Chapter 1.

Jane's POV.

The door opened and I opened my eyes. For a brief second, I didn’t know where I was. The room felt unfamiliar, my body heavy, my neck stiff from sleeping at the wrong angle. Then reality settled in slowly, like dust after a fall. I had fallen asleep on the couch again.

I closed my eyes briefly, swallowing the familiar wave of disappointment. I couldn’t believe I had fallen asleep here again, even after promising myself again that I wouldn’t wait up for him anymore. That I would go to bed like a normal wife and stop clinging to hope that never showed up. But hope had always been my weakness.

He walked in without hesitation, without pause, his presence commanding the space without acknowledging it. His footsteps were measured, confident, like a man who knew exactly where he was going and had no reason to look around. No reason to look at me.

“Welcome,” I greeted softly, my voice rough from sleep.

He didn’t respond, not even a nod, nor even a glance.

He walked past me like I was part of the furniture, like I was something fixed and unmoving in his world, and strode straight into the bathroom. The door closed behind him with a soft, almost polite click. But that sound echoed louder in my chest than it should have.

I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and sank deeper into the couch, my shoulders curling inward as if trying to make myself smaller. My eyes burned, and I blinked rapidly, forcing the tears back. I knew better than this, I knew better than to expect anything. And yet, it still hurt every single time.

I wiped my face quickly, as if he might suddenly come back out and catch me in my weakness. Not that it mattered, he never looked at me long enough to notice anything—my tears, my silence, my existence.

The house felt too large in moments like this, too quiet. Every sound carried weight—the hum of the air conditioner, the ticking of the wall clock, the faint echo of running water beginning in the bathroom.

We were never supposed to be married. The thought drifted through my mind like a refrain I could never silence. We were never supposed to be married, but we did anyway. A marriage born not from love, or even convenience, but desperation.

After my father’s sudden death, everything fell apart so quickly I barely had time to grieve. One moment, he was there, strong, stubborn, full of plans for the future. The next, he was gone, leaving behind a company held together by trust and goodwill. A trust my brother shattered within months.

The company my father spent his entire life building was handed over to someone who didn’t understand restraint. Decisions were made too fast, risks taken too boldly. One bad investment led to another, loans taken to cover existing losses, promises made that couldn’t be kept. Until one day, the numbers stopped making sense, and the creditors stopped waiting. By the time the truth surfaced, it was already too late. Meetings turned frantic, calls went unanswered, the name my father had worked so hard to protect became a liability overnight. We were drowning.

And then he appeared.

A man powerful enough to erase our debt with a single signature. A man whose influence reached boardrooms and courtrooms alike. A man cold enough to look at our desperation and see opportunity.

He didn’t ask for money in return, he asked for marriage. Not for love, not for companionship, but for an heir. And I who was desperate, obedient, terrified of losing everything my father built became the unfortunate collateral.

I swallowed hard and pushed myself off the couch, my joints stiff from sleeping there night after night. My reflection caught briefly in the dark glass of the window—rumpled clothes, tired eyes, hair hastily tied back. I looked older than my years.

This house… this massive, beautiful house had never felt like a home. It felt like a waiting room, somewhere I stayed until my purpose was fulfilled.

I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water, my hands trembling slightly. The cool surface of the counter grounded me for a moment. I stared at the glass in my hand, watching the water ripple from the faint shake of my fingers.

Suddenly, it felt pointless, and I set the glass down without drinking and turned away, my chest tight. I didn’t need water, I needed something I couldn’t have.

I returned to the bedroom and sank back onto the couch just as the sound of the shower filled the space. The steady rush of water echoed through the walls, loud and impersonal.

We had been married for three years but there had always been a barrier between us. It has been three years of polite distance in public, three years of cold indifference in private, three years of carefully scheduled intimacy reduced to calculations and ovulation charts, three years of trying and failing to give him the heir he wanted.

The doctors said there was nothing wrong with either of us. No medical explanation, no reason, just time passing and hope slowly dying.

At first, I thought if I tried harder, if I was more patient, more understanding, more accommodating, he would eventually soften. That he would see me as more than a contract signed in desperation.

But I was wrong.

The bathroom door opened, and my body stiffened instinctively. He emerged already dressed, suit immaculate, tie perfectly knotted, cufflinks fastened with practiced precision. He didn’t look at me as he passed, his attention fixed on adjusting his watch. Always in control, always untouched. Even in the moments meant to bring us closer, there was distance. Everything between us felt mechanical, emotionless, like another obligation to fulfill. It was never lovemaking between us, it was a baby-making process.

Just like today, he had undressed in the bathroom and dressed again in the bathroom. No shared space, no proximity, no lingering touch.

“I’ll be late,” he said flatly.

I opened my mouth, unsure of what I wanted to say. Don’t go. Stay. Look at me. Instead, I nodded. “Okay.”

“Breakfast should be ready by now,” I added quietly. “You should have something before you leave.”

He didn’t respond.

“If you can’t wait for it, I’ll help you pack it so you can take it with you,” I said again, forcing my voice to remain steady.

He picked up his briefcase and moved toward the door, then he paused for half a second, just long enough to make my heart leap. Then he walked out without a word.

The sound of the door closing felt final. I stood there long after he was gone, staring at the space he had occupied. Slowly, I pressed a hand over my stomach, not consciously, just out of habit. A bitter smile curved my lips as I realized that there was still nothing, just an empty womb and a heavier heart.

I had told myself I would stop waiting up for him. Stop hoping for scraps of attention. Stop pretending this marriage would ever be more than what it was meant to be...a transaction.

And I was so tired.