Chapter 20
Elena’s POV
Lila’s hand stayed on mine.
“Tell me everything,” she had said, and the quiet that followed felt both heavy and strangely relieving. For the first time since the wedding, the truth was no longer locked inside my chest alone.
I took a slow breath and began.
“You already know I loved him,” I said quietly. “Long before the wedding. I never told you how much because it felt pointless. He was my boss. He moved through women like they meant nothing. I kept it to myself and did my job.”
Lila watched me carefully, waiting.
“The night everything changed, I walked in on him with someone else,” I continued. “I interrupted them because of a work crisis. After she left, he told me about the pressure from his family. His father and the board were giving him an ultimatum—set
