Olívia remained seated on the edge of the bed. For a moment, it felt as though the entire room waited for an answer along with Vânia. But she simply couldn’t speak. Her throat locked. Her eyes—still red from crying—dropped to the floor.How could she explain what had happened in that room hours earlier? How could she say it wasn’t a real marriage, that it was nothing but a contract, that she herself had provoked Liam, driven by feelings that might have existed only inside her? How could she admit that, even for a few seconds, she had believed there could be something real? And how could she confess that, after everything, he had said it was just sex—and nothing would change?Every possible answer felt too dangerous.What if Vânia didn’t know about the lie?What if she was loyal only to Liam?What if she told him everything?What if he came back even colder than he already was?What if… he did worse?Olívia had already felt how ruthless Liam could be. She knew he kept control of everyt

Ísis furrowed her brow, thoughtful.“That’s already suspicious,” she said slowly, as if weighing every word. “No man—especially someone at his level—goes around handing out a credit card. He doesn’t give access to his money to just anyone.”She tilted her head slightly, studying Olívia.“He could’ve walked away and pretended you never existed. Just one more night, and that would’ve been it. But instead, he made sure you had something…” She gave a faint, ironic smile. “Even if it was only an excuse to keep a thread connecting you two. Even if he didn’t realize it.”Olívia lowered her gaze, feeling every word land.“Leaving that card on the nightstand wasn’t some careless mistake,” Ísis continued, firm but not aggressive. “It was a twisted way of saying: I’ll come back, even if I won’t admit it to anyone—not even to myself.”She sighed, like someone who could see past the surface.“We can try to be naive and pretend he didn’t notice… but he did. Because even drunk…” Her voice softened.

Olivia simply stared at her, saying nothing. Isis let out a soft sigh before speaking, calm but serious.“Before you keep trying to figure out what he feels… you need to decide whether you’re ready to hear something you might not want to hear. Because pushing for an answer right now could hurt you even more.”Olivia swallowed hard, but stayed quiet.“You said you want a beautiful story to tell your child,” Isis went on. “So start building one where you’re the main character. And be honest with yourself… does the kind of love you dream about fit inside the way Liam is treating you right now?”The question hung in the air.Olivia remained silent for several seconds, breathing slowly as she tried to process everything.“Do you work out, Isis?”The subject change was so abrupt that Isis blinked twice.“I do…” she answered slowly. “Why?”“What time do you usually go?”“Depends… mostly after work,” Isis replied, clearly thrown by the sudden shift. “Liv… you’re kind of freaking me out a litt

Liam ran his fingers under his collar, loosening the top button. He didn’t look up.“I was closing a multi-billion-dollar deal, Alex,” he said, voice level. “My job there wasn’t to make anyone happy. It was to get the contract signed.”“I wanted you to close it without nearly blowing the whole thing up,” Alex replied evenly, keeping his tone controlled. “Today those investors only signed because the terms were too good to refuse—not because of you. And that’s not how it usually goes.”He paused briefly, eyes locked on Liam.“You’re different lately. Very different. And no matter how much you deny it, this has everything to do with Olivia.”Silence.Liam picked up his phone, unlocked it, and began scrolling as though searching for something urgent. The gesture was automatic, but it screamed avoidance. He crossed his legs on the coffee table without meeting Alex’s gaze.“I need to check some emails,” he said, voice flat and businesslike. “Tomorrow, eight o’clock, lobby.”Alex watched hi

A few days had passed since that afternoon at the gym. Olivia was still dealing with frequent nausea, which dragged her mood into a constant, bone-deep exhaustion. Sitting at the vanity, she dabbed a light layer of foundation over her face to hide the pallor and the faint shadows under her eyes. That morning she had her first appointment with Liam’s family doctor.Meanwhile, Ísis was calmly making Olivia’s bed, stealing careful glances at her friend between smoothing the sheets and fluffing the pillows.“I really hope the doctor gives you something for the nausea today,” she said sincerely. “You look pale. You’ve barely eaten anything these past few days. That can’t be good.”Olivia let out a long, tired sigh.“I just hope he’s not one of those doctors who refuse to prescribe anything in the first trimester. I’ve been watching videos of pregnant women talking about it.” She rubbed her temples. “I don’t even have the energy to breathe properly. Seriously… I don’t know how some women ma