The Billionaire's Ruthless Contract Bride

The first thing I felt was warmth. A hand curled around mine, steady and immovable.

"Stay with me," a low voice said near my ear. "Please."

I opened my eyes slowly. The ceiling was white, the smell of cleaning sharp. A hospital. His face came into focus, pale and sleepless.

"You're awake," he breathed out like a prayer. "Thank God."

"What... happened?" My voice was dry.

"You fainted," he said. "You scared me."

"I told you I just needed air."

"You collapsed in my arms." His grip on my hand tightened. "I thought I was losing you."

"You stayed?"

"I haven't moved." His jaw clenched. "They tried to make me, but I refused."

Something inside me changed at the sight of himthis man who had built walls around himself now sitting watch at my bed.

"You didn't have to," I whispered.

"Yes, I did."

Silence hummed between us. The monitor beeped quietly. I tried to sit up; he steadied me with gentle hands.

"Slow down," he said. "You're weak."

"I hate feeling weak."

"I hate seeing you like this."

I looked at him. "Why? You've seen me broken before."

"Not like this," he mumbled.

I swallowed hard. "Are you angry?"

"I'm angry at myself," he said. "I push you until you break. And still you're here."

"I was leaving," I told him.

"I know." His eyes were dark and honest. "And I couldn't let you go."

"Because you own me?"

"Because I" He broke off, rubbing his temples. "I don't know how to do this. All I know is power. All I know is fighting. I don't know how to hold someone without crushing them."

"That's not an excuse."

"It's the truth," he said softly. "My mother left when I was a boy. She didn't say goodbye. She just walked out and never came back. I swore I'd never let anyone leave me again."

Pain moved through me like a slow tide. "So you cage people before they can walk away?"

He looked down at our joined hands. "I don't want to lose you, Aria."

"I'm already halfway gone," I said softly.

"Then tell me how to keep you."

"I don't know if you can," I whispered.

His fingers brushed my hair back from my face. "You're carrying my child. I should have been the first to know. Instead, my enemies knew before me. Do you know what that did to me?"

"I was scared," I said. "I didn't know if you'd see it as another trap."

He flinched. "Because of what I said."

"Yes."

"I didn't mean it." His voice cracked. "I was angry. But I've never felt more frightened than when you collapsed."

Something in my chest twisted painfully. "You look exhausted."

"I'm fine," he said automatically.

"You're not."

"I can't be weak now," he said. "They're circling. Calder. Cassandra. Whoever's feeding them information."

I frowned. "Feeding them?"

He paused, then spoke low. "They have inside data from my company. Projects only a handful of people knew about. And now..." He looked at me. "They've twisted it to look like you're the leak."

My heart lurched. "What?"

"I don't believe it," he said quickly. "But they're making it look real. Bank payments. Emails. Everything."

My breath caught. "You think I'd betray you?"

"I know you wouldn't."

"Do you?"

His jaw tightened. "Yes. But the board, the pressthey won't. They'll tear you apart."

I turned my face away. "Maybe this is what I get for agreeing to this contract."

"You didn't agree to be destroyed," he said furiously.

"I agreed to survive."

"And I'm going to protect you," he said. "No matter what."

"You can't protect me from this," I whispered. "Not if they've planted evidence."

"I can." His eyes blazed. "I'll burn everything down if I have to."

"That's exactly what they want," I said. "You burn everything."

He sat back, breathing hard. "Then what do we do?"

"We?" I repeated. "I thought it was always you."

"It was," he admitted. "Until you."

Tears stung my eyes. "I don't want to be your weakness."

"You're not my weakness," he said, leaning close. "You're the only thing keeping me from becoming a monster."

His words shook in the air. For a heartbeat, the walls between us cracked.

"I don't know if I can forgive you," I said.

"I don't expect you to," he answered. "But don't walk away. Not yet."

The monitor beeped faster as my feelings rose. "Everything hurts," I mumbled.

"I know." He pressed his face to mine. "Let me be here. Even if you hate me."

"I don't hate you," I whispered. "I hate what you do."

His hand cupped my cheek. "Then let me change it."

"Can you?"

"I'll try," he said. "For you. For them."

I closed my eyes, trying to settle my breathing. "I'm so tired."

"Sleep," he mumbled. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

His thumb stroked slow circles on the back of my hand. For a moment, the war stopped.

Then his phone vibrated on the bedside table. He didn't move. It buzzed again, louder.

"Answer it," I said.

He paused, then picked it up. "What?" His voice turned sharp.

I could hear a voice on the other end, low and urgent. His face changed, stiffening with each word.

"When?" he asked. Silence. "How much?" Silence again. "No, she didn't." His eyes flicked to me. "She didn't."

My stomach tightened. "What is it?"

He ended the call slowly, like dropping a blade. His face was pale.

"Tell me," I said.

"They've leaked internal data," he said. "And they've sent proof to the press. It looks like it came from your phone."

Ice shot through me. "That's impossible."

"I know," he said. "But the story goes live in an hour."

"What story?" My voice was barely a whisper.

"That you've been sabotaging my company from inside," he said.

I stared at him, heart beating. "They're framing me."

"Yes."

"Who?"

He shook his head slowly. "I don't know. But they're about to kill you."

The room felt colder. "What are you going to do?"

He looked at me, a storm forming behind his eyes. "The only thing I can do."

"What's that?"

He stood, slipping his phone into his jacket. "I'm going to find out who did this."

"And then?"

He paused at the door. "And then I decide whether I'm still the man you think I am."

"Don't do anything reckless," I said.

He turned back, eyes softer now. "I've already been reckless," he whispered. "I let myself care."

The door opened. A nurse stepped in, looking between us. "She needs rest," she said.

"I'll be back," he told me. "I promise."

"Will you?" I asked quietly.

He didn't answer. The door closed behind him.

Alone, I stared at the ceiling, the monitor buzzing loudly in the silence. My phone lay on the table. It once vibrated an unknown number. I reached for it with shaky fingers. A single word glowed on the screen: We warned you. Now he will know everything.

My blood ran cold.

Everything?