Chapter 2
Cosmo’s brow furrowed at the last thing he heard from Eloise. The first two conditions were understandable. Since they were now married, it was only natural to act like a happy couple in front of others. Besides, as his legal wife, if the Lopez family disrespected Eloise, it would be like insulting Cosmo himself. It made sense for him to stand up for her.
But the third condition—was Eloise already thinking about divorce? They had just gotten their marriage certificate, and she was already talking about ending it?
Just like she’d said before, she only married Cosmo because she had no choice. She never wanted to do it in the first place. For Cosmo, marrying a woman he didn’t even like was frustrating. So of course, he also wanted a divorce. But what confused him was why Eloise was the first to bring it up.
She beat him to it. It was like she couldn’t wait to get away from him. To Cosmo, that was a direct hit to his pride.
He held back his irritation. “So if you want a divorce, should I just give it to you?”
Eloise noticed the tone in his voice, so she calmly replied, “Of course. If you want to get divorced, I won’t stop you. I’ll accept it.”
Cosmo smirked. “So if I asked for a divorce right now, you’d say yes?”
Eloise didn’t seem offended at all. Instead, she gave a small smile. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. If we split right after getting married, people will just laugh at us.”
Cosmo gave a cold chuckle. “And what’s the difference between this and a forced marriage from the old days? Isn’t this just as laughable?”
Eloise’s tone sharpened. “If I divorced you right after the wedding, people would think I was the one who couldn’t stand you. But if I stay—without taking your money, without using you, without insulting you—doesn’t that prove I’m not looking down on you?”
Cosmo went silent.
Given his current condition—as a man with a disability—people would naturally assume a woman only married him for money. But if she walked away without asking for anything in return, what would they think then? Maybe something even worse. Maybe they’d say that it wasn’t just his legs that were broken.
The silence between them grew heavy, the tension in the room thick. Fortunately, someone knocked, breaking the atmosphere.
Jiro, Cosmo’s assistant, walked in with a few important documents that needed to be signed. He looked surprised to see Eloise. In Cosmo’s current state, only a few trusted caregivers were allowed near him.
Jiro glanced at Eloise. She looked even prettier in person than in her photos—small face, timeless beauty. Eloise gave him a polite smile. Jiro paused for a second, then returned the gesture with a respectful nod.
Cosmo quietly watched their interaction, his gaze unreadable. He couldn’t help but wonder—so this is how Eloise works. She said she didn’t need help, yet she was being friendly with the people around him.
Did she have some kind of plan?
Jiro handed over the documents and carefully helped Cosmo back into bed. Once everything was signed, Cosmo told him, “Find Atty. Teves. Have him draft a contract. And the terms are—”
From his tone, it was clear that he wanted to test if Eloise truly meant what she said.
But Eloise quickly cut in. “I’ll explain the contents of the contract.”
She calmly went over the details. As Jiro listened, he was quietly stunned. There wasn’t a single part of the agreement that benefited Eloise. It was like a binding contract that gave her no advantage at all.
And yet she agreed without hesitation. Her voice didn’t even waver.
After she finished, she turned to Cosmo. “Cosmo, is there anything you want to add?”
Among the rich, it was normal to have a prenuptial agreement to avoid complications in the event of a separation. But this? Eloise herself was requesting that if they split up, she’d leave with nothing. Not a single cent from the Dominguez family.
Cosmo stared at her with a blank expression. “I have nothing to add. Have Atty. Teves drafted the contract and send it to me right away.”
Jiro was shocked but quickly composed himself. “Understood, Sir.”
Once it was just the two of them again, Eloise spoke up. “I saw your mother before I came in. She said that since we’re married, we should sleep in the same room so I can take care of you.”
The idea of being “taken care of” instantly soured Cosmo’s mood. “If you want to play the role of a wife, you don’t need to take care of me.”
Eloise paused. “Then I won’t stay in the master bedroom. I’ll sleep in the guest room. But if Mrs. Dominguez asks, how should I explain that?”
Cosmo said, “You’re smart, aren’t you? Can’t you come up with a reason?”
Even though his tone clearly showed irritation, Eloise noticed something important.
“So, you think I’m smart?” she replied.
Cosmo grew even more annoyed. Of all things, that’s what she chose to focus on.
Moments later, Eloise stepped out of the room, picked up her suitcase from the hallway, and went to the guest bedroom.
It wasn’t a big room, but it had everything she needed. She opened the window to let some fresh air in and cleaned up a little.
It looked like this would be her new home in the Dominguez household from now on.
Not long after, one of the household staff came to invite them to dinner.
Normally, Cosmo ate alone in his small house, but today was different.
It was Eloise’s first day with the family. Even though there hadn’t been a real wedding, it was tradition for her to join them for dinner—to formally introduce her to the family and allow her to get to know them.
Since Cosmo didn’t want to go with her, she went alone.
When she entered the main hall, no one was surprised to see her by herself. But the looks they gave her were a mix of pity and judgment.
The family was large. Cosmo’s father had three brothers and two sisters.
Cosmo was the eldest child and the oldest grandchild, which was why their grandfather had adored him since he was little.
On top of that, he’d shown impressive business skills even at a young age, so it was no surprise he was chosen to be the heir of the family.
Wilfred Dominguez, the family patriarch, was in his seventies. He wore a formal black suit and had a strict aura, though there was also a hint of warmth in him. He waved at Eloise to come closer and examined her carefully.
She had been personally chosen by Cosmo’s mother—a woman known for being very particular and having high standards.
So it was surprising that she had picked someone like Eloise, who had been adopted by the Lopez family.
Still, Eloise had lived with the Lopezes for over twenty years, and she carried herself with grace, politeness, and quiet charm.
She let Wilfred study her without flinching and greeted him politely, “Good evening, Grandpa.”
Since she was now married to Cosmo, it was only proper for her to start calling him “Grandpa”, to avoid giving anyone an excuse to question her place.
Wilfred looked a bit surprised at first, but then smiled and nodded. “That’s right. You should call me Grandpa from now on.”
He had prepared a gift to welcome Eloise into the family. He immediately asked the housekeeper to bring it to her.
In their tradition, receiving a gift from an elder was a sign of welcome and respect. Refusing it would not only be seen as prideful, but also deeply disrespectful.
Eloise accepted the gift and said, “Thank you, Grandpa.”
Wilfred appreciated how straightforward she was—no pretense, no false humility. He smiled in approval and asked,
“How was your first meeting with your husband earlier?”
It sounded like a casual question, but there was a hidden trap. If Eloise hinted that she didn’t like Cosmo, she’d likely face a tough time in this household.
Before she could respond, a voice cut in:
“It’s just an arranged marriage anyway. I’m sure my brother isn’t happy about it. He probably yelled at her earlier. Look—he didn’t even come to dinner.”