I took a job bathing a paralyzed billionaire because my children were starving and I had no other choice. I told myself it was only work, only a paycheck—but the moment I unbuttoned his shirt and saw what was hidden beneath it, my legs gave out. In one terrifying instant, I realized the man I was supposed to care for was tied to the darkest secret of my entire life.

I struggled wildly in the darkness of the closet.

"Stop fighting, it's me," a familiar voice whispered in my ear.

The hand slowly released my mouth.

I spun around and saw Julian sitting in his wheelchair, looking incredibly tense.

"Julian?" I gasped.

"How did you get in here so quietly?"

He placed a finger over his lips and pointed toward the hidden camera in the bedroom.

"Victoria and Marcus are watching everything we do," he whispered.

"They want to prove our marriage is a fraud so they can void the contract and kick you out."

My heart hammered with fear for my children.

"Then what do we do?" I asked quietly.

Julian looked at me with an intensity that made my breath catch.

"We give them exactly what they want to see."

"We have to pretend we are truly, madly in love."

For the next month, my life became a terrifying stage play.

Whenever we were in the main rooms, Julian and I held hands.

We shared lingering glances, soft touches, and whispered sweet nothings that felt dangerously real to me.

My kids adored him, calling him their hero.

One stormy night, Julian and I were alone in the master bathroom preparing for his bath.

The thunder crashed outside, rattling the thick mansion windows.

"I used to hate storms," Julian murmured, staring blankly at the water.

"I have these fractured memories of a girl crying in the rain twenty years ago."

I froze, the washcloth slipping from my trembling fingers.

"Do you remember her face?" I asked, my voice breaking.

He looked up at me, his gray eyes filled with a desperate sadness.

"No."

"But I remember feeling like I would rather die than lose her."

A tear slipped down my cheek.

I reached out and gently touched his face.

"Julian," I whispered.

He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch.

As he did, his hand suddenly twitched on the armrest of his wheelchair.

I gasped, looking down in pure shock.

Julian’s paralyzed fingers slowly curled into a fist.

He opened his eyes, staring at his own hand in absolute disbelief.

"I can feel my fingers," he breathed.

The Billionaire Put On a Waiter’s Apron to Test His Fiancée, but the Wom...

My father bet twenty dollars that I would walk through his front door al...

My Husband Slapped Me Out of His House for His Mistress, Then the Most F...

Before we could celebrate, the bathroom door violently slammed open.

Victoria stood in the doorway, holding a silver tray with Julian’s evening medication, and she had a wicked grin on her face.

Chapter 4 - The Silent Recovery