LunaVirelle

“You were part of a deal, Arielle. Nothing more.”

Desperate to save her sick sister, Arielle Cruz agrees to a one-year contract marriage with cold and powerful CEO Leonard Castillo. The rules are simple: one million dollars, no attachments, no children — and definitely no falling in love.

But one night changes everything.

When Arielle discovers she’s pregnant, she turns to Leonard, only to be met with cruelty:
“Abort it. I don’t need you, and I don’t need your baby. I already have someone else.”

Shattered by betrayal, Arielle walks away, vowing to protect her child alone. She disappears… carrying a secret that could change everything.

Years later, fate brings them face-to-face again — but this time, Leonard wants more than apologies. He wants the family he once rejected.

In a world full of lies, second chances, and unfinished love…
Can two broken hearts find their way back to each other?

Carrying The Billionaire's Secret

There were a thousand thoughts swirling in her head, each heavier than the last, but none felt right. She stood on the porch, arms wrapped around herself as the dim glow of the streetlight caught Leonard's figure just beyond the gate. He hadn't knocked. He hadn't called her name. He was just… there. Waiting.

She told herself years ago that this door would stay shut. That part of her—the part that once believed in him—was locked away for good.

Yet here she was. Opening the door anyway.

The cold air brushed her skin as she stepped forward, but it wasn't the wind that made her shiver—it was everything they hadn't said. Everything still sitting between them.

Leonard turned when he heard her. His eyes searched hers, unsure, cautious.

"I thought you left," she said, her voice barely more than a breath. "I thought you made your choice."

His expression softened. "I did leave. But I never stopped thinking about what I lost."

Her throat tightened. "What do you want from me, Leonard?"

He stepped closer, slowly, keeping a respectful distance. "I want to prove I'm not the man I was. I want to be someone better. For you… for him."

She looked down, trying to keep her voice steady. "You're not making this easy."

"I'm not trying to," he said gently. "I know I don't deserve easy."

Arielle looked up, her gaze sharp but tired. "I built everything from the ground up after you left. I've spent four years learning how to breathe again. Alone."

"I know," Leonard said quietly. "And I don't want to take that away. I just… I want to be someone who makes it lighter, not heavier."

Her voice cracked. "You don't get to come back and pretend this never happened."

"I'm not pretending," he said. "And I'm not here to rewrite the past. I'm here to stay—if you'll let me."

She stared at him for a long time, the porch light flickering slightly above them. Her heart ached with the weight of it all. She had wanted him gone. Needed him gone. But now, after all these years, his presence was tugging at something she didn't know how to silence.

"I'm not ready," she whispered. "I don't know if I can trust you again."

"I understand," he said. "You don't have to trust me now. I just want to show you who I am, one day at a time."

She looked down, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying. "You can't disappear again. You don't get to break what I've barely managed to hold together."

Leonard stepped forward slightly. "I won't."

"You say that now, but what happens when it's not easy? When it's not convenient?"

Arielle shook her head slowly, still unsure, still scared. But the door she thought she had locked for good—it wasn't so tightly closed anymore.

"Prove it," she said. "Don't just say it. Show me."

"I will," he promised. "Every day. No shortcuts."

She turned to go, hand resting on the doorknob. Then paused.

"You don't get a yes tonight," she said, her voice soft but firm. "But you're not getting a goodbye either."

Leonard didn't move. He just nodded.

Arielle stepped inside, leaving the door slightly ajar behind her—just enough for air to pass through.

Chapter 20: Turning Point