Adeline Carter's POV:

A profound sense of emptiness washed over me.

Brock's words, his exaggerated professions of love—it felt like a script he was reading to soothe his own conscience.

“I love you too, Brock,” I whispered.

I knew I loved him, or at least, the man I thought he was.

We were both trapped.

And now, I realized the two crucial links: Alvin Thompson, the CEO of Brock's company, and Gill Webb, my boss, were more than just powerful men in this city.

Neither of us had the power to fight them.

Brock started to cry. I knew exactly why he was crying.

I handed him a glass of water. He drank half of it, his hands trembling.

He wiped his eyes, his voice husky. “I'll turn things around, Addie. We won't be stepped on anymore. I promise.”

Then, he poured me a glass of milk. “Drink some, Addie. You've had a long day. It'll help you sleep.”

His voice was tender, but his expression was taut with tension.

I looked at the glass, then at Brock's strained face. He was watching me, his body coiled with anticipation.

My stomach churned, but I picked up the glass. I brought it to my lips. My throat constricted.

Brock let out a long, audible breath, a wave of visible relief washing over him. The tension in his shoulders vanished.

He thought he'd succeeded.

The milk he gave me was laced with a sedative.

But what he didn't know was that I had drugged his water, too.

Adeline Carter's POV:

I finished dinner, told Brock I was tired, and went to lie down in the bedroom.

A few minutes later, Brock walked in, his footsteps light.

He whispered my name, checking to see if I was asleep. I held my breath, eyes closed.

He leaned over me, his breathing heavy, suppressing a yawn. “I'm tired too,” he muttered.

He whispered in my ear: “Addie, even if you're with someone else, I'll still love you.”

“You won't remember a thing. You'll think it was me.”

“As long as we can make money, as long as we're okay, as long as no one knows, that's enough. The world laughs at the poor, not the fallen.”

“We shouldn't feel ashamed, Addie. We've worked so hard; we shouldn't feel ashamed.”

“I've been honest and upright my whole life, and what did it get me? Nothing! I'm bullied at work, crushed by the mortgage. I can't even quit.”

He sobbed. “I'm sorry, Addie. I'm so, so sorry. But this is for our future. This is for us.”

Then, his breathing became deep and rhythmic.

He was out.

I snapped my eyes open and looked at his peaceful face. A storm of emotions swirled inside me.

I remembered his kindness, his small sacrifices. When we were at our poorest, he'd give me the meat from the buns, saying he preferred the bread. He had always been so good to me.

As I was trying to sort through my thoughts, the doorbell rang.

My heart plummeted.

Adeline Carter's POV:

I suppose ordinary people, when pushed to the brink by the powerful, are capable of anything.

The doorbell rang again, more insistent this time.

I walked to the door, heart racing, and pulled it open.

Gill Webb was standing there. My boss.

And right behind him was Alvin Thompson, Brock's boss.

My mind raced, trying to make sense of the scene.

Alvin's presence was a shock. He had warned me not to accept Gill's proposal, yet here he was.

Gill and Alvin stared at each other, surprise and a flicker of realization passing between them. It was a bizarre, unexpected collision of two worlds.

My love for Brock, once pure and tragic, felt like a distant echo now.

I was caught in a brutal moral trap, struggling to understand Brock's desperation while condemning his actions.

The sudden arrival of both bosses, and the shift in power dynamics, ratcheted up the tension.

I had to stay calm.