Gina’s lips curled into a smirk, her eyes glinting with a knowing look. "Isn’t it obvious? I want to help you get Bella."
Zack’s suspicion deepened. Her offer seemed too good to be true, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that she had hidden motives. "Why?" he pressed, skeptical. "Why this sudden generosity?"
Gina chuckled softly, picking up the menu in front of her. "Why don’t we eat first?" she suggested her tone light as if they were discussing nothing more serious than a casual meal.
Zack’s patience began to snap, the tension in his chest growing. But he kept his composure. "I am not hungry. You can order whatever you like."
"Alright," Gina said with a shrug, signaling for a waiter. She placed her order with a calm, unhurried demeanor as if she had all the time in the world.
But Zack wasn’t willing to wait. As soon as she finished, he leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "You haven’t answered my question. Why do you want to help me?"
Gina didn’t seem fazed by his insistence. Instead, she met his gaze with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "You’re clearly in love with Bella, aren’t you? You want to be with her. Since I’m offering to help, shouldn’t you be happy instead of questioning me?"
Zack’s frustration began to seep through. "Yes, I like her. But she is married—out of my league. I’ve stopped pursuing her."
Gina’s expression didn’t change. "But her marriage with Theodore isn’t out of love," she countered, leaning in slightly. "It’s a contract marriage."
Zack was stunned, the words "contract marriage" echoing in his mind like a distant thunderclap. He struggled to process the revelation, his thoughts spinning in turmoil.
Why would Bella agree to something like that? The question gnawed at him, relentless and painful.
As if reading his thoughts, Gina continued, "She needed money for her mother’s treatment, and Theodore doesn’t lack money. So, she sold herself to him."
The truth hit Zack like a punch to the gut. Now he understood why Bella had married Theodore, and the realization twisted his heart. The image of Bella sacrificing herself, not caring about her own happiness just to save her mother, made him ache with sorrow.
Along with the sorrow came a surge of irritation, a deep, burning frustration that tightened his chest and clenched his jaw.
Why hadn’t she come to him? He had offered to help her with her mother’s treatment and made it clear that he would do anything for her. Yet she had chosen Theodore’s money over his love, locking herself into a cold, transactional marriage.
If only she had trusted him, and let him help, he would have made her his wife for real, not just as part of a contract. His insides knotted with disappointment and injustice to his love.
His mind whirled with questions, the foremost being why she hadn’t given him a chance. Was it because of his entanglement with Ivy?
He felt terrible and regretted not breaking up with Ivy sooner. If only he had ended things with Ivy sooner and cleared the path for him and Bella, she might not have doubted him. She might not have felt the need to marry Theodore.
"I know you love her." Zack was pulled from his turbulent thoughts by Gina’s voice, her words piercing through his confusion. "Can you really stand by and watch her suffer in a loveless marriage?"
Her words hit Zack deep, stirring emotions he had tried to suppress. The idea of Bella trapped in a marriage devoid of love, or warmth, gnawed at him, forcing him to reconsider his stance.
"She deserves someone who truly loves her," Gina asserted, feigning concern for Bella. "But Theodore isn’t that person. The truth is, the only woman he has in his heart is me."
Theodore loved Gina?
The revelation caught him off guard, throwing him into further confusion. If Theodore’s heart belonged to Gina, then why had he chosen to marry Bella? The situation made no sense.
"Why did he choose to marry Bella if he loved you?" The question escaped his mouth spontaneously.
"That’s a long story." Gina slumped her shoulders and pretended to be sorrowful. "Theodore and I grew up together. It was always understood that I would be his wife. Our families had planned our marriage from the time we were adults."
She paused, her gaze distant as she recalled the past. "But things changed when Theodore had an accident. He was in a coma for six months. When he finally woke up, he was desperate to find the woman who had saved him."
She gritted her teeth as she recalled how madly Theodore looked for Bella back then. If that accident had not happened, Bella wouldn’t have come into his life. It was all because of that shrewd Franklin.
Gina’s expression darkened, her teeth gritting as she remembered the frantic way Theodore had searched for Bella. That accident had altered everything, bringing Bella into his life—a twist of fate Gina still couldn’t accept.
It had all been because of that cunning Franklin, and the thought of him made her blood boil. Under the table, Gina’s fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms as she silently vowed to deal with Franklin once she had secured her place as Theodore’s wife. But she quickly masked her displeasure, focusing on Zack once more.
"Eventually, Theodore discovered that Bella was the woman he had been searching for," she continued. "When he found out that she was struggling to afford her mother’s treatment, he pitied her. Marrying her was his way of repaying her for saving him."
Zack listened intently, his emotions a whirlwind of helplessness and distress. The knowledge that Theodore had married Bella out of obligation rather than love should have comforted him, but instead, it left him uneasy.
He couldn’t forget the way Theodore had warned him that night to stay away from Bella. He had seen how possessive Theodore was toward Bella. What if Theodore had begun to develop real feelings for her?
Gina’s voice broke through his thoughts, sharp and insistent. "Her mother has recovered, and there’s no reason for her to remain in this loveless marriage."
He looked up, meeting her gaze, her suggestion seeping into his heart.
"You should approach Bella and confess your feelings. Maybe she’ll realize there is someone who genuinely cares for her. Maybe she’ll be the one to end the contract. But if you delay, I’m afraid they might start liking each other."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
