The CEO's Hidden Wife

The office felt heavier today. Lena had never quite understood how the smallest shift in atmosphere could change everything until now. The faint murmur of voices outside Dominic's office, the whispered glances of her colleagues, all pointed to the same thing: her secret was no longer a secret. It had shattered the fragile façade she had worked so hard to maintain, and now, every corner of the office seemed to breathe with the weight of it.

Lena sat at her desk, staring blankly at her computer screen, trying to focus on the work in front of her. But all she could think about was Dominic's reaction when he found out the truth. She hadn't been prepared for the way everything had exploded after he uncovered her family's involvement in the company's dealings. The worst part wasn't the revelation itself, but the betrayal that had laced his words when he confronted her.

There was an unmistakable chill in the air whenever she passed him in the hallways. The moments of tentative warmth they had shared—the late-night talks, the fleeting glances—had all evaporated into nothing. Dominic had become an enigma to her, someone she couldn't predict, someone she couldn't reach anymore. His anger had cut through her defenses, and now, all she was left with was a mess of emotions—confusion, hurt, and guilt.

At that very moment, the intercom buzzed.

"Lena, Dominic would like to see you in his office."

Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected him to call her in so soon. It felt as though he was waiting for her, plotting what he would say next. His words from earlier, sharp and accusatory, still rang in her ears, and she wasn't sure she could face him again so soon.

But there was no avoiding it. She stood up from her desk, trying to steady her breath. She had to go in there, confront him, even if it meant facing the full force of his anger.

She made her way to Dominic's office, each step feeling like it took her deeper into the storm. When she reached his door, she hesitated for a moment before knocking. The moment her knuckles hit the wood, the door swung open, and there he was, standing at the window, staring out over the city as if the world beyond the glass held more answers than the room between them.

Lena stepped inside, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Dominic," she said softly, trying to sound as confident as she could despite the nerves clawing at her.

He didn't acknowledge her presence immediately. His broad back remained to her, his gaze fixed on the horizon. The silence stretched on, thick and uncomfortable. She waited for him to speak, but when he did, his voice was colder than she ever imagined it could be.

"I know what you've been doing, Lena," he said, his voice sharp, like a blade cutting through the tension.

Lena froze, her stomach sinking. The words hit her like a ton of bricks, shattering the fragile calm she had tried to maintain.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, though her mind was spinning. "What do you mean?"

Dominic slowly turned to face her, his eyes hard and unforgiving. "Don't play dumb. I know you've been using your family's influence to push your own agenda behind my back. You've been getting Thornton Group to manipulate our deals, haven't you? You think I wouldn't notice?"

The accusation hung in the air like a heavy cloud, suffocating her. Lena's breath caught in her throat. The way he spoke, with such finality, as if he had already condemned her, made her stomach churn. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out at first. It was like she had been struck speechless.

"Lena," he continued, stepping closer to her, his presence looming over her, "I've spent years building this company, building my reputation. And now, because of you, I'm faced with questions I never wanted to answer. How could you let it get to this point? How could you deceive me like this?"

His voice wavered slightly, as though the anger was too much to contain. Lena felt as though her insides were being torn apart. She had never imagined it would come to this—him looking at her with such betrayal in his eyes, speaking to her with the kind of scorn that made her want to crawl into a hole and never come out.

"Dominic," she said, her voice finally breaking through the barrier she had created. "I never meant for this to happen. I didn't want to use my family's influence. But you don't understand, you have to understand—I've been trying to protect myself."

"Protect yourself?" Dominic echoed, his tone incredulous. "By lying to me? By deceiving me at every turn? Do you really think that's going to work? Do you think I'll just let it go because you claim it's for some noble cause?"

Lena felt a lump form in her throat. She wanted to scream, to tell him that she hadn't intended any of this. But the words felt useless. His anger was too strong, too real. She couldn't even begin to explain her reasons without making it worse.

"I was trying to protect my family," she said quietly, her voice trembling. "I didn't want to lose everything—my family, my career, even you." She took a shaky breath, the confession slipping out before she could stop it. "I didn't want to lose you."

Dominic's expression hardened at her words, but she could see the flicker of something in his eyes—something like pain, or regret, or perhaps both.

"You don't get it, Lena," he said, his voice quieter now, but no less firm. "I can't trust you anymore. Not after this. I can't work with someone who has so many secrets, someone who doesn't have the decency to be honest with me."

The silence that followed was deafening. Lena felt the weight of his words settle deep in her chest. She had hoped for understanding, for some form of compassion, but instead, she was faced with the cold reality of his rejection.

"I never wanted this marriage to be a lie," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "But I don't know how to fix it. I don't know if I can fix this."

Dominic's gaze softened slightly, but his resolve remained unbroken. "I don't know either, Lena. But right now, I don't think I can even look at you."

The words stung more than she had anticipated, and she felt the tears well up in her eyes, though she refused to let them fall. This was her mess to clean up, and she wasn't going to let him see her break down.

Lena turned to leave, her body feeling like it was made of stone, but Dominic's voice stopped her before she could reach the door.

"If you want to fix this… you'll have to prove that I can trust you again," he said, his voice heavy with finality. "Until then, we're done. No more pretending."

And with that, Lena left his office, the weight of her betrayal hanging over her like an anchor. She didn't know if she could ever make things right, but one thing was certain—nothing would ever be the same between them again.