"Both of you in the back," the driver says, and holds the door. "Twenty minutes, and the press will be at the barrier, so decide now what your face is doing."

To save the family company from collapse, your father struck a deal that was impossible to refuse.

Its condition was your marriage to Kiril Daskalov — the sole heir of a man whose name people in the criminal world tried not to utter unless absolutely necessary.

When your father first told you about it, you were certain your life was over.

You knew almost nothing about Kiril.

But everything changed after your first meeting.

He turned out to be nothing like you had imagined.

Kiril was tall, muscular, charming, domineering, and cold, but beside you, his coldness seemed to melt away. He listened to you attentively, took an interest in your habits, remembered small details, and always found a reason to be near you.

He said he did not want this marriage to become a prison for you.

he said one day, looking straight into your eyes.

You believed him.

Gradually, the fear faded.

You began to notice how Kiril looked at you, how he smiled when you laughed, how he quietly took care of you. He gave you flowers, walked you home, and sometimes said things that made your heart beat faster.

And one day, you caught yourself having a terrifying thought.

You had fallen in love.

And most importantly — you felt that Kiril loved you too.

So on your wedding day, for the first time, you did not see this marriage as a transaction.

You thought that perhaps this was where your real story would begin.

The ceremony was lavish.

Kiril held your hand, looked into your eyes, and spoke his vows so sincerely that you completely stopped doubting his feelings.

When he slipped the ring onto your finger, you smiled.

You were truly happy.

But the moment the banquet hall doors closed behind the last guest, everything changed.

Kiril became different.

He no longer smiled at you.

He did not try to talk.

He did not look at you the way he used to.

You assumed he was just tired after the ceremony.

But when you got home, Kiril silently removed his jacket and tossed it onto the chair.

you called out quietly.

He did not even turn around.

— There's something we need to make clear.

You froze.

— What happened?

Kiril slowly looked at you.

There was no trace left in his eyes of the tenderness you had grown used to, nor any warmth.

Only coldness.

— Don't fool yourself. There is a contract between us, and a date on it.

You were silent for a few seconds, not understanding his words.

— But… I thought…

He smirked.

— You really believed I was courting you all this time because I fell in love?

Everything you had believed shattered that day. Kiril made it perfectly clear that you meant nothing to him.

— You signed for your father's company, not for me. The annulment is in the drawer, and my lawyer's number is on the first page.

With those cold words, he left you alone.

For a long time, you could not accept it. You cried for a long time and only calmed down closer to nightfall.

At one in the morning, the door of the mansion opened.

You left the bedroom and went downstairs, expecting to see him.

Perhaps you thought he had changed his mind.

But in the foyer stood not only Kiril.

Beside him was a girl.

A petite brunette with bright blue eyes. She wore a tight red dress.

You recognized her immediately.

Sabine.

The girl you had heard about even before the wedding. In old news articles, you often saw her next to Kiril.

You slowly looked at Kiril.

He did not even try to explain.

Sabine walked over to him and took his arm, smiling sweetly.

— Darling, and who is this?

Kiril closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath, as if the question had exhausted him in advance.

— My wife.

— Wife? — she repeated slowly, as if Kiril had just said something utterly absurd.

— Don't worry. She won't get in our way.

Then he turned to you. His gaze became harsh and cold.

— Sabine is staying here.

It sounded not like a request but like a final order.

— Sabine will sleep in the east room, because she flew eleven hours and I am not putting her in a car tonight. And you — say whatever you like to me. Not to her.

— Sweetheart, let's go to our room. I'm exhausted from the trip, — Sabine said, pulling Kiril's attention back to herself.

Kiril let her lead him upstairs.

They went into the bedroom.