5

Zedrix was angry at his mother—for being shameless. She had a relationship with a married man, got pregnant, and gave birth to him, branding him with the shame of being born out of wedlock.

He was angry at his father too—for pretending to be a model husband while secretly having another family on the side. The man couldn’t even give his children a stable, whole home.

He resented Georgina Montes for being cruel. Even though she knew her husband had cheated, she chose to cling to her title as the legal wife and took it out on every woman he had an affair with—including Zedrix’s mother.

To be honest, Zedrix was angry at everyone around him—including himself. He had long dreamed of taking down the Montes family.

Back when Eloise was still his fiancée, she tried to fix the way he thought. But in the end, she realized he was just pretending to listen. He used her as a stepping stone for his own ambition.

The trauma and emotional wounds he had carried since childhood didn’t just go away—especially when the one raising you is someone you don’t even love.

She didn’t know how Elaine and Zedrix met, but one thing was clear—Elaine only saw Zedrix’s success. She never considered what it cost him to get there.

She thought her life would be perfect once she married Zedrix. But she had no idea he was someone with a dark mind, full of doubt and capable of cruelty.

Thinking about this, Eloise hit the ‘like’ button on Elaine’s post, then went back to reading the book she still hadn’t finished. Eventually, she got tired and decided to sleep.

But the sofa wasn’t comfortable at all. Even with her eyes closed, she couldn’t fall asleep.

In the middle of the night, she heard a faint, restless noise. She got up and saw Cosmo tossing and turning. He looked pale, sweating, clearly in distress.

Startled, Eloise quickly approached him. “Cosmo, what’s happening? Wake up! You’re having a nightmare!”

But he didn’t respond. It was like he was trapped in his own dream. The same man who often treated her coldly now looked weak and pitiful.

She tried to calm him with a soft voice. “Don’t be scared... it’s just a dream. You’re safe.”

She kept repeating it until Cosmo slowly began to calm down, his hand gripping hers tightly.

This was clearly the effect of extreme stress from the accident. No matter how strong a person is, everyone has their limits.

When she saw that he looked a bit better, she tried to pull her hand away and return to the sofa. But Cosmo still held on tightly. When she gently tried to push his hand off, he suddenly woke up.

“What are you doing?” he asked harshly when he saw her leaning close.

He frowned. What was this woman up to while he was asleep?

Eloise looked at him and shook her head with a soft chuckle. “Hey, don’t start thinking weird things, okay?”

Cosmo gave her a cold smirk. “In the morning you say you’re not interested in me. But at night, you sneak into my bed? Don’t you have any shame?”

Eloise laughed in disbelief. “What are you talking about? Can you please let go of my hand?”

Only then did Cosmo notice he was still holding her hand. He quickly let go, looking disgusted. “Caught you in the act and now you’re making excuses?”

Eloise massaged her wrist and gave him a teasing smile. “You’re saying I crawled into your bed, but weren’t you the one having a nightmare? You couldn’t even handle it, and you’re still grumpy?”

Cosmo was stunned.

Lately, the same nightmare had haunted him every night, and it all kept coming back to him in his sleep.

As expected, his expression darkened. “Who told you I couldn’t handle it?”

He had only injured his leg, which meant he couldn’t walk and needed a wheelchair permanently. But it wasn’t like he had lost all ability—so no, he wasn’t useless.

Eloise froze, eyes wide as she stared at him, confused.

Cosmo noticed the surprised look on her face—like she couldn’t believe what he said—and it irritated him even more.

Eloise touched her nose and avoided eye contact. “Nothing... I’m just sleepy. My brain’s foggy. I didn’t mean what I said.”

Suddenly, Cosmo grabbed her wrist again. The force made Eloise lose her balance and fall onto him. His voice was low and cold when he said, “Don’t act like just because of my condition, you can look down on me.”

She quickly pushed herself off and stepped back. “I’m not looking down on you!” she said. “I only came to help because you were struggling.”

Cosmo didn’t believe her. He was too used to lies, so he didn’t trust easily. “Really?” he asked sarcastically.

Eloise didn’t know what else to say. Why had she even mentioned that he couldn’t handle it?

She raised one hand and said sincerely, “I swear! If I’m lying, may I never have a good life!”

Maybe that was too dramatic. Cosmo suddenly let go of her, though his suspicious look didn’t disappear.

“Get out,” he said coldly.

Eloise quickly stood up. The cold-faced man in front of her now was the same Cosmo she saw every morning.

Before walking away, she paused for a moment and said, “Cosmo, being angry all the time is bad for you. Don’t stay mad—it’s not good for your health.”

That only annoyed him even more. Eloise realized it was better to keep quiet, so she went back to the sofa, lay down, and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

From Cosmo’s angle, he couldn’t see her face. He let out a quiet, mocking smirk—this woman was hiding something.

Ever since his accident, countless rumors had spread about him. Some even claimed his entire future was ruined.

An heir of the Dominguez family who could no longer produce an heir of his own—because he was now paralyzed. Plenty of people would want to use that against him or pressure him into accepting another man’s child.

He leaned back against the headboard, still wide awake. With just a slight turn of his head, he could see Eloise lying completely still, pretending to be asleep.

He knew Eloise was aware of his condition. She also knew he didn’t have long left, and yet she still chose to marry him. What was she after?

The room was silent. But Eloise could feel that Cosmo was still awake, and she could sense his cold gaze on her back.

Eventually, though, her exhaustion won out and she fell asleep.

The next morning, she was woken by loud knocking at the door. When she opened it, the nurse and some of the household staff were there—they were Cosmo’s caretakers.

They brought in a healthy breakfast, and the nurse helped Cosmo freshen up. Eloise stood on the side, just watching, since Tania wanted her to learn how to care for Cosmo eventually.

Cosmo looked neat and well-groomed, moving with elegance. If it weren’t for the wheelchair, he didn’t look any different from the sharp, dignified heir of a wealthy family.

Eloise silently regretted the situation, but she didn’t let it show. After breakfast, she freshened up, put on a bit of makeup, and changed her clothes. She planned to go out for a while.

She walked over to Cosmo and said, “I’m heading out.”

He turned to her and replied coldly, “What if I don’t allow it?”

She frowned, clutching her bag. “Do you want me to stay and keep you company?”

Cosmo replied without emotion, “No.”

Eloise was annoyed in her head. Then what’s his deal? Why say stuff like that if he doesn’t even want me around? she wondered silently.