CHAPTER 1-THE NIGHT I MET MY HUSBAND

The first thing I heard when I opened the hotel room door was a woman's laughter. It was soft and intimate, completely different from the business dinner Daniel had told me he was attending. I stood in the doorway for a few seconds, my fingers still wrapped around the handle, hoping there was some reasonable explanation for what I was hearing.

"Daniel?"

There was no answer.

I stepped inside and immediately noticed the two wine glasses on the table. An opened bottle of champagne stood beside them, and a woman's red handbag rested on the sofa. Daniel's jacket was hanging over a chair, even though he had told me he would be meeting clients for dinner and wouldn't be staying long.

My heart began to pound.

I followed the sound toward the bedroom, trying to convince myself that I was being paranoid. Daniel and I had been together for three years. He had talked about marriage, a house, and a future together. I had trusted him completely.

Then I opened the bedroom door.

Daniel was standing beside the bed with another woman.

For several seconds, I couldn't move. The woman quickly stepped away from him, but the damage was already done. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, her dress was lying on the floor, and the expression on Daniel's face told me that there was no explanation that could make this innocent.

"Elena."

My name came out quietly.

I stared at him, waiting for him to say something that would make this nightmare disappear.

Instead, he sighed.

"What are you doing here?"

The question hit me harder than the betrayal itself.

I gave a small, disbelieving laugh. "What am I doing here? You told me you were having dinner with your clients."

Daniel glanced at the woman beside him.

She looked uncomfortable for approximately two seconds before her expression became irritated.

"You didn't tell me she was coming."

Daniel rubbed his forehead. "I didn't expect her to come."

I looked at him in disbelief.

"How long?"

"Elena, let's talk somewhere else."

"How long have you been cheating on me?"

He didn't answer.

That silence told me everything.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to keep my voice steady. "Three years, Daniel. I spent three years believing you were the man I was going to marry. I defended you when everyone told me you were always too busy for me. I even turned down a job because you said we were going to build our life together."

His expression hardened.

"I never asked you to do that."

My eyes filled with tears.

"You're right. You didn't. I did it because I loved you."

The woman beside him sighed impatiently.

"Daniel, I thought you said she wouldn't cause a scene."

I looked at her.

"Don't worry. I won't."

Then I turned back to Daniel.

"I hope she's worth it."

I picked up my handbag and walked toward the door.

"Elena, wait."

I stopped but didn't turn around.

"If you leave now, don't expect me to come after you."

For the first time that night, I felt something inside me change.

I turned around and looked at him.

"Don't worry. I finally understand that you never planned to."

Then I walked out.

The elevator doors closed behind me, and the moment I was alone, the tears finally came. I pressed my back against the wall and covered my mouth, trying not to sob loudly. Three years of memories rushed through my mind, but all I could see was Daniel standing beside another woman.

When the elevator reached the lobby, I wiped my face and stepped out.

I barely made it three steps before I collided with someone.

My handbag fell to the floor, scattering my phone, keys, wallet, and lipstick across the marble.

"I'm sorry."

I crouched down quickly.

A man's hand reached beneath a nearby chair and picked up my lipstick.

"You're dropping things."

His voice was deep and calm.

I looked up.

He was tall, dressed in an expensive black suit, with dark hair and sharp features. His expression was controlled, almost cold, but his eyes were fixed on my face.

He handed me the lipstick.

"Thank you."

I took it and stood.

His gaze remained on me.

"You're crying."

I immediately looked away. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

Something about his confidence annoyed me.

"I said I'm fine."

He glanced toward the elevator behind me.

"People who are fine don't usually walk out of a hotel looking like they've just lost everything."

I stared at him.

"Do you always interfere in strangers' lives?"

"Only when they look like they're about to fall apart."

I didn't know what to say to that.

Someone across the lobby suddenly called his name.

"Mr. Blackwood, your car is ready."

Blackwood.

The name immediately caught my attention.

Adrian Blackwood.

I had seen his face in business magazines. He was the billionaire CEO of Blackwood International, famous for taking over his family's company and turning it into one of the largest corporations in the country.

He noticed the change in my expression.

"You know who I am."

"Everyone knows who you are."

"Then you know I don't usually approach strangers."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Then why are you approaching me?"

His eyes studied my face.

"Because you're interesting."

My heart gave an unexpected little flutter.

I hated that.

I had just caught my boyfriend cheating, and somehow this stranger had managed to make me nervous simply by looking at me.

Before I could respond, my phone rang.

Mom.

I answered immediately.

"Mom?"

Her voice was trembling.

"Elena, where are you?"

"I'm at the hotel. What's wrong?"

There was a brief silence.

Then she said, "The bank came today."

My stomach tightened.

"What about the bank?"

"They're taking the house."

I stopped breathing.

"What?"

"Your father's debts have finally caught up with us. We have thirty days to pay everything."

I closed my eyes.

The house was the only thing my parents had left. It had belonged to my grandparents, and losing it would mean losing the last piece of our family history.

"How much?"

She told me the amount.

My heart sank.

It was far beyond anything I could afford.

"I'll fix it," I whispered.

"How?"

I didn't have an answer.

When the call ended, I stood silently, staring at my phone.

Adrian was still there.

"How much do you need?"

I looked at him.

"What?"

"To save the house."

I frowned. "You were listening?"

"I couldn't help it."

"I don't need your money."

"I didn't say you did."

He reached into his pocket and took out a black business card.

Then he held it toward me.

"I need a wife."

I stared at him.

"What?"

"For six months."

I thought he was joking.

He wasn't.

Adrian's expression remained completely serious.

"I'll pay your family's debt. In return, you become my wife for six months."

I laughed in disbelief.

"I just caught my boyfriend cheating on me, and now you're asking me to marry you?"

"Yes."

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough."

"You're insane."

"Possibly."

There was the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes.

"But I'm offering you a solution."

I looked at the card in his hand but didn't take it.

"Why me?"

For the first time, his expression changed.

Something unreadable passed through his eyes.

"Because I need someone I can trust."

"You don't know whether you can trust me."

"Then I'll take the risk."

He stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"Six months. No love. No complications. When the contract ends, we go our separate ways."

I should have refused immediately.

Instead, I remembered my mother's trembling voice.

The house.

The debt.

Thirty days.

My fingers slowly reached for the card.

Adrian released it.

Our fingers touched for the briefest moment.

A strange warmth traveled through me.

We both noticed it.

His eyes dropped to my hand before returning to my face.

Neither of us spoke.

Finally, he stepped back.

"Think about it."

He turned and walked toward the entrance.

I watched him disappear through the glass doors before looking down at the card.

ADRIAN BLACKWOOD

CEO — BLACKWOOD INTERNATIONAL

Six months.

A fake marriage.

A billionaire I had met on the worst night of my life.

I knew it was crazy.

I knew I should throw the card away.

Then my phone buzzed.

I looked at the message.

FINAL NOTICE: PAYMENT REQUIRED WITHIN THIRTY DAYS.

I closed my eyes.

Maybe the universe wasn't giving me a choice.

Maybe it was giving me a deal.

And I had no idea that the man who had just offered me a temporary marriage would eventually become the man I would risk everything to keep.