three years loving him in silence, hiding our marriage, swallowing my pride. But I wasn't going to wait around for scraps of affection he threw my way out of guilt.

I was going to file for divorce.

Then I picked up my phone and called the Gambino family's personal attorney.

My voice came out flat, almost chillingly calm. "I need two documents. First, all shares and assets under my name—transfer them into the family trust fund. Change the beneficiary to my father. Second, draft a divorce agreement."

"Understood."

After work, I drove alone to the law firm.

My private attorney, James, slid a stack of documents across the desk toward me. His expression was grim.

"Isabella, there's something you need to know… The system shows that your marriage to Mr. Reed was dissolved a month ago."

I froze. It felt like ice water had been dumped over my head. Every nerve in my body went numb.

"What did you say?" My voice cracked.

James opened one of the pages. He turned the screen toward me. "Mr. Reed filed a petition through special procedures a month ago, requesting that your marriage be declared void. "

He paused and looked at me with pity. "And in his latest family records, under spouse, he listed Zoe."

My vision blurred. I gripped the edge of the desk.

Then I was told the date of their marriage registration was July twentieth.

That day, I had been alone in the hospital, hooked up to an IV. A sudden high fever from overwork.

I called Julian countless times, yet he never answered.

I thought he was in an important international conference.

It turned out, he was registering his marriage with Zoe.

He had been lying to me all along. How could he be so cruel?

I drove home in a daze. My hands gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white.

The moment I pushed open the door, the smell of home-cooked food hit me. Warm. Rich. Something savory.

And there was Julian, standing in the open kitchen. An apron tied around him, a pan in hand—he moved with ease.

Zoe was right beside him. She leaned into his arm. She pointed at something playfully and laughed.

I froze in the doorway. The sight in front of me shattered something inside my chest.

Zoe spotted me first. She let go of Julian's arm. Her face broke into a sweet smile.

"Isabella, you're back!" she chirped.

She welcomed me like she owned the place, like I was just some guest in her home.

She pressed a fork into my hand.

"Come look! Julian knows I haven't been feeling well today, so he made me a special meal—all my favorites!"

I looked at the table. There were dishes I had never seen him make.

Julian didn't say a word. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

My chest ached. I had begged him to cook with me so many times. He always had an excuse—too busy, too tired.

But here he was, doing it all for Zoe. For her, he had all the time in the world.

Zoe picked up a shrimp and tried to peel it. But she fumbled clumsily. The shrimp dropped on the floor.

Julian reacted almost instinctively. His brow creased. He took her hand and examined it carefully. His thumb brushed over her fingers like she was made of glass.

"Just sit there and wait," he said. "Stop making a mess for me."

His tone was scolding. But the tenderness in his movements betrayed him.

The way he held her hand. The way his eyes softened. They cut through me like a dull blade, slicing into my chest with every little gesture.