Night settled slowly over the city, folding the noise into something softer, almost bearable.
Bella sat on the edge of her bed, her hand bag still laying on the floor. She hadn't moved since she came home hours ago.
The apartment felt smaller than she remembered—walls closing in, air heavy with memories she couldn't escape.
Her cheek still throbbed faintly.
Not from Claire's attempt. But from everything else.
She reached up and touched the spot gently, then let her hand fall into her lap. A humorless laugh slipped from her lips.
She had walked out of a mansion and straight back into hell.
But this time, she hadn't broken.
That counted for something.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Once.
She didn't reach for it.
Again.
This time, she picked it up.
Unknown Number.
She already knew who it was.
She stared at the screen for a long moment, then answered.
"Yes?"
"Miss Bella," a calm male voice said. "This is Mr. Hale from Rivers Legal. Mr. Nathan asked me to forward the preliminary contract."
Bella closed her eyes.
So he didn't come himself.
She wasn't surprised.
"Send it," she said quietly.
The file arrived seconds later.
She didn't open it immediately.
Instead, she stood and walked to the narrow window overlooking the street below. A street vendor was packing up his cart. A couple argued softly near a parked car. Life continued—unaware, indifferent.
Bella inhaled deeply.
Then she opened the document.
The language was clean. Cold. Efficient.
A legal marriage. Fixed duration. Public appearances. Non-disclosure clauses. Protection clauses. Financial settlements. Inheritance leverage.
No affection.
No emotional obligations.
She read every word.
Twice.
By the time she finished, her hands were steady.
Her heart, however, felt bruised and exhausted.
She sat back down and opened a blank note.
If she was going to accept this, she would not do it as a victim.
She began typing.
Nathan was still in his office when the message came through.
It was late—well past the hour his assistants usually dared to linger—but he hadn't dismissed them yet. Numbers glowed on the glass wall, projections he had stared at for hours without truly seeing.
"Sir," one of them said carefully, "we can—"
"Leave," Nathan interrupted.
They didn't argue.
The door closed behind them, leaving him alone with the city lights and the persistent, irritating tension sitting in his chest.
He hadn't meant for Bella to leave.
That thought surfaced unbidden.He dismissed it immediately.She made her choice.
His phone buzzed.
A message from his legal counsel.She's responded.Nathan unconsciously straightened.
"Send it," he said.
The document opened on his screen.
He read the first amendment.Then the second.
By the third, his jaw tightened.
She wasn't negotiating.
She was rewriting.
Bella sat at her small dining table, laptop open, tea growing cold beside her. She had changed into simple clothes—soft, worn, familiar. Armor she didn't need to think about.
She typed with calm precision.
Clause 3.1: Duration of marriage shall be flexible and subject to mutual consent. No forced continuation.
Clause 4.2: Public appearances will be mutually agreed upon. No ambush events.
Clause 5.6: Bella retains full autonomy over personal and professional decisions. No restrictions outside agreed public conduct.
She paused, fingers hovering.Then added one final clause.
Clause 7.4: Emotional boundaries acknowledged. No obligation for intimacy beyond public necessity. Either party may request space without justification.
She stared at it for a moment.Then sent the document.
Nathan leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly through his nose.
She had dismantled half the contract.
Efficiently.
Deliberately.
And without apology.
He should have been annoyed.
Instead, something like reluctant admiration surfaced—and that irritated him even more.
"She's setting terms," he muttered.
As if she had the upper hand.
And yet… she did.
He picked up his phone.
"Get her here," he told his assistant. "Tonight."
"Yes Boss" . Oliver his assistant answered and immediately left the office.
The ride back to the mansion felt different this time.
Bella sat in the back of the car, hands folded neatly in her lap, gaze steady. The city lights reflected in the glass, but she didn't watch them.
She wasn't afraid.
That surprised her.
When the car stopped, the butler opened the door.
"Miss Bella," he greeted respectfully.
She nodded. "Thank you."
Nathan was waiting in the study.
Not seated.
Standing.
His jacket was off, sleeves rolled up, posture tense.
"You rewrote the contract," he said as soon as she entered.
"Yes."
"You removed safeguards."
"No," Bella corrected calmly. "I removed ownership."
Silence stretched.
"You're still agreeing," Nathan said.
"Yes," she replied. "But not as someone desperate."
His amber eyes sharpened. "You think I see you that way?"
"I think you don't see me at all," she said quietly.
That struck something raw.
Nathan turned away, pacing once.
"You want protection," he said. "This is the most efficient way."
"I want fairness," Bella replied. "And dignity."
"You're in no position to dictate—"
She lifted her chin. "Then don't marry me."
The words landed like a challenge.
Nathan stopped.
Slowly, he turned back to her.
For the first time since he'd known her, Bella didn't look uncertain.
She looked resolute.
"You walked away today," he said.
"Yes."
"Why?"
She met his gaze evenly. "Because I won't stay where I'm only tolerated."
Something in his chest shifted uncomfortable, sharp.
"You think I tolerate you?"
"I think you control everything," she said. "Including yourself."
Silence fell again.
Nathan studied her—really studied her—for the first time without framing her as a problem to solve.
"You're asking for what exactly?," he asked finally.
"I'm asking for respect."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then this ends here."
He exhaled slowly.
"You don't understand what you're risking."
"I do," Bella said softly. "But I've already lost too much to be afraid."
Another pause.
Then Nathan nodded once.
"Fine."
She blinked.
"I'll accept your terms," he said. "All of them."
Her breath caught. Her eyes trembled lightly but she refused to cry.
"This is still a contract," he added. "Don't confuse it for anything else."
"I won't," Bella replied softly.
But they both knew something had shifted.
She had walked in prepared to bargain.
She was leaving as an equal.
Nathan extended his hand.
Bella hesitated only a second before taking it.
His grip was firm. Warm.Steady.
His eyes staring deep into her eyes like he could see into soul.
"Welcome back," he said quietly.
Bella nodded. First time since she walked into the study, she finally couldn't look him in eyes . The way she stares at her makes her feel things she promised to bury deep in her heart.
Finally releasing her hand, she quietly walked out of the study.
Nathan watched her walk past him. Nathan watch her walk out of his study. Somewhere deep within, he felt like stopping her from leaving the room. Not to discuss anything but just to continue looking at her.
'She's turned my world upside down'. He exhaled .
For reasons he didn't understand, the certainty of that unsettled him more than anything else had.