Alicia held his gaze for a second.

Then looked away.

"If it weren’t for Grandma’s health, we would’ve already been divorced," she said calmly.

"So what’s the point of talking about this now?"

Silence.

Heavy.

Alexander’s jaw tightened slightly.

He didn’t respond.

"I know what you’re worried about," Alicia continued, her tone steady.

"But listen carefully—I’m not like you."

That made his eyes darken.

"Aiden won’t affect anything between us," she added.

A pause.

Then—

"If we do end up divorcing, it will only be because I’ve been completely disappointed in you."

That landed.

Hard.

Alexander said nothing.

But the air around him shifted.

Colder.

Darker.

He turned his gaze forward, expression unreadable.

The rest of the drive passed in silence.

Alicia leaned back, staring out the window as the city blurred past.

Beside her, Alexander closed his eyes, resting against the seat.

Neither spoke.

In the front, Jim tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

He didn’t dare say a word.

Even his occasional glance through the rearview mirror was careful.

When they arrived at the office, the car came to a smooth stop.

The elevator ride up was just as quiet.

Ding.

The doors opened.

Alicia stepped out behind Alexander—

Then, without hesitation, turned in another direction.

"The restroom," she said briefly.

She didn’t wait for a response.

Her steps were quick.

Almost too quick.

Lately, she had been going to the restroom more often.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

Not entirely.

Behind her—

Alexander watched.

His gaze followed her retreating figure for a moment longer than necessary.

Then lingered.

He understood.

Of course he did.

She still didn’t want to be seen with him.

Not here.

Not in the company.

Not in front of others.

Even now.

Even after everything.

His expression darkened slightly.

‎Alicia’s POV

‎I stepped into one of the stalls and closed the door behind me.

‎For a moment, there was only silence.

‎Then—

‎Footsteps.

‎Voices.

‎A group of employees entered, their laughter light and casual in the quiet restroom.

‎I was just about to leave—

‎When one of them lowered her voice.

‎"Hey... did you see the Twitter hashtags from last night?"

‎My hand paused mid-motion.

‎"How could I not?" another replied quickly. "It was everywhere. CEO Blackwood and Director Alicia—those videos? That wasn’t even subtle anymore."

‎A small gasp followed.

‎"So it’s true? She really is... that kind of person?"

‎"Who knows? But it looks convincing. They were literally entering the same house together."

‎"And the jewelry store too. That can’t be a coincidence."

‎A quiet chuckle.

‎"I used to think she got her position through connections, but I didn’t expect... this kind of connection."

‎"Right? CEO Blackwood has always treated her differently."

‎Their voices dropped lower, sharper.

‎"Then what about Miss Lilian? Isn’t she the real girlfriend?"

‎"Ahh... I’m so pissed. Voluntarily being someone’s mistress—how shameless."

‎"Ugh, rich people are so messy."

‎Each word landed—

‎Too clearly.

‎"If it weren’t for the Chairwoman, no one in the Blackwood family would even take her seriously. Of course she’d need a backer."

‎"I’m pretty sure she seduced him,it must have been her way of getting a share in the Blackwood family’s wealth".

‎"Honestly, I don’t get why CEO Blackwood would even look at someone like her. Always so cold... it’s exhausting just thinking about working under her."

‎Soft laughter followed.

‎No one disagreed.

‎I stood there in silence.

‎My fingers slowly curled at my sides.

‎Something in my chest tightened.

‎Compared to other department heads, I had always known I wasn’t... easy to approach.

‎I had tried once.

‎Back in school, after being brought into the Blackwood family, I told myself I would start over. Be different. Fit in.

‎I tried.

‎For a while, it even seemed like I had succeeded.

‎People greeted me.

‎Talked to me.

‎But when it mattered—

‎No one stayed.

‎No one was ever truly there.

‎So I learned.

‎To keep my walls up.

‎Even after marrying Alexander.

‎I couldn’t get into his heart, but I also didn’t dare let him into mine, afraid to let him know how deeply I had loved him for all these years.

‎From the outside, everything looked perfect.

‎But in truth—

‎I had never fully trusted him.

‎And I had never allowed myself to be completely vulnerable either.

‎I lowered my gaze.

‎A faint reflection stared back at me from the metal lock.

‎Distorted.

‎Unclear.

‎What if they don’t like me?

‎The thought came quietly.

‎But it didn’t linger.

‎I wouldn’t be here for long anyway.

‎For a moment, I thought I would feel angry at their words.

‎Or humiliated.

‎But instead—

‎There was only a familiar stillness.

‎As if I had expected this all along.

‎My hand moved unconsciously—

‎Resting lightly against my lower abdomen.

‎Would it always be like this?

‎No matter what I did—

‎Would I always be reduced to something so simple?

‎A woman who relied on a man.

‎A woman who didn’t belong.

‎My fingers tightened slightly.

‎And Alexander...

‎The thought came uninvited.

‎If he were here—

‎Would he stand beside me?

‎Or remain silent—

‎Like he always had?

‎The voices outside faded.

‎Footsteps.

‎Laughter.

‎Then silence.

‎I stayed there for a few seconds longer.

‎Then slowly straightened.

‎When I stepped out of the stall—

‎My expression was calm again.

‎Composed.

‎As if nothing had happened.

‎But deep inside—only I knew what I was going through.

‎

After leaving the restroom and passing through the work area, I could clearly feel it—

The way some employees’ gazes lingered on me.

Subtle.

But unmistakable.

Curious.

Judging.

Meaningful.

I didn’t react.

I walked straight to my office, closed the door behind me, and got to work as usual.

Later in the day, my phone buzzed.

A message from Ariana.

Ariana: Alicia, have you seen the news?

Alicia: Yeah, I’ve seen it.

Ariana: What’s going on between you and CEO Blackwood?

Another message popped up almost immediately.

Ariana: Damn... the news I saw—why does it feel so real?

I stared at the screen for a moment before replying.

Alicia: Well... part of it is true.

"???"

A barrage of question marks flooded the chat.

Ariana: Is there really something going on between you and CEO Blackwood?

Alicia: Yeah.

There was a brief pause.

I could almost imagine Ariana staring at her phone in shock—

Just like Aiden had.

A few seconds later, another message came through.

Ariana: Are you the one who got between Alexander and Lilian... as the mistress?

Her words were blunt.

Sharp.

But familiar.

I wasn’t angry.

Ariana had always been like this—straightforward, never one to sugarcoat anything.

Alicia: I know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t interfere between them. It’s more complicated than that.

Ariana: No way. You have to tell me everything today!

Otherwise, are we breaking up as friends?!

Even through the screen, I could feel her frustration.

Ariana: I get it—CEO Blackwood is handsome and rich, but we can’t be doing things like this!

Don’t you remember the drama with Lilian’s photos? The way he defended her?

They acted like a couple in love. Are you sure you didn’t interfere?

Alicia: Of course I didn’t.

Ariana: Then what’s the deal?

Unlike Aiden, Ariana didn’t hesitate.

She demanded answers.

I paused briefly...

Then gave her a simple explanation—just enough for her to understand the outline of my relationship with Alexander.

There was silence.

Then—

An explosion.

Ariana: WHAT???

Ariana: So you’re saying Lilian is actually the mistress?!

Ariana: Damn, I knew it! She acts all innocent, but she’s the real third party!

Ariana: And her agent? Trash too!

Ariana: She knew about your relationship and still acted all close to him in front of you? Shameless!

Ariana: I’m so pissed right now!

Ariana: I’ve never seen anyone this shameless!

Then—

The message that followed came harder than the rest.

Ariana: And CEO Blackwood—what a scumbag! Cheating in marriage?! This is absolutely unforgivable!!!

Ariana: Alicia... why haven’t you divorced him yet?