30 DAYS TO DIVORCE MY BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND

4

"The house relaxes me, Liam. And a month goes by quickly; I want to make sure you eat well while you're still my husband. Sit down, please."

He let out a sigh of frustration, but the aroma of the food proved stronger than his pride.

He sat down and ate in a heavy silence.

When he finished, Liam put down his cutlery. He reached into his leather briefcase, pulled out a white manila envelope, and slid it across the table, stopping it right in front of me.

"It's ready," he said. "These are the divorce papers."

I looked at the envelope. My heart skipped a beat, but my hands didn't shake.

"Mateo prepared them today," Liam continued. "The agreement is only two pages long. I've already signed it in advance. Our marriage was nothing more than an act. The theater is over."

I opened the envelope and pulled out the two sheets. There was his signature in black ink, trying to erase three years of my life with a single stroke.

"You'll get to keep this mansion," Liam added, looking at me with a pity that turned my stomach. "And I've ordered a direct transfer of 10 million dollars to your personal account as soon as you sign. I know you're an orphan and that you have no connections or family to back you up. That money will secure a comfortable future for you. And now that I'm going to be a father with Caitlyn, I need to leave all legal matters cleared up."

Liam pulled out his gold pen and placed it on top of the paper.

"Sign it once and for all, Fabiana. That way we can carry out the process in peace."

I looked at the pen. Then I raised my eyes and held his gaze with absolute coldness.

"I'm not signing now," I said, sliding the papers back into the envelope.

Liam narrowed his eyes, impatience marking his brow.

"Why? The deal is more than generous. I'm giving you a fortune you would have never seen in your lifetime. What else do you want?"

"I need to review the terms carefully, Liam," I replied, standing up. "A two-page contract can hide many legal traps. I'll read it tonight."

I took the envelope and turned around, but Liam's voice stopped me.

"Prepare your best dress for the corporate gala dinner tomorrow," he said. "The governor and the main investors will be there. You still have to fulfill your role as the perfect wife in public until the month is over. Don't make me look bad."

"I'll be there, husband," I replied with irony before vanishing.

I went up to my room and locked myself in. I looked at the manila envelope on the nightstand. I didn't cry.

I turned on my laptop and focused on coordinating the next steps for Aura Digital's expansion with my team.

It was past midnight when I rubbed my eyes, exhausted. I rested my arms on the desk and fell asleep.

***

I woke up feeling a strong, familiar heat wrapping around my body.

I opened my eyes slightly and saw Liam's sculpted profile.

He had me lifted in his arms, holding me tightly against his chest as he walked up the stairs toward my bed.

His jaw was tense and his hands gripped my thighs and my back with a possessive, almost rough hold, as if he refused to let go of me.

I pressed my eyelids shut, pretending to still be asleep.

Liam laid me down softly on the sheets. I felt him step away a few paces and panic threatened me.

But immediately, a dim light illuminated the room. Liam had turned on the nightstand lamp. He remembered perfectly well that I was afraid of the dark.

I sat up slowly. Liam stopped near the door, turning around as he noticed my movement.

His dark eyes swept over my body on the bed with a dangerous mix of guilt, repressed rage, and a ravenous desire he was trying to hide.

"You should sleep in bed, not at your desk," he said in a deep, raspy voice.

"Thank you for the light, Liam," I whispered, searching his eyes. "I thought you had forgotten."

He swallowed hard and took one more step, closing the distance until his knee rested on the mattress, dangerously close to my legs.

He seemed on the verge of giving in to the tension, his eyes fixed on my lips with a primitive hunger, but the sharp buzz of his phone broke the spell.

Liam pulled out the device. He looked at the screen and I saw his features harden instantly.

"I have to answer," he said, turning around abruptly.

"Is it Caitlyn?" I asked.

"She's feeling unwell. I have to go to the hotel," he replied, walking toward the exit.

The door closed. Minutes later, the sound of his car engine fading away confirmed I was alone. I smiled in the dark. His inner dilemma had begun.

The following afternoon, a massive black velvet box arrived at the mansion via a private courier service.

It had no card, only the golden seal of my family's European fashion house. Inside rested a spectacular gala gown: night-blue silk, imperial cut with off-the-shoulder sleeves, and subtle crystal embroidery.

I was in front of the living room mirror examining the garment when Liam walked in.

Upon seeing the dress and the luxury packaging, his brows drew together in a line of pure suspicion.

His gaze scanned the expensive fabric and then locked onto me with a fierce hostility.

The vein in his neck was throbbing with uncontained jealousy.

"Where did you get that?" Liam asked, his voice cutting like a whip as he approached with a firm stride. "That designer only works on exclusive orders for the global elite."

"It arrived for me this afternoon," I replied calmly. "It's a gift."

Liam closed the distance between us in two strides. Cornering me against the edge of the table, he grabbed my arm tightly, holding me with a rough possessiveness that made my skin tingle.

"A gift? From whom?" he demanded, his face inches from mine, breathing heavily. "Don't tell me you're already looking for a replacement for when you sign the divorce, Fabiana. Your suitors are very fast. It's a lack of respect to accept gifts from other men while you're still my wife in front of the world."

I held my gaze firm, enjoying watching his self-control crumble. He assumed it was a lover, blind to the fact that the dress came from my brother Sebastián.

"I don't have to give you explanations about my gifts, Liam. You said you wanted me to be at your level for the gala. This dress delivers."

Liam tightened his grip on my arm for another second before letting me go, as if the contact burned him. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a leather case. He threw it on the table.

"You are going to wear this tonight," he ordered in a raspy voice. "It's my family's sapphire and diamond necklace. I want everyone to see you wearing my jewelry. Let it be clear to anyone in that ballroom who you belong to."

An hour later, I finished getting ready. The blue dress fitted my silhouette to perfection. I put on his family's diamond necklace.

When I walked down the stairs, Liam was waiting for me at the bottom of the steps, dressed in an impeccable black tuxedo.

When he saw me appear, he froze completely.

His eyes dilated. His gaze traveled over my neck, my cleavage, and the curve of my hips with an intensity so physical that I felt a shiver run down my entire spine.

He tried to speak, but his Adam's apple moved dryly.

"Is something wrong?" I asked serenely. "Is it not appropriate?"

"It's... fine," he replied, his voice cracking with tension, forcing his eyes away. "The car is waiting."

We got into the back of the tinted-glass vehicle.

As soon as the car started, I pressed myself against the right door, leaving an exaggerated space between us. I wanted to mark the distance, to make it clear to him that I knew my place: a contract wife about to sign the divorce.

Liam observed the distance I created, and a shadow of fury crossed his face.

Suddenly, he closed the space in a single movement. He slid across the seat, pressing his body against mine.

His left hand caught my waist firmly, pinning me to his side, while his right hand took mine, intertwining our fingers.

"What are you doing, Liam?" I asked him, trying to break free. "There are no cameras in here. Let go of me."

"I'm not letting go of you," he stated against my ear, his warm breath brushing my skin. "Tonight, everyone will be watching us."

"I can walk beside you without you holding me like this," I countered, looking him in the eyes. "I know my role, but this is unnecessary."

Liam leaned his head down, trapping me against the back of the seat. His hand on my waist tightened further, feeling the heat of his body against mine.

"You are going to walk in on my arm, you will sit on my right, and you will act like my woman in front of every single person in that room, Fabiana," he said in a possessive whisper. "I will not tolerate you smiling at anyone else."

I looked at him in the dim light of the car, holding my breath at his proximity.

Shortly after, the engine of the luxury vehicle turned off with a soft purr in front of the grand staircase of the hotel where the gala was taking place.

Through the windows, the blinding lights of the photographers and the hurried murmur of the press announced that the red carpet was at its peak.

I pressed my hands together on my lap and took a deep breath.

"Remember," Liam said, breaking the silence inside the car. "Not a single gesture of doubt. Smile and stay by my side. The press must not notice anything."

"I know perfectly well what I have to do, Liam," I replied, staring at him. "It's my job tonight, isn't it? To fulfill the facade."

He didn't answer.

He opened the door and stepped out first.

He adjusted the top button of his tuxedo with a fluid movement and turned toward me.

He extended his hand in a gesture marked by authority, with his palm open, waiting for me to take it before the cameras.

I slid my hand into his, feeling his fingers squeeze my palm with a possessive strength that bordered on rough, as if he feared I might run away.

As I stepped out of the car, a collective murmur swept through the reporters, and instantly the flashes multiplied, creating an almost unbearable glare.

"Mr. Liam! Mrs. Fabiana! A look over here, please!" the photographers shouted from the left.

"Mrs. Fabiana, what a spectacular dress! Which designer is it from?" a journalist yelled out.

I ignored the direct questions and limited myself to offering a serene, elegant smile, keeping my chin held high.

I walked along the red carpet, feeling the silk of the dress flow effortlessly with every movement.

Liam squeezed my hand slightly against his side, guiding me with impeccable ease.

"You're doing well," he murmured close to my ear, his warm breath brushing my skin.

"It's what you wanted for the company's image, isn't it?" I whispered back, maintaining an ice-cold smile for a cameraman.

As we crossed the doors of the main ballroom, the atmosphere transformed.