He threw money on the bed after our one-night stand.
I threw it back in his face at his own inauguration.
By sundown, we were engaged. By the week's end — married.
Franklin Flemington needed a wife to secure his empire. I needed a miracle to save my family. For two years, we played our parts flawlessly — the golden couple the whole city envied.
Behind closed doors, I was invisible to him.
When the two years were up, I handed him divorce papers without blinking.
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "I've given you everything a husband should. What more do you want from me, Octavia?"
I smiled, signed my name, and walked out.
I thought that was the end. I thought I'd finally won.
I forgot one thing — Franklin Flemington has never lost anything in his life. And he has no intention of starting with me.
Game on.

"Franklin," Octavia's voice drifted through the haze, soft yet insistent. "Franklin." She called my name again, a gentle melody laced with amusement. "Franklin, hey — wake up." Her hand shook my shoulder lightly, pulling me from the depths of an unplanned nap.


I fluttered my eyes open, disoriented for a heartbeat, only to realize I was lying beside her on the narrow hospital bed, the thin mattress dipping under our combined weight. The room smelled faintly of lavender from the scented candle her mother had brought, mingling with the ever-present antiseptic undertone of the ward. I rubbed my eyes and sat up slowly, muscles protesting from the awkward angle, yet the warmth of her proximity lingered like a promise.


"You fell asleep right as the movie was almost ending," she said, her tone teasing but fond, a small smile playing on her lips as she watched me.


Chapter 125 - ~ 125