Esther couldn't sleep.
She lay on her back on the expensive covers, eyes fixed on the ceiling, refusing to pull the blanket over herself. Doing so would feel like admitting defeat—like accepting that this cold, luxurious mansion was slowly becoming more than just a prison.
Through the tall windows, the city lights twinkled mockingly. People out there were living normal lives.
Esther pressed her palm against the cold glass, her thoughts swirling between her mother in the care facility, her father's last smile, the restaurant that no longer existed… and the man sleeping just down the hall.
Gideon.
The same man who had pulled her close during the storm last night, his fever-warm body trembling slightly with every thunderclap. He had simply held her like she was the only safe thing in his world and for a few hours, she had let herself believe it.
Now, in the quiet light of morning, that closeness terrified her.
She rose before the alarm, showered quickly, and dressed with careful precision. When she looked in the mirror, the girl staring back looked tired and uncertain. Someone who had stepped too close to the edge and didn't know how to step back.
"Don't let him see it",she told herself. She straightened her shoulders and left the room.
Breakfast was scheduled for exactly seven.
Esther entered the dining room at 6:58 am–not because she wanted to follow his rules, but because she refused to give Gideon any reason to comment.
He was already there, seated at the head of the long table like a king who owned the world—calm and composed—reading documents as if nothing had changed.
As if last night — when he had whispered "Stay" and pulled her into his arms, had never happened.
Esther sat at the opposite end. The silence between them felt heavier than usual.
Gideon didn't look up immediately. When he finally did, his voice was neutral. "Did you sleep well?"
"I slept fine," Esther replied, keeping her tone just as flat.
He nodded once and returned to his papers.
The indifference stung more than Esther wanted to admit. She poked at her food, her appetite gone. After a few minutes, she couldn't hold back anymore.
"You look better this morning," she said quietly.
Gideon glanced up, one eyebrow slightly raised. "Thanks to you."
The simple acknowledgment made her cheeks warm. She looked down at her plate. "You should still take it easy today."
"I have meetings."
"Of course you do," she muttered.
A small, rare smile touched his lips. "Are you worried about me, Esther?"
She met his eyes. "I'm worried you'll push yourself and get worse. That's all."
For a moment, something soft passed between them. Gideon set his fork down and studied her face carefully.
"Last night…" he started, his voice lower.
Esther's heart skipped. "We don't have to talk about it."
"I want to," he said. "Thank you for staying. I don't… I don't usually let people see me like that."
She swallowed. "You were sick, anyone would have done the same."
"No," he replied gently. "Not anyone."
The air between them grew thick with unspoken words. Esther felt the pull again — that dangerous warmth that made her want to forget why she was really here.
Before she could respond, her phone rang. Joseph's name flashed on the screen.
"I should take this," she said, excusing herself quickly.
---
In the hallway, Esther answered.
"Esther, sweetheart," Joseph's warm, familiar voice came through. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay," she said carefully.
"You don't sound okay. Talk to me. Is he treating you well? Has he done anything to make you uncomfortable?"
His concern felt genuine, yet something about it now felt too smooth. Too perfect.
"He's… fine," she replied. "I'm managing."
"You know you can tell me anything, right? I've known you since you were a little girl. I'm still here for you."
Esther's grip tightened on the phone. "I know, Joseph. Thank you."
She ended the call faster than usual, a strange unease settling in her stomach. For the first time, she didn't feel like pouring her heart out to him.
---
Later at mid-day, while looking for blank paper in the library, Esther found something else entirely.
A thick folder containing their marriage contract.
Curiosity got the better of her. She sat down and began reading. Most of it was familiar— the eighteen-month term, the public appearances, the financial arrangements but when she reached page eleven, her blood ran cold.
She read the clause three times, her heart sinking with every word.
"If either party develops genuine emotional attachment or affection, the temporary marriage shall automatically convert into a permanent union. All assets, present and future, of the non-primary party shall transfer to the primary party."
Esther's hands began to shake. There was no escape clause, no way out. If feelings developed between them, she would be trapped forever—someone did this on purpose.
She called Gideon immediately, her voice tight. "Come back to the library, now."
Fifteen minutes later, Gideon walked into the library, concern etched on his face. The moment he saw her expression, his own changed.
"What happened?" he asked.
Esther's hands were still shaking as she thrust the contract toward Gideon in the library.
"Explain this," she demanded, her voice sharp. "Page eleven, read it."
Gideon took the document, his eyes scanning the page. The color drained from his face for a split second before his usual mask slipped back into place but Esther had already seen the flicker.
"I didn't know this was here," he said, his tone low and controlled.
Esther let out a bitter laugh. "You didn't know? You expect me to believe that? This is your contract, Gideon. Your lawyers, your house, your rules."
"I approved the original version," he replied, jaw tightening. "This clause was added later. I swear to you—"
"Swear?" She stepped closer, anger rising hot in her chest. "You forced me into this arrangement when I had no choice. You made me sign my life away for eighteen months. and now there's a hidden trap that says if I catch feelings, I lose everything? How convenient for you!"
Gideon's eyes narrowed. "What are you implying?"
"You added it, didn't you?" Esther's voice rose, trembling with hurt and fury. "So you wouldn't have to hold up your end of the deal. So you could keep me trapped here forever if I started to care. That way you get a wife without ever having to give anything real in return. No divorce, no escape, just ownership."
The words landed like a slap.
Gideon stared at her, something raw flashing across his face. "You really think I would do that to you?"
"Why not?" she shot back, tears burning in her eyes. "You're Gideon Cross. You control everything, you controlled me from the moment I walked into this house. Last night you asked me to stay with you, to lie next to you, and now I find out there's a clause waiting to punish me for it? Tell me I'm wrong!"
"You're wrong," he said, his voice growing louder, control finally cracking. "I didn't add that damn clause. I would never trap you like that."
"Then who did?" Esther yelled, throwing her hands up. "Because someone wants me stuck here permanently, someone wants me to lose everything the moment I make the mistake of trusting you. And right now, you're the only person who benefits from that!"
Gideon stepped forward, his tall frame towering over her, but for once he didn't look intimidating—he looked angry and hurt.
"You think I need a legal trick to keep you here?" His voice dropped, dangerous and rough. "If I wanted to trap you, Esther, I wouldn't need a hidden clause. I have money, I have power—I could make your life hell without writing a single extra line."
Esther's breath hitched. "Then why does it feel like that's exactly what's happening?"
"Because you're scared!" he snapped. "You're terrified that last night meant something. That when you held me during the storm, it wasn't just pity. That maybe—just maybe—you're starting to feel something real and instead of facing that, you'd rather accuse me of being a monster."
Esther's eyes filled with angry tears. "Don't you dare turn this around on me. I gave up my freedom. I signed that paper when I was desperate for solutions and now I find out there's a bomb hidden inside it with your name written all over it."
Gideon ran a hand through his hair, frustration rolling off him in waves. "I have never lied to you about the terms. Never. I told you exactly what this arrangement was —temporary, controlled, mutually beneficial. I never asked for your heart, Esther. But if someone is trying to force that on us, I will destroy them."
She shook her head, voice breaking. "You still don't get it, even if you didn't add it, you brought me here. You put me in this position and now I'm trapped either way. If I feel nothing, I survive eighteen months. If I feel something… I lose my future completely fo you."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Gideon stared at her, chest rising and falling heavily. For the first time, he looked almost lost.
"I didn't want this," he said quietly, but with intensity. "Not the clause—not the trap, and not…" He stopped, swallowing hard. "Not to make you afraid of me."
Esther wiped her eyes angrily. "Then fix it, rip it up, burn it. Tell your lawyers to tear that page out of existence. Because I won't live like this—waiting for the moment my own feelings betray me."
"I'm already doing that," he said. "But you have to trust me."
"Trust you?" She laughed through her tears. "How can I trust you when every time I let my guard down, something like this happens?"
Gideon took a slow step closer, his voice softening even as the tension remained thick in the air.
"Because last night, when the thunder came and I was burning with fever, you didn't have to stay," he said. "But you did, you lay beside me, you let me hold your hand. That wasn't part of the contract, that was the real you"
Esther's lips trembled. She wanted to deny it, but the memory of his warm arm around her, the way his breathing had finally calmed with her beside him, refused to leave.
"I was just being kind," she whispered.
"Were you?" Gideon asked, searching her eyes. "Or were you starting to care, just a little?"
"I said was just being kind, please!" she said loudly.
Then she straightened her back, wiping her eyes roughly.
"But it ends now," she said, her voice firmer than she felt. "From today, we follow the contract strictly. Nothing more, no more closeness. No more touching or physical contact, no more nights like last night. I'm here for one reason only—to pay my mother's care bills and clear my father's debts. That's it, nothing else. This…" She gestured between them. "Whatever this is, it stops here."
Gideon stared at her, something painful flashing in his eyes. For a long moment, he said nothing, the silence stretched between them, heavy and raw.
"Esther…" he started.
"No," she cut him off, shaking her head. "Don't. I can't afford to lose everything, Gideon. Not my freedom, not my future—so we go back to what we agreed on—a business arrangement."
She turned away before he could see fresh tears gathering in her eyes.
"I'll stay for the eighteen months," she added quietly, her voice cracking slightly. "But don't come close to me, ever again."
Gideon stared at her for a long, heavy moment. His face became cold and unreadable.
"Fine," he said, his voice calm but icy. "Let's do it your way, no strings attached anymore."
He took a step back, folding the contract neatly as if it meant nothing.
"You want distance? You've got it. We'll be exactly what the contract says—business partners. Nothing more, nothing less."
Esther felt a sharp twist in her chest at how quickly and coldly he accepted it, but she forced herself to hold his gaze.
"Good," she replied, though her voice wavered slightly.
Gideon gave her one last look—cold, controlled, and unreadable.
"I'll have the lawyers deal with the clause," he said flatly. "In the meantime, stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."
With that, she walked out of the library, leaving Gideon standing alone with the altered contract still clutched tightly in his fist.
His knuckles turned white.
Someone had tried to trap them both and whether Esther believed him or not, Gideon Cross was going to find that person…
And make them regret it.
Gideon stood motionless for a long moment, the contract still clutched tightly in his hand. Rage, cold and precise, burned in his chest.
Someone had dared to tamper with his carefully controlled arrangement. Someone had tried to trap not only him, but Esther— the one person who had begun to crack the ice around his heart.
He picked up his phone and dialed his lawyer.
"Review the contract immediately. Page eleven has been altered, find out who did this. I want a name by tonight."
He ended the call and stared out the window, his mind racing.
Down the hall, Esther sat on the edge of her bed, staring at nothing. Her heart refused to slow down. She had almost admitted it out loud—that something was changing between her and Gideon. That last night, lying beside him, had felt safe and real.
Her phone lit up again. It was Joseph calling.
She stared at his name. His earlier questions echoed in her mind.. The phone rang again, she let it go to voicemail.
A chilling suspicion began to form in her chest.
Who could have added that clause, was it Gideon?
Was Gideon trying to set her up??
What if the person who added that clause wasn't a stranger at all?