THE CEO’S CONTRACT BRIDE

Toria never thought she’d catch her boyfriend cheating in a restaurant. She always figured that if Steve ever betrayed her, her gut would scream at her long before it actually happened. After nearly four years together, she knew his tells inside and out. She knew how he looked away when he was dodging a question, and how he’d suddenly overcompensate with affection whenever he was hiding something. Lately, though, Steve’s playbook had changed. He barely called, texts sat on "read" for hours, and he’d snap at her just for asking how his day went. She had tried talking to him twice. The first time, he kissed her forehead and told her she was letting her anxiety run wild. The second time, he laughed right in her face, accusing her of being pathologically jealous. She bought it both times, mostly because she loved him, but also because admitting that a four-year relationship was rotting from the inside out felt infinitely heavier than just convincing herself she was being paranoid. Then came tonight, the fragile little world she’d built out of hope and habit just completely fell apart. Toria stood frozen outside one of Bellmont Restaurant's private dining rooms, peering through the sliver of space in the slightly cracked door. She hadn’t even planned on being here. About an hour ago, a text from an unknown number popped up on her phone, telling her to get down to the restaurant and ask her boyfriend who Sophie was. She almost deleted it, writing it off as some sick joke, but a cold knot in her stomach had forced her out of her apartment to chase the truth. Now, standing in the cold hallway, she wished she had just stayed home. Steve was sitting at a table inside the private room, deep in conversation with Sophie. Everyone in the city knew who Sophie was. She came from old money, floated through elite circles, and lived on the pages of society magazines. Toria had heard the name before, but never connected it to Steve, especially not a few weeks ago when she’d spotted Sophie’s name flashing on Steve’s phone and he casually brushed it off as a random work acquaintance. She had trusted him and she had been a fool for it. Right through the gap in the door, she watched Sophie lean across the table and drop her hand right over Steve’s. He didn’t flinch. Instead, he flashed her a warm, relaxed smile, the same soft smile he used to reserve just for her when they were alone in the dark. Without thinking, she shoved the door open. Steve’s head snapped up. All the blood instantly drained from his face. “Toria?” She stood in the doorway, dead silent, staring right at him. Sophie slowly pulled her hand back and leaned back in her chair, unbothered. Steve scrambled to his feet. “What are you doing here?” A dry, bitter laugh almost slipped out of Toria’s throat. Out of everything he could have said, that was his opener. “I could ask you the same thing.” “Toria, look, just listen to me for a second. This is completely not what it looks like.” “Then spell it out for me. What is it?” Steve’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. Toria’s eyes drifted to the table. Two plates, two half-empty glasses of champagne, and a small, square black jewelry box sitting right next to Sophie’s clutch. She looked back at Steve, her brain refusing to process how the man who swore he was buried under work deadlines was sitting in a candlelit room with another woman. “How long?” Her voice dropped to a whisper. Steve’s jaw tightened. “Toria, can we please take this outside? Let’s talk somewhere private, please.” “No. We’re talking right now. How long has this been going on?” He looked away, staring at the floor. “A few months.” Toria felt the room tilt. “A few months?” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking deeply inconvenienced. “I didn’t plan for any of this to happen, okay?” “You’ve been sneaking around behind my back for a third of a year, and that’s your excuse? I didn’t plan it?” “I was going to tell you!” “When? Exactly when were you planning on mentioning it?” Silence. Toria gave a slow, numb nod. “Right. Of course you were.” Sophie shifted impatiently in her seat. “Steve, honestly, you should probably just fill her in.” Toria whipped her head around. “Nobody asked you to speak.” Sophie met her glare head-on. “I wasn’t talking to you.” Steve immediately jumped to Sophie’s defense. “Hey. That’s enough.” Toria’s eyes flared wide. “Wow, you’re seriously defending her right now?” “I’m not defending anyone.” “You literally just snapped at me to protect her feelings!” “Toria, you are causing a scene.” She glanced over her shoulder. A couple of patrons walking past the open door were looking inside but she couldn't care less. She had spent weeks gaslighting herself into thinking she was crazy, and now she felt so stupid for giving Steve the benefit of the doubt. She lowered her voice, trembling with rage. “You’ve been lying to my face for months. You told me you were clocking overtime tonight, and instead you’re wining and dining her. How the hell am I supposed to act right now?” Steve sighed, looking exhausted. “I knew you’d react like this.” “React like what?” “Getting emotional. Throwing a fit. Making a huge production out of everything.” Toria stared at him, feeling physically sick. “I loved you.” “I know.” “Then why wasn’t that enough?” Steve didn't say a word, and that long, suffocating silence hit her hard, really hard. Toria looked at his face, desperately searching for a shred of remorse. She wanted him to break down, to say it was all a stupid, drunken mistake, that he’d fix it. Silly her. Instead, Steve just looked bored. Like he was thoroughly sick of her. “Is she the reason you’ve been treating me like garbage lately?” Toria asked, her voice cracking slightly. Steve glanced at Sophie before answering. “Partly.” “Partly?” “Things haven't been working between us for a long time, Toria.” “Then you should have broken up with me like a man!” “I was trying to figure things out!” “By cheating on me?” “I didn’t plan for it to happen!” he snapped back. Toria shook her head, tears hot against her eyelids. “People don't accidentally carry on a double life for months, Steve. That takes effort.” He looked away again. She fought back the tears, refusing to let them fall in front of him. “Is this why you stopped calling? Is this why you started sleeping with your phone face-down? Every single time I asked if something was wrong, you made me feel like I was losing my mind.” Steve’s expression turned cold. “Maybe that’s part of the problem.” Toria frowned through her pain. “What is that supposed to mean?” He looked her up and down, staring at her casual clothes and the old bag on her shoulder. The way he looked at her made her feel sick. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my future lately,” he said quietly. “And?” “I don’t want this life anymore.” Toria let out a breath that felt like glass. “What life?” He waved a hand dismissively between them. “Us.” The word hit her chest like a physical impact. “You don’t want us?” “No.” She swallowed, feeling a tight burn in her throat. “Because of her?” Steve stayed silent. Toria looked over at Sophie, noticing how completely unreactive she was. Sophie wasn't shocked. She already knew every word Steve was going to say. Which meant Steve had been building an entire life with someone else while Toria was sitting at home waiting for him to text back. Toria turned back to him. “Then why didn’t you just walk away before you started seeing her?” Steve’s jaw tightened. “Because I didn’t know how to tell you.” “You could have used your words and told me the truth.” “I know.” “You could have ended it.” “I know.” “You could have done literally anything besides destroy my trust.” Nothing. Not a word. Toria wiped at the corner of her eye before a stray tear could escape. “Four years, Steve.” “I know.” “You knew everything about me.” “I know.” “You knew how much I loved you.” For a brief second, his expression softened, but it disappeared right away. Toria looked at him one last time, her voice sounded so empty. “Was I really that easy to throw away?” Steve shook his head. “That’s not what this is.” “Then what is it? Tell me the truth, since you’re so good at it now.” He took a long breath, then looked her dead in the eyes. “You want the blunt truth? I got tired.” Toria’s heart dropped. “Tired of what?” “Tired of struggling. Tired of pinching pennies, stressing over bills, and trying to make something out of nothing. I don’t want to live like that for the rest of my life, Toria.” She stared at him, completely horrified. “So that’s why you cheated? Because I’m too poor for you?” “I want more out of life.” “And you think I was holding you back?” “I think you’re just not built for the kind of life I want now.” The silence in the room was absolute. Even Sophie looked away, as if even she thought he had crossed a line. Something inside Toria snapped, but instead of breaking down, a chilling calmness washed over her. She looked at the man she had poured four years of her youth into, realizing she didn’t know him at all. This was the same guy who used to sit on her living room floor eating cheap takeout, swearing they’d conquer the world together with nothing but each other. Turns out, loyalty had an expiration date, and she had just reached it. Toria gave a slow, empty nod. “I get it.” Steve looked uncomfortable, suddenly realizing how harsh he sounded. “Toria, I didn’t mean it like..” “Don’t.” She held up a hand, cutting him off completely. “Save your breath. I don’t want to hear another word.” “Toria, I never wanted to hurt you.” “If that were true, you would have stopped yourself months ago.” He dropped his gaze to the floor. Without another word, Toria turned on her heel and walked toward the exit. “Toria!” Steve called out behind her. She didn’t stop or look back. “If you walk out that door right now, we’re done for good!” A bitter, humorless laugh slipped past her lips. “You made sure of that a long time ago.” She pushed the heavy glass door open and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The sharp evening air hit her face, stinging her skin. She kept walking, refusing to let her legs give out under her, even as the burning behind her eyes finally melted over and hot tears began tracking down her cheeks. She angrily wiped them away with the back of her sleeve. She refused to look weak. Suddenly, her phone buzzed sharply inside her bag. Frowning, she fished it out, fully expecting another text from Steve trying to do damage control. Instead, it was the unknown number again. “You think Steve is the worst thing that happened to you?” Toria stopped walking, her brow furrowing in confusion. Before her thumb could even hover over the screen to reply, a second notification popped up. “You have no idea who your real enemies are.” Her blood ran cold. Then, a third message lit up the dark screen. “Ask yourself what really happened to your mother.” Toria’s fingers clamped around the phone so hard her knuckles turned white. Nobody talked about her mother. That was a closed chapter, a tragedy buried deep in her past that no one outside of her immediate family even knew the full details of. Who on earth could know that? Before she could process it, one last text came through. “Steve isn’t the only person who has been lying to you.” With a racing heart, Toria slowly looked up from her phone and glanced back toward the entrance of Bellmont. Standing near the valet, watching her intently through the glass, was Steve. Their eyes met across the crowded sidewalk. Slowly, deliberately, Toria dropped her phone back into her handbag, turned her back on him, and kept walking into the night. She thought tonight was just about uncovering a cheating boyfriend. She had no idea she had only just scratched the surface of a much deeper web of lies.