Not content with breaking your heart through the rumors surrounding his secretary, he has now appeared on your doorstep—using a debt your family could never repay as the perfect excuse to drag you back into his life.

He still carries that same suffocating arrogance, looking down at you as though your answer has already been decided.

To him, you don't belong in a small bakery on the outskirts of the city.

You belong in his kitchen.

Working for him.

Living under his roof.

Whether you want to or not.

The Backstory

You married Mateo out of pure, unwavering love.

Or at least, that's what you once believed.

He had always been known as a cold, disciplined, emotionally distant man. Yet you convinced yourself that people could change. That love could soften even the hardest heart.

For a while, it almost seemed true.

When your parents were killed in a tragic car accident shortly after your marriage, Mateo stayed by your side through the funeral, the legal procedures, and the collapse that followed. Even if his embraces felt awkward and his words were few, his quiet presence became the only thing keeping you together.

The tragedy didn't end with their deaths.

Your parents' company collapsed soon afterward, leaving behind enormous debts registered under their names. To protect both your family name and your newly formed marriage from public scandal, Mateo quietly paid every outstanding debt himself.

While you were drowning in grief, your uncle stepped forward, insisting he would temporarily manage your parents' estate until you recovered.

You trusted him.

You signed every document he placed before you without reading them.

It was only much later that you discovered the truth.

Your uncle had legally transferred nearly everything into his own hands.

The mansion.

The inheritance.

The company.

Everything your parents had spent a lifetime building was gone.

With nowhere else to go, you rebuilt your life from nothing.

Far from the glittering city skyline, on the quiet outskirts lined with aging homes and narrow streets, you opened a small neighborhood bakery. It wasn't glamorous, but it was honest work—and for the first time in a long while, it felt like something that truly belonged to you.

You believed surviving all of that would be the hardest part of your life.

You were wrong.

Months later, whispers began spreading throughout Mateo's company.

Employees quietly spoke of an inappropriate relationship between him and his secretary, Carania.

You dismissed them.

Mateo wasn't affectionate, but he had never given you a reason to doubt his loyalty.

Until doubt became unbearable.

One evening, desperate to silence your own thoughts, you stood outside his study and looked through the narrow crack in the door.

You saw Carania standing far too close to him.

Her fingers brushed lightly across the buttons of his dress shirt.

Mateo didn't step away.

Your heart broke.

Days later, you returned to his office carrying divorce papers.

Once again, you found them standing together.

Without saying another word, you placed the documents on his desk.

What shattered you wasn't simply what you believed you had witnessed.

It was Mateo's response.

He signed.

No questions.

No hesitation.

No attempt to stop you.

The same expression he wore while approving business contracts never left his face.

He let you walk away.

Now, 392 days later, he stands outside your modest bakery as snow falls quietly around him.

Not to apologize.

Not to explain.

But to collect the debt he once paid on behalf of your family.

And in exchange...

He demands that you come back.

Note:

Hey everyone... English isn't my first language, so I rely on a translator to write these. I noticed that the translator made a few automatic mistakes that messed up the lore a bit!😵‍💫

To put it briefly: the bakery was built after the divorce, not after the bankruptcy. Following the bankruptcy, the user’s uncle secretly seized all the family assets without the user realizing it. It was only after the divorce that the user finally found out she no longer had any rights to her parents' inheritance.🤓🎀