Eloise recognized the voice-it was Caroline Dominguez. She knew her well. Caroline was Elaine's best friend and had once teamed up with her to bully Eloise.

Caroline had assumed that Elaine would be the one marrying Cosmo, so she was shocked when she found out it was Eloise instead.

Back when the Lopez family still treated Eloise as their real daughter, she was known for being smart and admired by many. People even called her "The First Princess of Tagaytay." Even though Caroline came from the wealthy Dominguez family, she was often compared to Eloise, which only fueled her hatred.

When it was later revealed that Eloise wasn't truly a Lopez, Caroline didn't stop mocking her. In her eyes, Eloise had lost all value without the Lopez name. She figured Eloise would end up marrying an average businessman at best, not someone from a rich family.

What she didn't expect was for Eloise to marry her very own cousin-Cosmo, whom she deeply admired.

Caroline was furious. Her glare at Eloise was filled with contempt. Without any filter, she mocked her, "What are you after, marrying my cousin? Everyone knows the truth. You're a fake daughter-how can someone like you be worthy of him?"

Her tone was arrogant and rude. Some of the people around them simply watched the scene unfold-some entertained, others taking the opportunity to humiliate Eloise.

But Eloise didn't flinch. She answered calmly, "I'm not sure what you mean, Miss Caroline. Care to explain?"

Caroline replied right away, her voice dripping with mockery, "With my cousin's situation right now, isn't it obvious? You're just after his money."

Eloise smiled and replied, "Yes, the Dominguez family is wealthy. But not everyone is driven by money. And what situation are you referring to? Are you saying that because of his disability, no one could possibly love or marry him unless it's for money?"

Her response left some people speechless. Cosmo's injury was a sensitive topic within the family, especially for Wilfred and Cosmo's mother, Tanya. Tanya gave Caroline a sharp look.

Caroline gasped, clearly caught off guard by Eloise's pointed reply. "That's not what I meant!" she quickly said, flustered and struggling to explain herself.

Eloise gave her a small smile, watching as Caroline's face turned red from embarrassment. She didn't even realize she had contradicted herself. By accusing Eloise of marrying Cosmo for money, she had basically implied that Cosmo wasn't lovable or worthy of real love-only someone with an ulterior motive would be with him.

Instead of defending Cosmo, she ended up insulting him.

Tanya finally stepped in, her voice firm. "Caroline, whatever your opinion is, Eloise is now Cosmo's wife. She's your cousin-in-law. You should learn to show respect and call her 'Ate Eloise' from now on."

Tanya had arranged the marriage herself. After Cosmo got injured, she tried to find a woman willing to marry him, but nearly everyone said no. Though she was picky in her search, she no longer had many options.

She had always wanted Cosmo to get married-someone who could take care of him closely. For her, having a wife was better than just hiring a caretaker.

More than that, considering Cosmo's current condition, she hoped he could have a child soon. If Wilfred had a great-grandchild, he might not ignore Cosmo so easily.

Initially, Elaine agreed to the marriage. But a month before the wedding, the Lopez family approached Tanya and said Eloise would take her place.

Tanya didn't like the sudden change. She didn't trust the Lopezes. Besides, Eloise was just an adopted daughter. But the Lopez family explained that they had raised Eloise for eighteen years with love and care.

In the world of the wealthy, Eloise was known for her intelligence, beauty, and grace. Even though her background didn't match Cosmo's, she was still a better fit than Elaine.

After thinking it through, Tanya realized they had a point. Aside from not being a real Lopez by blood, Eloise had received top education and upbringing before her real identity was discovered. So, Tanya agreed to let Eloise marry Cosmo. And since she made that decision herself, she stood by it-especially in front of the rest of the Dominguez family.

"Your aunt is right. Eloise is Cosmo's wife now. Don't be disrespectful," Mr. Wilfred said, speaking up at just the right moment.

Caroline wasn't happy, but before she could respond, her mother pulled her aside and gave her a stern look that clearly said, "Don't talk back." If she kept going, it would reflect poorly on her parents' upbringing.

Then, Mr. Wilfred turned to Eloise. "Eloise, from now on, you and Cosmo are together. If he ever does anything wrong to you, come to me. I'll take care of it."

Eloise knew the old man was only saying kind words for show, so she calmly replied, "Yes, Grandpa."

Caroline didn't expect to be defeated by her own words, and the others chose to stay quiet too. Instead, they acted nicely toward Eloise-whether they meant it or not-and gave her a gift.

Dinner went smoothly, and when it was over, Eloise went to see Tanya.

Tanya asked her, "Have you met Cosmo already? How was it? Did he give you a hard time?"

Eloise shook her head. "Not really."

Tanya hesitated for a moment and let out a soft sigh. "Cosmo used to be kind, but after everything that happened to him, it's natural for him to feel down. His patience is shorter now too. Try to understand him."

"I understand," Eloise replied.

Tanya liked how calm and respectful Eloise was. "You're a smart girl. I believe you'll be able to build a good relationship with your husband. Don't worry about what other people say. Just let them be."

Eloise nodded. After a bit more small talk, Tanya told her to head back to the small building where Cosmo lived.

Since Eloise remembered the way, she didn't ask anyone to walk her back. She figured it was best to get used to the place since this would be her new home now.

When she got to her room, she noticed her things were gone. She didn't overthink it and headed straight to the master bedroom. She knocked before entering.

"Were my things moved here already?"

Cosmo had heard about the dinner earlier and looked at her with a cold expression. "My mom is really something. She had the guest bedroom prepared for you earlier, but shortly after, she had your stuff moved to the master bedroom."

Eloise wasn't surprised. They were married after all, so it made sense for her things to be in the master bedroom.

After thinking it over for a second, she spoke. "Your mom won't be watching our every move. When it's time to sleep, I'll just go back to the guest room so I won't bother you."

To her, it didn't matter where her things were-what mattered was getting some rest.

Cosmo didn't care. "Do what you want."

He considered the whole building his private space, so having someone suddenly move into the master bedroom just because they were married wasn't something he was comfortable with.

But even though Eloise didn't insist on staying, he somehow felt like he was the one being rejected. She had clearly said she wouldn't interfere, yet he felt a strange heaviness in his chest.

As Eloise was about to get her clothes and return to the guest room to take a shower, she noticed Cosmo sitting on the edge of the bed. Remembering what Tanya had told her, she carefully asked, "Has anyone helped you clean up yet?"

Cosmo heard what Eloise said and immediately turned to her, a little surprised.

Cosmo was someone who cared a lot about cleanliness. Even with wounds on his legs, he couldn't go a day without taking a bath. Back then, a male nurse was assigned to help clean him up. But now that he had a wife-Eloise herself-Tania wanted her to be the one to do it, hoping it would help them grow closer.

Eloise, however, had no intention of developing feelings for Cosmo. She knew their marriage didn't have a solid foundation. It wasn't something she dreamed of, and she had no plans of forcing a relationship that wasn't built on love. All she wanted was to change her fate.

Cosmo could barely believe what he just heard. "What did you say?"

When he looked at her, Eloise's ears turned slightly red from embarrassment.

"Your mom told me to take care of you... She knows how particular you are when it comes to cleanliness, so she said I should be the one to wipe you down every night..."

Without hesitation, Cosmo refused. "No."

There was no second thought. For him, the idea was too embarrassing and too uncomfortable. Just the thought of Eloise touching him in that way made him uneasy.

Hearing his firm refusal, Eloise let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Well, you have a nurse anyway. He can keep doing it!"

The look of relief on her face didn't escape Cosmo's eyes. It was as if she had been dreading the thought of having to do the job herself. For some reason, he felt a small sting inside-one he couldn't explain.

After grabbing her clothes, Eloise went to the guest bedroom to take a shower. Since it was still early when she finished, she thought of checking in on Cosmo in the master bedroom.

He was still sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard, reading under the soft light. His expression was no longer as cold as it was earlier-there was a hint of gentleness now.

Cosmo seemed a bit surprised to see her come back. "Do you need something?"

Earlier that day, she was the first to confront him. After that, she faced the entire Dominguez family head-on. Then, she asked if he wanted her to help him clean up. And now, she returned to the room?

Cosmo couldn't quite figure her out. But one thing was clear-Eloise wasn't someone easy to read. She was calm, careful, and she clearly had her own reasons.

"It's not bedtime yet. I just wanted to sit with you for a while. Once it's late, I'll go back to the guest room," Eloise said plainly.

Cosmo looked at her, doubtful. "If you want to stay, just say it directly. No need to beat around the bush."

She shook her head. "I don't really want to stay. It's not like you'll let me sleep in the bed. If I stay here, I'll have to sleep on the floor or the couch, and I won't be comfortable. That might disturb your sleep too."

Cosmo stared at her, unsure if he should laugh or get annoyed.

She looked delicate, but she spoke directly. No sugar-coating. No dodging.

Cosmo frowned. "If you're not going to sleep, then I will. And if you're still here, you might just end up disturbing me."

Eloise only smiled. "Aren't you used to sleeping at eleven? It's not even eleven yet! And besides, you'll be the one sleeping, not me. I'll pretend I'm not even here. I won't talk to you."

Cosmo didn't respond.

Eloise sat on the side and started replying to messages from her best friend, Sasha.

[Sasha]: So... first day with the Dominguez family. Did you embarrass yourself?

[Sasha]: How's Cosmo? Is he really paralyzed?

[Sasha]: I heard he's got a bad temper now. Did he hurt you?

[Sasha]: Hey? Hellooo?

The messages came one after another, and Eloise replied to them one by one.

Cosmo noticed how focused she was on her phone, as if she didn't care that he was right there beside her. The irritation inside him grew stronger. He didn't know why, but he was restless.

Unable to concentrate on his book, he closed it and coldly said, "My mom asked you to come here to take care of me, but from the looks of it, it's the other way around."

The room was quiet, so when he suddenly spoke, Eloise flinched. She looked at him, confused.

Cosmo's eyes were cold and dark. There was a hint of anger burning in them, though Eloise couldn't tell where it was coming from.

She figured maybe it had something to do with his current situation. After all, no one would be happy being in his condition. It was understandable if he was in a bad mood.

Eloise composed herself and tried to smile.

"Do you need help with something, Cosmo? Is there anything you want? Maybe some water?"

She stood and walked toward him-not afraid, but not forcing herself to act brave either. She simply kept her tone calm as she asked.

Cosmo wanted to get angry, but when she asked him a question, he couldn't give an answer. The glass of water was just within reach on the small table beside the bed.

"You're only pretending you want to stay in the room because of the people watching our every move. If that's the case, how did you think sleeping in the guest bedroom would go unnoticed?" His voice was cold as he spoke.

Eloise froze. Given Cosmo's situation, it was only natural that there were people keeping an eye on him. The simple fact that her things had already been moved into the master bedroom was enough proof.

She silently admitted that she was hoping to get away with it, so she calmly asked, "What should I do then? Have an extra bed brought into the master bedroom?"

Cosmo's face remained expressionless. "No one's going to give you an extra bed. You have two choices-the floor or the sofa."

Eloise couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had already said she couldn't sleep properly on the floor or the couch, but Cosmo clearly didn't care. Was he really doing this to make things harder for her?

"Are you upset?" Cosmo asked when he saw her expression.

Her lips tightened slightly. "Not really."

"It's true that marrying me is a waste," he said in the same cold tone. "But you're the one who chose this, so you have no right to complain. If it's hard, deal with it."

Eloise didn't say anything.

People always said Cosmo was a gentleman-well-mannered and respectful-but right now, he seemed cold, lacking any concern for how others felt.

She let out a soft sigh and forced a smile. "There's nothing to complain about. I married the Cosmo Dominguez, the perfect gentleman. What more could I ask for?"

Cosmo looked at her as if unsure whether to believe her, but deep inside, his anger seemed to ease just a little.

"In that case, figure out where you're sleeping," he said.

Eloise blinked.

With a sigh, she went to the guest bedroom, grabbed a pillow and blanket, and set them up on the sofa. Then, she looked at Cosmo, who now seemed to be second-guessing himself.

With a tone that sounded like advice, she said, "You know, Mr. Dominguez, people heal faster when they're happy."

He didn't respond.

Eloise didn't say anything more. She just continued messaging Sasha about their plans to meet the next day.

A minute passed before Cosmo realized something wasn't right.

His whole point earlier was to get Eloise out of the room, but now it felt like he'd been tricked-and somehow, she ended up staying in the master bedroom with him.

Was she up to something? How did he fall into this situation?

He couldn't kick her out again now-it would make him look indecisive.

His face grew tense again, annoyed at himself for letting this happen. Eloise was clearly not the kind of woman he could easily predict.

Eloise, on the other hand, had no idea what Cosmo was thinking. She quietly lay on the sofa, still wide awake. While scrolling through her phone, she saw a new post from Elaine.

While she had just recently married Cosmo, Elaine was already getting ready for her wedding with Zedrix.

Their wedding was scheduled for two weeks from now, and today, they had taken their prenup photos and tried on their wedding rings. Elaine posted several photos, clearly showing how sweet she and Zedrix were together.

Zedrix was a good-looking guy, but because he came from a humble family, many people used to look down on him. Even as a child, he faced bullying and cruel treatment. Because of that, he grew up with a dark, sensitive, and suspicious mindset that most people couldn't understand.

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.