Chapter 05

Callum stood facing Elise. His stare grew sharper.

"I'm not setting you up," Elise said calmly. "I just want you to show some sincerity."

Elise stayed where she was, the dirty plates still on the table. She held Callum's gaze as he stood there now, jaw tightening.

"If you keep seeing Vivienne, the gossip about your relationship will only grow bigger. And if that happens, how could anyone believe our household is fine?"

Callum's jaw tightened further. "It's not gossip. I really am in a relationship with Vivienne."

Elise's hand trembled slightly at the admission. Callum hadn't even tried to hide it. He'd said it bluntly.

"I know." Elise's voice remained flat. "But our main goal for these four weeks is to convince Mr. Harlan about our relationship, so he won't hesitate to sign the contract with me. If you won't stay away from Vivienne for now, then our agreement is pointless. And the divorce you're hoping for will never happen."

Callum fell silent.

Irritation was clear on his face, but he couldn't argue against the logic. After a few seconds that felt long, he finally nodded.

"I'll try."

Elise smiled. A small one. A victorious smile she didn't bother hiding.

Callum grew more irritated seeing it.

"And the next thing we'll probably need to do soon," Elise continued, "is sleep in the same room. Either mine or yours."

Callum was stunned.

He stared at Elise, aghast. "Sleep together? Have you lost your mind?"

"One of the gala events will be held at a hotel." Elise answered quickly, without wavering even a little. "It's a three-day, two-night event, and we're required to stay overnight. If we look awkward staying in the same room, it'll raise everyone's suspicions."

Elise picked the plates back up from the table, faced Callum fully for a moment, then turned toward the sink.

"I'm not used to having someone else in my room. So I need to get used to it before that day comes. I'm also not used to sleeping in unfamiliar places." She gave a small shrug. "How about we sleep in my room for three days, your room for three days, and the rest of the time we go back to our own rooms?"

"Are you insane?!" Callum's voice rose, loud enough to echo through the dining room. He glared at Elise coldly. "You're really not letting this opportunity go to waste."

"I'm just trying to get used to it." Elise replied calmly. "Unless you're confident you can sneak out of the room later and stay somewhere else without anyone noticing." Elise looked at her husband intently. "But I heard the hotel where the gala will be held is on a remote island. So it seems like it'll be hard for you to make excuses."

Callum's jaw tightened even more. He glared at Elise fiercely.

"Don't even think about taking advantage of the situation. Your requests are already going too far."

"That's just the beginning," Elise shot back quickly. "There's more. Don't forget, we also need to practice holding hands. Hugging. Maybe even kissing in public. A harmonious couple shows it through things like that. So we need to practice until it feels natural."

"Damn it!" Callum nearly shouted. He glared sharply at Elise. "Have you been planning all this beforehand?"

Elise trembled slightly seeing Callum's suspicious glare. But she held herself together, and deflected calmly.

"There are plenty of things married couples do in public to look harmonious. I'm just mentioning a few." She looked back at Callum. "Why? Regretting agreeing to my terms already?"

Elise's voice stayed calm, even though her heart was pounding. Worried Callum would refuse. Because if that happened—if the man rejected her outright, right to her face—the pride she'd held onto all this time would shatter.

Callum scoffed.

"I've never regretted anything," he said. "Except for one thing. Marrying a woman so full of ego, like you." Callum's stare grew even sharper. "It was you who set the boundaries between us, back then. And now it's also you who wants to tear them down."

Elise froze.

Her eyes trembled. Not from being hurt. But because she fully realized that Callum's words were true.

Back then, at the start of the marriage, it had been Elise herself who asked Callum to keep his distance. She was also the one who insisted on separate bedrooms, citing discomfort sleeping near another person. Elise was the one who drew that boundary line so clearly.

But all of that had happened with Callum's consent too.

Elise had never hated Callum for his family being the cause of the Hale family's downfall. She wasn't angry at him, or at the Voss family. Elise simply hadn't felt ready to be the wife of someone whose family had destroyed her life. Hadn't been able to accept Callum as a husband. And more importantly, there was another reason behind all of it—one that meant Elise could never bring herself to accept her status as someone's wife.

A reason Elise could never tell anyone.

"So," Elise looked back at Callum, swallowing the tremor in her chest, "you don't agree?"

She straightened her back.

"I don't mind if you refuse. It's just that, maybe later, you'll be the one who ends up ruining the performance of our relationship in front of others. And cost me the contract."

Callum stared at Elise for a long time.

"Do whatever you want, Elise Voss," Callum snapped harshly. "I don't care. But make sure of one thing. Never regret your decisions right now. Because the way you're doing this might end up with something that will only hurt the both of us."

Callum turned around. And left.

Elise stood frozen in place. She watched her husband's back disappear down the hallway, then smiled bitterly.

"Elise Voss," Elise whispered softly. "It seems I can finally accept that name now... after hearing it from you."