Reese glanced my way, then turned her back and walked toward the bedroom. Even though she lowered her voice, every word still reached my ears, clear as day.
“Alright, alright, baby. Didn’t I say? One week at most, and I’ll be back.”
“Honey, next time, don’t post on my Instagram…”
“Hmm. I’m not mad, really. Just remember to keep it hidden next time. Love you.”
I collapsed onto the couch like a puppet with its strings cut.
A wave of invisible needles pricked at my chest, not sharp but steady and suffocating. The pain didn’t scream, but it spread slowly, tightening around my ribs until I couldn’t breathe.
Reese and I had grown up side by side. We were the classic childhood sweethearts — everyone knew we’d end up together.
When I was twenty-two, I had just returned from studying overseas when tragedy struck. Uncle Benedict and Aunt Ophelia died suddenly in a car crash.
With the company left without a leader, her uncles and cousins circled like vultures, all eager to snatch a piece of the Ellison Group. Within a month, the capital chain collapsed, and half the clients vanished without a trace.
Back then, Reese clung to me like a lifeline, her voice trembling in fear.
“Brother Matteo, what do I do? What should I do?”
At that turning point, I knelt before her in front of the entire company and proposed.
I promised her I would never touch a single share of the Ellison Group. I swore that if we had children, they would bear the Ellison surname, not mine.
My father flew into a rage and threatened to cut all ties with me. He didn’t even show up at the wedding.
But within just half a year of marrying Reese, I had stabilized the company, crushed a few power-hungry relatives, and fired her scheming uncle.
Who would’ve thought he’d hold such a vicious grudge? Fueled by resentment and aided by her eldest uncle, he hired a hitman to take Reese’s life.
The moment the trigger was pulled, I threw myself in front of her. The bullet tore through my lower abdomen, damaging my pancreas beyond repair and leaving me forever unable to have children.
That day, Reese clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably. Her vows were tear-soaked, trembling as she promised she would love only me for the rest of her life, that she would never leave me, no matter what.
Later, her uncle was thrown behind bars, and her eldest uncle resigned on his own. The entire Ellison family business has been in our hands since that day.