MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

chapter 7

Katrina pov

What if Cove falls in love with the real Stacy?

I sat in the dim living room, staring into the empty stairs ahead of me, my fingers trembling faintly against the stairs. The Stacy he once knew was only a memory now—an impulsive girl who had walked away from him when he needed her most. But the woman who had entered our home tonight was something else entirely. Composed. Beautiful. Intent. Like someone who had learned exactly how to take back what she once lost.

If she played her role well… if she wore regret like a carefully crafted mask… could she pull him back in? Could she make him look at her the way he looked at me?

A sharp fear settled in my chest.

It won’t happen, I told myself firmly. I won’t let it happen.

But the thought didn’t leave.

I couldn’t stand there anymore.

I needed to see him.

I rose quietly and made my way upstairs, my footsteps soft against the polished floor. When I reached his study, I didn’t knock. I simply turned the handle and slipped inside.

Cove was seated behind his desk, the glow from his laptop lighting his face as he worked, focused and calm.

I crossed the room and sat across from him, folding my hands tightly in my lap to steady myself.

“Babe… why did you invite Stacy to dinner without telling me?” I asked.

He paused and looked up immediately, his expression softening as soon as he saw me.

“I wanted to surprise you,” he said gently.

“A surprise?” I repeated, my voice quieter now.

He nodded. “I just wanted you to see her for who she is. She’s not a threat. She’s just the past.”

I held his gaze for a moment, then forced a small nod, though my thoughts were anything but calm.

To him, she was nothing more than a ghost.

But to me, she felt very real.

I stood up abruptly.

Cove watched me with mild curiosity as I walked around his desk. Before he could ask what I was doing, I reached out and closed his laptop.

“Babe?” he said, amused. “What are you doing?”

I leaned down slightly, placing my hands on the arms of his chair.

“I think we should make a baby,” I said softly.

His brows lifted in surprise before a slow, knowing smile appeared on his lips.

“That’s sudden,” he teased.

“Maybe,” I said simply.

I kissed him.

It started gentle, but it quickly deepened—driven by fear, emotion, and something I couldn’t fully name. He responded immediately, pulling me closer as if he understood everything I wasn’t saying out loud.

“Let’s go inside,” I whispered against his lips.

He didn’t hesitate. He stood, lifting me into his arms, and carried me out of the study.

---

Morning came too quickly.

I woke to soft sunlight spilling through the curtains and Cove still asleep beside me, his breathing slow and steady.

For a moment, I just lay there, watching him.

Then I slipped out of bed quietly and went downstairs to prepare breakfast, trying to steady my thoughts.

My phone rang.

Tania mom

I answered.

“Hello?”

The voice on the other end was sharp.

“If you’re going to work today,” Stacy’s mother said, “you come to my house first.”

The word “Mom” slipped out of me almost automatically now. “Okay, Mom.”

The call ended.

A heavy feeling settled in my stomach.

By the time Cove came downstairs, fully dressed and looking as calm as ever, I had already set the table. We ate in quiet routine.

mom asked me to come to her house this morning,” I said.

He looked up slightly, then nodded. “Go. See what she wants.”

“Okay,” I replied softly.

After I finish preparing breakfast we ate and he got ready for work, he kissed me goodbye and left for work, leaving the house silent again.

I didn’t wait long.

I changed quickly, grabbed my keys, and drove out.

The house felt larger and colder than usual as I arrived. My heartbeat grew louder with every step I took up the front stairs. I knocked once.

The door opened.

And before I could even speak, Stacy Mom appeared—her face twisted with anger.

Her hand shot up.

And she slapped me hard across the face.