Chapter 10: The Man Who Took Credit For My Dream
For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything except the sound of my own heartbeat.
My husband.
Those two words felt impossible.
Not because I believed he was perfect.
But because I believed he was mine.
The person who saw every struggle.
The person who knew every sacrifice.
The person who watched me build Bell & Bloom from an empty building with cracked walls and a broken kitchen.
I gripped the phone tighter.
“Daniel.””
“I know.””
“No.””
My voice came out colder than I expected.
“No, you don’t understand.””
Daniel looked at me.
“What?””
“I trusted him.””
The silence that followed said everything.
Because Daniel knew.
He knew exactly who I meant.
I hung up.
Then I called my manager.
“Ethan.””
“Yes, Maya?””
“Do not sign anything.””
A pause.
“I haven’t.””
“Do not let him access any documents.””
“Understood.””
“And Ethan?””
“Yes?””
“Do not let him make a scene.””
My voice lowered.
“I’ll handle this.””
When I arrived at Bell & Bloom, my husband was standing in the center of the dining room.
Michael Carter.
The man everyone thought stood behind my success.
The man who smiled beside me in interviews.
The man who told people he was proud of his wife.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
When he saw me enter, he smiled.
“Maya.””
I walked toward him.
“What are you doing here?””
Several employees looked away.
They knew something was wrong.
Michael adjusted his suit jacket.
“I think we need to have a conversation.””
“You came into my restaurant claiming you own part of my company.””
His expression barely changed.
“I didn’t claim anything.””
My manager stepped forward.
“He showed us documents.””
I looked at Michael.
“Documents?””
“Yes.””
He reached into his briefcase.
“I think it’s time you stopped pretending this company was built entirely by you.””
The room went silent.
I stared at him.
There it was.
The sentence I never expected to hear from him.
Not from the person who slept beside me.
“Pretending?””
Michael sighed.
“Maya, don’t make this emotional.””
That sentence.
That was the first moment I knew.
The man standing in front of me was not my husband.
Not anymore.
He was someone who had calculated every word.
“Explain.””
He opened the folder.
“You remember when we got married?””
“Yes.””
“I supported you.””
I laughed softly.
“Supported me?””
“Yes.””
“You helped me move furniture into the first restaurant.””
“I did.””
“You painted the walls.””
“Yes.””
“You helped because you were my husband.””
His expression hardened.
“And because I invested.””
I looked at the papers.
“What investment?””
“The money I put in.””
I stared.
“What money?””
He looked surprised.
“The money from my account.””
I shook my head.
“Michael, you contributed to household expenses.””
“That’s not how I see it.””
Of course.
There it was.
The story he had created in his own mind.
The one where he was the hero.
“You want to know what I see?”” I asked.
He looked at me.
“I see a woman who worked eighteen hours a day while everyone told her she would fail.””
I stepped closer.
“I see someone who borrowed money from her mother because you said your savings were tied up.””
His face changed.
Just slightly.
“I see someone who never missed a chance to tell people he believed in me.””
I pointed at the documents.
“But now you want credit for believing.””
Michael’s jaw tightened.
“You’re being unfair.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“I’m finally being accurate.””
The employees around us stayed silent.
Michael lowered his voice.
“You don’t understand the situation.””
“Then explain it.””
He looked around.
Then whispered,
“I know about the Northbridge deal.””
My stomach tightened.
“So?””
“So if Bell & Bloom gets that investment, the company’s value increases dramatically.””
“Yes.””
“And I am your husband.””
I stared.
“Meaning?””
“Meaning I have rights.””
The word echoed.
Rights.
Not love.
Not partnership.
Rights.
I looked at him.
“Did Lauren’s father contact you?””
For the first time, Michael froze.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
And that was enough.
“Where did you hear that name?””
I didn’t answer.
Because his reaction already did.
“You worked with him.””
Michael looked away.
“Maya.””
“No.””
My voice became quiet.
“You did.””
He took a breath.
“I was trying to protect us.””
I almost couldn’t believe it.
“Protect us?””
“Yes.””
“By secretly working with someone who tried to destroy my future?””
“He offered a solution.””
“What solution?””
Michael looked at me.
“One where you wouldn’t have to carry everything alone.””
I stared at him.
Then I understood.
He didn’t think he was betraying me.
He thought he was saving me.
That was almost worse.
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed.
A message.
From my lawyer.
*Maya, I reviewed the documents Michael submitted. There is something you need to know immediately.*
I opened the attachment.
My hands went cold.
Because the first page showed a signature.
May you like
My signature.
Except I had never signed it.
