[2] Before Tonight

ELENA

I didn’t sleep at all that night.

After leaving Edward’s study, I sat motionless at the edge of the bed. It was already two in the morning, yet his words still echoed relentlessly inside my head.

Divorce me… or sleep with another man to give me an heir.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

The cruel part was that I still remembered marrying Edward Ashford with relief and hope blooming in my chest. The Ashfords had paid off my family’s debts, covered my mother’s medical expenses, and welcomed me warmly into their lives.

At least until they grew tired of waiting for me to get pregnant. Even after being humiliated like that, I still couldn’t leave Edward. Because without the Ashford family, I would never be able to afford my mother’s treatment.

I didn’t know how long I cried before exhaustion finally drained every bit of strength from my body. My head felt heavy, my eyes burned painfully, and at some point, I drifted off curled up on the bed.

I had no idea how long I’d been asleep when my phone alarm suddenly blared beside my ear. I jolted awake instantly.

My head pounded viciously from crying all night. Even sitting up felt difficult, as though my body still hadn’t fully woken up. Letting out a slow breath, I reached for my phone on the nightstand and silenced the alarm.

Seven in the morning.

My legs wobbled slightly when my feet touched the cold bedroom floor, but I forced myself into the bathroom anyway. At the very least, I needed to wash my face and clip my messy hair back with my favorite butterfly hair clip.

After taking a long breath, I stepped out of the room.

The Ashford mansion was still quiet that morning. Only the faint clinking of silverware drifted up from the dining room downstairs.

I gripped the staircase railing as I carefully descended one step at a time. But only a few steps down, my vision suddenly blurred. My body swayed violently. My foot slipped against one of the stairs, and for one terrifying second, I was certain I was about to fall—

Until a large hand suddenly caught my waist.

“Hey—careful!”

My body was pulled backward before I could tumble down the stairs.

I gasped in shock.

A man now stood dangerously close to me. One of his hands still gripped my arm firmly, while concern flickered openly in his eyes. His reflexes had been far too fast for someone reacting to a stranger almost falling down the stairs.

For the briefest second, I thought it was Edward.

But it wasn’t. He stood too close. He looked too much like Edward, yet somehow felt nothing like him at all.

His black hair was slightly messy, as though he had just finished showering, and the buttons of his white shirt weren’t fully fastened yet. But his gaze was completely different. Edward looked at me like I was an obligation. This man looked at me like I was someone who needed to be caught before she fell apart.

“Are you okay?” His voice was low and calm, unhurried somehow, as though he was deliberately making sure I could still breathe properly first.

I slowly pulled my arm back, only then realizing his hand was still resting far too close against my waist.

“Sorry… I wasn’t paying attention,” I said reflexively. “But… who are you?”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

A slight crease formed between his brows—not out of annoyance, but more like he was noticing something about me that I didn’t realize myself.

“You look really pale.”

I instinctively lowered my gaze. Then he extended his hand toward me, slowly and carefully, as though giving me enough time to refuse.

“I’m Cedric,” he said softly. “Edward’s younger brother.”

I hesitated for a second before finally placing my hand in his.

“Elena.”

His hand was warm. Not overly firm, but steady enough that it felt like he was trying not to make me feel fragile… even though I clearly looked exactly that way.

“So… you’re Edward’s wife.”

A faint smile touched his lips. His gaze briefly dropped to my hand, my posture, the way I still struggled to steady myself.

“If you’re not feeling well, you should rest. This house is too big for someone to be walking around alone like this.”

Strange. The words should have sounded ordinary. But somehow, the way Cedric said them felt unexpectedly gentle.

Only then did I truly remember something Edward once told me—that he had a younger brother who mostly handled the family business overseas and rarely returned to the main Ashford residence.

And this was the first time we had ever met.

Cedric didn’t immediately pull his hand away. Not because he was being inappropriate. His reflexes had simply moved too quickly for either of us to fully process after I nearly fell. Still, after a moment, he slowly released my waist.

“Sorry,” he murmured again, quieter this time. “I reacted too quickly.”

I shook my head lightly, still trying to steady my breathing.

“It’s okay. I was the careless one.”

His eyes remained fixed on me—not merely to make sure I wouldn’t fall again, but as though he was trying to understand something deeper beneath my unsteady appearance.

“If you’re not feeling well, you should really rest,” he said softly. “This house is too big for someone to be wandering around alone this early in the morning.”

“Thank you.”

“What exactly are you two doing there so early in the morning?”

Edward’s voice sliced cleanly through the air between us.

Cedric slowly stepped back.

“Nothing, I was just—”

“Elena, can we talk for a moment?” Edward cut in before Cedric could finish. “Go to my study.”

I glanced briefly at Cedric before turning back to Edward.

“Okay.”

Walking past Cedric, I quietly followed Edward toward his study. The moment the door closed behind us, he picked up a calendar and slid it across the desk toward me.

“If I remember correctly, today and tomorrow are your fertile days,” Edward said bluntly. “So I want you prepared for tonight.”

I froze.

“Does it really have to happen this soon?”

“Yes.”

I swallowed hard.

“Do I know the man?”

“You don’t need to know who he is.”

I lowered my gaze. My heart pounded violently when Edward opened one of his drawers and handed me a large box. I accepted it with slightly trembling hands.

“The hospital already contacted you about your mother’s kidney surgery,” he said calmly. “Don’t worry. I’ll pay for it… as long as you continue obeying me.”

I nodded hesitantly.

Then Edward continued,

“Riverside Hotel. Eight o’clock tonight.” His eyes briefly dropped to the box in my hands. “Wear that. And I expect you not to be late, Elena.”