Two Hearts

No Turning Back

Eric's POV

Silence settled over the office the moment the door closed behind Laura. Daniel had left like a storm. Laura had left quietly.

Both had signed. Both had agreed. And both had done it for completely different reasons.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the contract resting on my desk. Two signatures. Two lives about to collide whether they wanted it or not.

For the first time in weeks, I felt something close to relief. Not complete relief. Just enough to let me breathe.

I picked up the folder and walked across the office to the safe hidden behind a framed painting. After entering the code, I placed the contract inside and locked it away. No one else needed to see it.

Only a handful of people knew what was happening. People I trusted. People who had spent years proving their loyalty. The fewer questions asked, the better.

Returning to my desk, I looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The city below moved as it always did, indifferent to the decisions being made above it. The sky was gray, heavy with clouds despite April approaching. Yet somehow the day felt brighter. Because now things were moving.

Talking was one thing. Action was another. And I had never been a man who waited for miracles.

The first call I made was to my Chief Financial Officer.

He answered before the second ring.

"Mr. Carter."

"Transfer the first payment. The contract has been signed." No questions. No hesitation.

"Understood." The call ended immediately. Exactly how I liked it.

The second call was to my attorneys.

I had already prepared everything in advance. If Laura had refused, the process would have stopped immediately. But preparation had always been one of my strengths.

"Mr. Carter, how may we assist you?"

"We begin the divorce proceedings immediately." I turned toward the window again.

"You already have the details. If complications arise, handle them. I want this completed as quickly and cleanly as possible."

"Of course."

Laura's husband wasn't a dangerous man. At least not according to the reports. But men like Chris often became difficult when money entered the conversation. If necessary, my lawyers would find a solution. I knew exactly how people like him operated.

Fortunately, Laura didn't need to concern herself with any of that. The less she knew, the better.

After ending the call, I rubbed my temples. The day was only halfway over, yet exhaustion had already settled into my bones. For weeks I had been putting pieces into place. Today, finally, the first move had been made.

What I didn't know was that the hardest part was only beginning.

Laura's POV

The elevator ride down felt surreal. I stood alone inside the mirrored box, staring at my reflection and wondering if I looked any different. Because I certainly didn't feel like the same person.

I had signed a contract. Sold four months of my life to a complete stranger. And somehow that stranger was now my future husband. At least on paper.

The thought should have terrified me. Instead, I felt strangely numb.

The faint scent of Daniel's cologne still lingered inside the elevator. Expensive. Strong. Masculine. I hated that I noticed it.

I respected his reaction, in a way. He hadn't wanted this. Neither had I. But if we were being honest, he needed this arrangement just as much as I did. We were helping each other. That was all.

No romance. No intimacy. No expectations. Just four months. Four months pretending. Four months surviving. Then freedom.

At least that was the plan.

As I stepped outside the building, cold spring air filled my lungs. For the first time all afternoon, I felt like I could breathe properly.

The city looked exactly the same as it had two hours ago. People rushed past. Cars filled the streets. Life continued.

Yet everything had changed. I had entered that building as one person. I was leaving as someone else.

My phone suddenly vibrated in my handbag. Assuming it was Chris, I pulled it out without much thought. The moment I looked at the screen, I stopped walking.

My stomach dropped.

No.

Already? My hands began shaking.

The message was from my bank.

Deposit received.

$150,000.

I read it once.

Twice.

Three times.

The number didn't change.

Eric had done exactly what he promised. The money was already there. I hadn't expected it to happen so fast.

The shock hit me so hard that my knees nearly gave out. I sat down on the nearest bench before I collapsed.

It was real. Every bit of it. The contract. The marriage. The money. The future.

All of it.

Then another realization struck me. A far worse one - How was I supposed to explain any of this to Chris To Ellie? To Marcus?

The color drained from my face. Apparently enough for a passing woman to stop.

"Ma'am, are you alright? You look pale."

I forced a smile.

"I'm fine. Thank you." The lie tasted bitter.

Because if there was one thing I knew for certain, it was this: The hardest conversations were still waiting for me.

Eric's POV

By the time evening arrived, every scheduled meeting had been completed.

Contracts signed. Investments secured. Profits discussed. Business as usual.

Aurora had already gone home for the night. She deserved the rest. She had spent decades working beside me and remained one of the few people I trusted completely.

Sometimes life seemed unfair. Good people often received the least in return. Aurora never married. Never had children.

I lost my wife. Daniel lost his mother. And years later, Daniel lost the woman he had intended to build a future with.

Somewhere along the way, our carefully built lives had begun to c***k. Maybe that was why I wanted this arrangement to work so badly.

Not because of the inheritance. Not because of my mother. But because somewhere deep inside, I hoped Laura's arrival might force change. Even if none of us were ready for it.

The drive to Daniel's house took thirty minutes. The entire way there, I rehearsed what I wanted to say. How to make him understand. How to make him see that this was no longer theoretical. No longer optional. The contract existed. The decision had been made.

And in less than two weeks, Laura and her children would become part of his daily life.

When I pulled into the driveway, I immediately noticed the lights on inside.

Good. He was home.

I walked to the front door and rang the bell.

Nothing.

I waited.

Then rang again.

Still nothing.

That was unusual.

I was about to leave when I heard something - A faint sound. A woman's moan. Then another.

My jaw tightened. Of course.

I followed the sound toward the living room windows.The curtains weren't fully closed. I didn't need to see much to understand exactly what was happening.

Two bodies. Too close. Far too occupied to answer a doorbell.

I closed my eyes briefly. Then knocked sharply against the glass.

The reaction was immediate. Daniel's head snapped toward the window.Our eyes met.

For a brief second, neither of us moved.

I expected embarrassment. Guilt. Something.

Instead, all I saw was annoyance.

The unmistakable expression of a man wondering why his father was interrupting him.

And suddenly everything became clear - Daniel had signed the contract. Every page. Every clause. Every condition.

But he hadn't accepted any of it. Not truly. Not yet.

In his mind, Laura Brown was still a stranger. A problem. An inconvenience. Something I had forced into his life.

And that realization frightened me more than the contract ever had. Because in exactly two weeks, that woman and her children would be living under his roof.

And neither of them had the slightest idea what was coming.