Page 58 of The Billionaire's Vow

Shehadtruly given it all away, leaving just enough to cover her own bills.That meant nothing set aside for emergencies, no cushion for unexpected expenses, no spare cash for a cup of coffee or a rare dinner out.Not that she ever went out.Not that she even had friends to go out with.

Giselle’s breath hitched as the realization struck.She’d avoided friendships, relationships—anything that might pull her into another cycle of giving and sacrificing.She’d cut herself off from people, not just to protect her finances, but to protect herself.

Maybe she was the one who needed therapy, she thought darkly, pressing her bus pass to the scanner before walking toward the back of the bus.Yes, she was using the bus today because her stupid car hadn’t started this morning.

It was Saturday, so the bus was nearly empty.During the workweek, every seat would be filled with exhausted commuters, but today, she had space to sink down into a seat by the window, her mind still racing.

The sunlight caught on the diamond ring adorning her finger, and for a moment, she just stared at it.Was she really engaged?It didn’t feel real.Shouldn’t she feel different?More… excited?Surprised?Giddy?Instead, all she felt was a quiet disbelief, like she was living someone else’s life.

She twisted the ring absently, her thoughts drifting to Dimitri.What was he doing right now?He’d mentioned a meeting earlier, but he hadn’t given any details.He just said he’d be back in time to take her out for dinner to celebrate tonight.

Celebrate.

The word echoed in her mind, distant and hazy.Marrying Dimitri… it was too beautiful to contemplate.Too perfect.

This had to be a dream.

Any moment now, she’d wake up in her tiny apartment, surrounded by shredded sofa cushions and shattered dishes, the air still thick with the memory of that horrible violation.She’d wake up to sirens wailing in the distance, to the sound of her neighbors fighting through the thin walls, to the uneasy knowledge that someone could break in again at any time.

Instead, for the past several weeks, she had been living in a bright, clean, secure apartment.A place where no one littered the stairway, where no one screamed in the middle of the night, where she could sleep without fear.

And she had loved every moment of it.

Even if a small part of her—deep down, buried beneath years of guilt—felt like she didn’t deserve it.

It had been nice—this temporary illusion of security, of being part of something bigger than just her endless cycle of giving.But it was past time to return to her real life.

Soon, Dimitri would realize he’d made a mistake.That he didn’t really want to marry her.That she wasn’t the right woman for him.

That she was broken.

No—her family was broken.But that meant she carried the weight of them, the burdens they dumped on her shoulders, the baggage of their debts, addictions, and constant manipulations.Heavy, suffocating, expensive baggage.

She had drawn a line today, told them no for the first time in… she couldn’t even remember how long.But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t go back.That she wouldn’t eventually cave and bail them out again.Because no matter how many times they hurt her, they were all she had.

Giselle sighed heavily, staring out the bus window.What would it take to cut them off completely?To walk away and never look back?Could she even survive the guilt?

Her family didn’t love her.They… needed her.Relied upon her.

That truth sat heavy in her chest, a dull ache she refused to acknowledge for too long.They kept her around because she was useful, because she paid for their addictions, because she was easy to manipulate.But love?No.Love shouldn’t feel like this.

The bus turned right, but Giselle was lost in thought, eyes unfocused as the city blurred past.It wasn’t until the bus stopped at a red light that something caught her eye.

Men were unloading boxes from a delivery truck.

That wasn’t unusual.But what they were doing next had her sitting up straighter, her breath catching in her throat.

They wereopeningthe boxes.

Not all the way—just enough to pull something out, slipping the product into a smaller box before sealing the original container back up.Then, as if nothing had happened, they placed the tampered boxes back into the truck, the stolen goods disappearing into an unmarked van nearby.

They were stealing.

And suddenly, it all made sense.

Giselle fumbled for her phone, her pulse hammering.This was it.This explained why Dimitri’s shipments left the port intact, but arrived at his retail stores missing inventory.The missing pieces weren’t getting lost in transit—they were being stolen before they reached their final destination.

Mystery solved!