12

I stood in the center of the room, heart pounding in my chest,not from the kiss, but from the sheer rage bubbling in my throat.

Nathan had just kissed me like he owned every part of me.

And now?

Now he stood there, calm, as if he hadn’t just devoured me in the heat of something he couldn’t even name.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I said, voice sharp and cold. “You don’t get to act jealous. You don’t get to kiss me like that,like I’m yours—then pretend like nothing happened.”

His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

“The contract,” I snapped, taking a step forward, “clearly stated that we wouldn’t interfere in each other’s private lives. You can have Amy. Hell, you can have five Amys for all I care. But I can’t even kiss someone else without you dragging me upstairs like I broke some sacred vow?”

Nathan took a step back, running a hand through his hair. “You don’t understand.”

“Oh, enlighten me, Mr. CEO.”

His eyes flicked to mine,guarded, unreadable. “Amy and I… we were just in a compromising position. Nothing happened.”

I laughed. Actually laughed.

“Really? Because the way her legs were around you didn’t exactly scream nothing.”

He opened his mouth to defend himself again, but stopped. And then, as if a switch flipped in his head, his expression changed. Hardened.

Cold.

“You should be more careful with what you do in public, Ivy. I married you to protect my image. Don’t forget that.”

There it was.

The slap of reality.

He didn’t see me as a person. Just a cover-up. A necessary shield.

I blinked back the sting in my eyes, refusing to let him see the effect his words had on me.

“Thanks for the reminder,” I said, voice quiet but loaded.

He adjusted his cuffs, completely unfazed.

“I’ll be downstairs.”

And just like that, he walked out leaving me in that lavish suite full of nothing but luxury and lies.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, my hands trembling.

*****

The drive home was a silent warzone.

No yelling.

No name-calling.

Just a thick, suffocating tension that filled the entire backseat like smoke.

Nathan sat beside me, scrolling through his phone like he hadn’t just kissed the soul out of me and walked away like it was a business transaction gone wrong.

I sat ramrod straight, arms folded tightly across my chest, refusing to even glance his way.

He didn’t say a word.

I didn’t either.

Fine.

Two could play the “emotionless billionaire” game.

When we finally pulled into the underground parking of the penthouse, I opened the door before the driver could even reach for it. My heels echoed with purpose as I stormed inside without waiting for him.

Not like he was going to say goodnight anyway.

I locked my bedroom door behind me and let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding all evening. My head hit the pillow, but sleep? That traitor didn’t show up until hours later.

*****

THE NEXT MORNING

The sound of my phone buzzing stirred me from a light sleep.

I blinked groggily, sunlight slipping through the sheer curtains like golden guilt.

It was a message from Tina.

Tina: Don’t you dare forget, babe. Brian’s concert tonight! 7PM. I already have our passes. You're welcome 😘

I groaned and smiled all at once, my heart doing a tiny flip.

Brian.

My forever celebrity crush.

My coping mechanism.

My delusional escape plan.

Honestly, I needed this concert more than I needed air right now.

I tapped a quick reply.

Me: I’d kiss you if you weren’t already obsessed with Brian yourself 😂 I’m in.

Concert with my best friend and the man of my dreams?

Exactly what I needed after the emotional rollercoaster Nathan Blake had become.

Let him mope in his silence and secrets.

I had a date with my sanity tonight.

It wasn’t even half-past ten when I heard the elevator chime.

Nathan had left for work barely an hour ago. The penthouse was quiet. Peaceful. I was still in my robe, sipping tea and scrolling through old Brian concert clips to hype myself up for tonight.

Then the bell rang again.

And with it came a voice I didn’t expect to hear this early in the day.

“Wow. So this is where the wife lives now?”

I stopped..

No.

Nope.

Not today.

Amy strode in like she paid the rent here. Her heels clacked against the marble, her red lips curved into a smirk that made me want to throw my mug,not out of fear, but sheer annoyance.

“Don’t you knock?” I asked, already turning away. I had absolutely no business entertaining her.

But apparently, she had business with me.

“I just came to remind you of something, darling,” she said, walking deeper into the living room, her perfume trailing behind her like smoke. “Nathan is mine. Always has been. Always will be. This little contract marriage?” She scoffed. “It’s a joke. A distraction.”

I folded my arms, expression flat. “Then you should be laughing, not standing in my house.”

She smirked harder. “My house, sweetheart. Did you think you actually belonged here?”

I said nothing.

I didn’t have to. The fact that she’d made it through security without a single call or question… it said it all.

She belonged here.

Or at least she used to.

And maybe, she still thought she did.

I let her rant. For twenty full minutes.

She went on and on about how Nathan had plans with her. How I was just a placeholder. How I should know my place and not get too comfortable in his bed or his life.

I was just about to walk away again when the elevator opened for the second time.

Footsteps. Fast. Heavy.

Then came his voice.

“Amy.”

My heart stuttered.

Nathan.

His jaw was clenched, tie slightly loosened like he’d left a meeting in a hurry. He didn’t even look at me. His eyes locked onto Amy like lasers.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.

Amy’s confidence faltered for a second, but she quickly regained it. “You weren’t answering your phone, and I needed to talk—”

“Inside,” Nathan cut her off. His voice was sharp. Dangerous.

Without sparing me a glance, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the hallway toward his study, slamming the door shut behind them.

And just like that, the silence returned.

Except now, it was louder.

He hadn’t even looked at me.

But at least I had my answer.

Amy could come and go freely.

I?

I was just the girl with a ring… and no key.

To be honest,I. didn't care!

Okay,maybe I did. But just a little.