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.

Eloise and Sasha were at a coffee shop. By the time they arrived, Sasha had already ordered her favorite coffee and cake.

Even though they had talked about Cosmo over the phone the night before, it was clear that Sasha was still full of curiosity about him.

Eloise and Cosmo hadn't announced their marriage to the public. Only the Lopez and Dominguez families knew about it, and Sasha was the only friend Eloise had told.

Sasha didn't agree with Eloise's decision to marry Cosmo-especially since she believed he was now completely useless.

"They're the ones who raised you, and yet they turned out that harsh? If they really want you to repay their kindness, why not let you marry a man who's actually in a decent state?" Sasha said angrily.

But Eloise remained calm, shaped by everything she had gone through in life. "If love isn't part of it, it doesn't matter who I marry. It's all the same. I'm just doing what they asked of me."

Sasha was partly amused but mostly frustrated. "You're just trying to convince yourself! You know it hurts deep down, especially since this is your first marriage! Do you even realize how hard it is to break ties with a family like the Dominguez family? Even if you divorce him, people will still call you 'Cosmo Dominguez's ex-wife.'"

Eloise hadn't told Sasha about the agreement she and Cosmo had made, so she had no clue what was really going on.

"Don't worry. What's done is done. I'll just go with the flow," Eloise said calmly, trying to ease her friend's temper. Then she changed the topic. "What about you and Theo? Anything new?"

Sasha's expression immediately changed. She had been chasing after Theo for a long time-gifts, surprises, all sorts of efforts-but he always turned her down. Still, she never gave up. She was determined to win him over.

Theo was a hardworking, smart man from a poor family. But no matter how much Sasha tried, he never gave her any attention.

"Still the same. He ignores me. I think I even annoy him whenever he sees me," Sasha said sadly.

Eloise shook her head. "That means he's just not into you. Come on, Sasha. You're rich, beautiful, and popular. You don't need to run after a man."

Sasha looked down and stirred her coffee with a spoon. "Eloi, do you think I'm being stupid for feeling this way? I don't know. I really do like him."

Eloise looked at her. "What exactly do you like about him?"

"He's hardworking, responsible, and he's not like those other guys who only come near me because I have money," Sasha answered.

Eloise smiled. "There are a lot of men like that out there. Why is it only him that you're drawn to? Are you sure it's love and not just admiration?"

Sasha paused. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe what you're feeling isn't really love-just admiration. Maybe you just appreciate who he is, and it's making you think you like him," Eloise explained.

Sasha fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "I don't know. But I really do like him."

Eloise didn't say anything more. Deep inside, she just knew Theo wasn't the right person for Sasha to end up with. So she reminded her again, "Sasha, you're still young, beautiful, and rich. There are plenty of guys out there who would really fight to win you over. Don't pour all of yourself into just one guy. Enjoy your life first."

Sasha looked at her friend in surprise. "Eloi, since when did you start thinking that way?"

Eloise calmly replied, "Life is short. Make the most of it. Don't let yourself end up full of regrets someday."

Sasha's mouth fell slightly open, as if she was deeply thinking.

After about an hour at the coffee shop, the two of them headed to the boutique to pick up a dress Sasha had ordered two months ago.

The clerk already knew Sasha was coming, so the dress had been prepared ahead of time. But unexpectedly, it had suddenly gone missing. After looking around the shop, they discovered that Lilian Viernes was already wearing it.

Lilian was Sasha's stepsister. They weren't blood-related. She became part of the Viernes family after her mother married Sasha's father, and she changed her last name to Viernes.

Since the beginning, Sasha had always been annoyed with Lilian. They often argued, but Sasha always ended up losing their verbal spats. Because of this, her father would scold her and say she was being disrespectful and not getting along with the family.

So when Sasha saw Lilian wearing her dress, she didn't hesitate. She walked straight up to her and gave her a hard slap.

Lilian stumbled back, holding her cheek, tears in her eyes, and asked in confusion, "Sasha, I didn't do anything wrong to you. Why did you slap me?"

Even though Lilian wasn't as strikingly pretty as Sasha, she had a gentle, simple beauty-innocent and demure. And more than anything, she had a gift for looking pitiful, like she could break into tears at any moment.

Sasha knew exactly what she was doing-that's why she didn't feel the slightest bit of sympathy. "You're wearing my dress. Take it off. Now," she said sharply.

A red handprint was visible on Lilian's cheek, and her eyes shimmered with tears. She looked scared and confused. "Sasha, you're saying this dress is yours? I didn't know! And even if it is, couldn't you have just asked me nicely? If you told me, I would've given it back."

Sasha scoffed. "You didn't know it was mine? Come on. Of course you did-that's exactly why you're wearing it, right? But look at yourself. Do you really think that suits you?"

Lilian always preferred soft, plain colors that matched her innocent image. Sasha, on the other hand, carried herself with a natural charm and confidence-whatever she wore, she made it shine.

Since Lilian joined the Viernes family, she secretly tried copying Sasha's style. But when she got caught, Sasha never let her forget it. Eventually, Lilian learned to embrace her own taste.

Sasha tilted her chin up arrogantly. "That dress is custom-made. Only one was made. The clerk wouldn't just hand it over to anyone-unless you were the one who asked for it yourself."

Lilian's expression changed. She looked flustered under Sasha's accusations. "Sasha, please don't accuse me like that. I didn't mean to-"

"Enough with the innocent act!" Sasha snapped. "It's getting old. Take that dress off and leave!"

Eloise didn't have time to stop what happened next-it was too late.

A hand suddenly grabbed Sasha's arm and pulled her back. She stumbled a few steps, but thankfully, Eloise caught her before she fell.

The man who intervened was Aries Villamor. His face was stern as he said, "Sasha, there's no need to blame Lilian. I was the one who told her to try on the dress."

Lilian lightly held on to the hem of Aries' shirt, looking small and fragile. "Aries, don't be mad at her. It's my fault too. I didn't get the chance to explain properly, so Ate misunderstood."

Aries noticed the red mark on Lilian's cheek, and his expression shifted to anger.

"She slapped you, didn't she?"

Lilian quickly covered her face, but Aries gently took her hand and moved it to see her cheek. She panicked, almost in tears. "No... it wasn't... she didn't do this..."

But instead of helping, her denial only made things worse. Everyone around could see who the real culprit was. With the tension in the room and the way things unfolded, it was obvious Sasha was the only one who had any reason to lash out.

Aries turned to Sasha, and in his eyes wasn't just anger-but deep resentment.

His voice was firm and cold when he said, "Sasha, apologize."