Contract Marriage With the proud CEO: Second Chance at Love

The room was quiet, filled only with the soft, uneven rhythm of their breathing as Claire lay beneath him, her fingers gripping the bedsheet without even realizing it. Mark’s lips moved against hers slowly, deeper than before, and for a moment, her mind went completely blank, like everything she had been holding onto, the distance between them, the coldness and quiet loneliness of their marriage had all been pushed aside by this one fragile, fleeting moment. And maybe this trip, these two weeks she had fought so hard to make happen, was the beginning of something. Her heart beat so fast it almost hurt, thudding wildly against her chest as if it was trying to remind her that this wasn’t just happening in her head. This was real. He was here with her. Then his hand slid lower, and her breath hitched a sharp, involuntary thing she couldn’t have held back even if she tried. Her back arched slightly off the bed. “Mark…” she whispered against his lips, her voice trembling slightly, almost afraid that if she spoke too loudly, she would break whatever this was. He didn’t answer her, but the way he kissed her again, slower, warmer, made her chest tighten in a way she didn’t understand. It felt different this time, and that difference made something dangerous bloom inside her, something she had tried so hard to keep buried. Maybe, just maybe, he was starting to feel something too. Her fingers moved instinctively to his shirt, holding onto him as if she let go, this moment would disappear just like all the others before it, because moments like this had never lasted Then his phone rang. The sharp sound cut through the quiet room so suddenly that it felt almost cruel, dragging her back to reality in an instant. Mark paused, just for a second, but that second was enough for Claire to feel it, the shift, the distance, the way everything that had been building between them disappeared without a trace. “Ignore it…” she whispered quickly, her hand reaching for his arm as if she could hold him there, as if she could stop him from slipping away again. “Please…” Her voice was soft, almost pleading, and for a brief moment, he didn’t move. The phone kept ringing, once, twice, three times, filling the silence with something heavy and unbearable, and Claire held her breath, clinging to that tiny pause like it meant something. But then he pulled away. The warmth vanished, leaving only a cold emptiness that spread through her chest. Her hand slowly fell back onto the bed as she watched him reach for his phone, her heart sinking in a way that felt all too familiar. Of course. He didn’t even look at her as he answered the call, his attention already somewhere else. “Hello?” he said, his voice flat at first, but then there was a pause, and his expression changed completely. “What do you mean?” His tone sharpened instantly, all his focus shifting to the person on the other end. “Calm down. I’m coming.” Claire’s fingers curled slightly against the bedsheet, her throat tightening as she forced herself to ask the question she already knew the answer to. “Is it Michelle?” she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t answer right away, but he didn’t deny it either, and that silence was enough to confirm everything. “I have to go,” he said, already moving off the bed, already leaving her behind. Something inside her snapped then but in a quiet, painful way, like something that had been holding on for too long had finally given up. “Stay… Just this once”, The word slipped out before she could stop it, and it surprised even her. Mark Willman paused, turning back to look at her with irritation in his eyes as she slowly sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest, her eyes filled with something fragile and unsteady. “She’s having a panic attack and she needs me,” he replied, his tone flat, as if that alone should be enough to end the conversation. “And I don’t?” she continued. “You always go to her every time she calls.” The words came out before she could hold them back, and the moment they hung in the air, heavy and raw, she wished she could take them back, but it was too late. Silence fell between them, thick and suffocating. “She’s not just anyone, you should understand”, Mark said, his jaw tightening slightly. “Understand?” she repeated softly. She tried asking Mark about the connection between him and Michelle Parker but she doesn't always get a reply from him. He always brushes off the question. And this time, she doesn't know what to understand. “Mark, I’m your wife. And I’m asking you to stay.” She didn’t say this with force, she was pleading But then his expression hardened. “Claire Jones,” he said, his tone turning cold and firm, and that one word was enough to make her chest tighten. “I don’t have time for this. I don’t have time for your unreasonable tantrums,” he said bluntly. Claire froze, the word settling heavily in her chest as a small, painful smile touched her lips. “Unreasonable…” she repeated quietly, as if testing how it sounded. “Yes,” he continued without hesitation, his voice sharp and unyielding. “This is exactly why I chose you in the first place. I married you because you’re stable. After all, you’re calm, because you don’t cause problems.” Each word felt like a slow, deliberate cut, and Claire felt her fingers grow cold as she held onto the blanket tighter. “Now you’re acting like every other woman.” You should know your place,” he added, his voice colder than before. That was the moment something inside her finally broke. She just sat there, staring at him as he picked up his jacket, as he walked to the door, as he opened it and left without looking back, and just like that, he was gone. Claire didn’t move for a long time. She just sat there on the bed, staring at the door like maybe he would come back, like this was all just a misunderstanding that would fix itself if she waited long enough. But he didn’t come back. Slowly, her grip on the blanket loosened, her hands falling into her lap as her shoulders slumped, and the tears she had been holding back finally slipped down her face, silent and steady, one after another. Why did it still hurt this much? She already knew who he was. She had known from the very beginning that this marriage was never about love. Back then, she had thought it was a chance, a chance to be close to him, even if it wasn’t real, even if it wouldn’t last. She had told herself it was enough, because loving him from a distance had already been painful enough. The night grew deeper, colder, and heavier, and Claire eventually sat up, her eyes tired but wide awake, a strange uneasiness settling in her chest that she couldn’t ignore. She reached for her phone, staring at the empty screen for a moment before finally dialing his number, her fingers trembling slightly as she held it to her ear. It rang once, twice, and then the call connected. “…Hello?” Michelle Parker's voice came through the phone. Claire froze.