My Husband's Five Million Bet

Synopsis

I woke to the unfamiliar sensation of warmth beside me. For three years, I'd grown accustomed to the cold expanse of our king-sized bed, with Ethan maintaining as much distance as possible while still technically sharing the same mattress. But this morning was different. As my eyes fluttered open, I found myself staring directly into my husband's face—not turned away, not buried in his phone reviewing market reports, but looking at me. Actually looking at me. "Good morning," he murmured, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair from my face. His fingers lingered against my cheek, the gentle caress so foreign that my breath caught in my throat. I blinked, certain I was dreaming. "Good morning," I whispered back, my voice small and uncertain. Ethan Blackwood—heir to the Blackwood dynasty, corporate titan, and my perpetually distant husband—smiled at me. Not the practiced smile he wore for business associates or the tight, obligatory one he offered at social functions. This was something else entirely: warm, genuine, reaching his eyes in a way I'd never witnessed before. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, his thumb tracing the curve of my jawline. I nodded, unable to form words, my mind racing to make sense of this sudden shift. For three years, I'd been invisible in my own marriage, a decorative accessory Ethan had acquired and promptly forgotten.