Crushed Affections

Bella had nearly believed her own lies. She had filled her words with emotions when she had said them, but she did not dare to look Dominic in the eyes. The biggest flaw during their act was that no matter how close or affectionate they seemed, they had never looked at each other throughout the interview. Of course, without mutual attraction and love, how could they look at each other lovingly?

Dominic suddenly kissed her hands, his gaze filled with affection. He did not look like he was putting on an act, as he said, "Of course, no one can compare to me." Bella felt Dominic's kiss like a surge of electricity, sending a jolt straight to her heart. She wondered why he would go so far if they were just putting on an act.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

The interview didn't last long. The reporters also shifted the interview to trivial questions that were easy to answer, and Dominic handled them effortlessly.

When the reporters left, his demeanor immediately changed. He took off the ring on his finger and casually tossed it onto the coffee table.

The ring spun for a moment on the table before coming to a stop, just like how Bella felt her heart drop at that moment. She proceeded to remove her own ring and placed it beside his.

To avoid suspicion, Dominic stayed until nighttime before he left. He seemed to have done something as Gloriana quickly issued a statement after the interview video was released.

In a short video, she sincerely clarified that her relationship with Dominic was purely professional, and her words matched perfectly with Dominic's story.

Just like that, the issue was resolved effortlessly, and Bella suddenly became "Mrs. Miller" overnight.

The night was quiet, free from the noise of the day.

Bella sat on her bed as she watched Gloriana's video. Her eyes lingered on Gloriana's four-leaf clover earrings. She held the matching earring in her hand. Was that really the truth the public wanted to uncover?

Helping to cover up Dominic and Gloriana's lies was nothing more than a way for her to give her child a legitimate identity for the time being. She was fully aware that her one lie would require countless lies to cover things up.

However, she could only take it one step at a time. In the past, she had hoped Dominic would quickly get married and let her go. Now, ironically, she wished that he would never get married.

She had considered refusing to play along with Dominic's act, but she knew that he wouldn't agree to let her publicly claim the child wasn't his.

Hence, she had no choice but to go along with him. She was no match for him when it came to such tricks and schemes.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming down the hallway outside her bedroom. The sound was faint but the approaching footsteps did not sound like they belonged to Carla, Instead, they sounded like they belonged to Dominic,

She turned off the video and listened quietly. She wasn't sure why he had come over at such an hour.

She heard him walk past her door, not stopping as he walked toward the guest room. The sound finally faded away.

After giving the situation some thought, she finally realized what was happening.

Dominic was likely staying at her place to stir any rumors as they were currently in the limelight. It could stir up more drama if someone caught wind that he and his pregnant "wife" were living separately.

Early the next morning, Bella woke up earlier than usual, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Dominic had been quietly exiting the guest room when she left her room. Hearing her movement, he paused briefly before returning to his usual composed demeanor, walking past her to go downstairs.

As she watched his calm figure from behind, Bella's lips curved into a faint smile. Was he worried about disturbing her?

Perhaps she should've told him that her house had excellent soundproofing. Only in the dead of night would any sound seem slightly noticeable.

By the time she arrived downstairs, Dominic was already sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast while playing with his phone.

Bella couldn't help but stare at his focused appearance for a few extra seconds.