Rebirth: My CEO Husband's Thoughts Are Too Shameless

[Three Months Ago]

"Julianna... where are you taking me?" Clara slurred, struggling to keep herself upright as her legs threatened to give out beneath her.

Her head spun, and her vision blurred.

She couldn’t understand why she suddenly felt so weak. The only thing she had consumed all evening was the fruit juice Julianna had insisted she drink.

Today was Clara’s birthday.

After months of isolating herself inside the Hayes Mansion, Julianna had finally persuaded her to come out, promising to make the day special.

At first, Clara had been reluctant. But she couldn’t bring herself to disappoint the one person who had shown her kindness in that household.

Despite their complicated relationship, Julianna had always treated her warmly. Little by little, Clara had lowered the walls around her heart, believing Julianna genuinely wanted to be her friend.

So tonight...for the first time in a long while, she stepped out of the mansion.

"Did you forget?" Julianna asked with a smile as she guided Clara down the hallway. "Alex planned a surprise for you. He’s waiting inside."

Clara managed a weak smile. "Really...?"

"Of course."

The moment they reached the room, Julianna pushed open the door and carefully helped Clara inside.

"You wait here. Alex should be here any minute."

Before Clara could respond, Julianna switched off the lights and quietly closed the door behind her.

The instant she stepped outside, the smile on her face disappeared.

She pulled out her phone and made a call.

"She’s inside." Her voice was cold. "Do whatever you want with her, but make sure I get what I asked for."

She ended the call without waiting for a reply. A cruel smirk spread across her lips.

"You really thought I’d let you steal my man?" she sneered before walking away.

Inside the room, darkness swallowed everything.

"Julianna...?" Clara reached out helplessly.

"Where are you? I... I don’t feel well..." She sat on the edge of the bed, trying to steady her breathing.

Her body felt strangely warm. Too warm as a wave of heat swept through her, making it difficult to think clearly.

She tugged at the collar of her dress, desperate for relief, but the suffocating warmth only intensified.

"Julianna..." She called again, her voice barely above a whisper.

No one answered. Then... the door slowly opened and a tall figure stepped into the room.

Clara’s vision had become so blurred that she couldn’t make out his face.

Believing it was Alex, relief washed over her. "You came..."

She stumbled forward and lost her balance, falling straight into his arms.

Strong hands caught her before she hit the floor. She looked up, trying to focus on his face, but everything remained hazy.

"Help me..." she whispered. Her fingers instinctively reached for him, searching for comfort. "I’m burning up..."

The man stiffened. He immediately noticed something was terribly wrong.

"You’re not in your right mind," he said quietly, trying to steady her.

But Clara barely heard him. The unfamiliar yet comforting scent surrounding him only made her cling to him even tighter.

"I don’t care..." she murmured, her words slurred. "I just... don’t want to feel like this anymore."

She leaned against him, desperate for relief, while he struggled to keep his composure.

"You’ve been drugged," he said firmly. "You don’t know what you’re saying."

Clara slowly shook her head. "I... don’t care..."

The heat clouding her thoughts drowned out every warning. She could barely distinguish reality from illusion.

The man hesitated for what felt like forever, fighting against the situation fate had thrown before him.

Finally, he let out a quiet sigh. "If this changes everything..." he murmured. "You’ll have to take responsibility."

Clara answered only with a faint, exhausted smile before her remaining strength gave out.

***

Time quietly slipped away. When the overwhelming effects of the drug finally subsided, Clara had no strength left to remain conscious.

She rested limply against him, drifting toward sleep. Just before darkness claimed her completely, she felt him lean close.

His warm breath brushed against her ear as he whispered softly, "I finally found you... Clara."

Those words echoed faintly in her fading consciousness. But she was far too exhausted to remember them when morning came and reality finally hit her.

[Present]

"Hmm..."

Clara let out a soft hum as she instinctively snuggled closer into Dominic’s embrace. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was her husband’s peaceful sleeping face.

A gentle smile spread across her lips.

Last night...

She had completely lost count of how many times Dominic had made love to her. It wasn’t until she had finally drifted off from sheer exhaustion that he reluctantly stopped.

Even now, every muscle in her body felt pleasantly sore.

Glancing down at herself, the smile on her face deepened.

Although she had barely been conscious by the end of the night, she still remembered Dominic carefully cleaning her up before carrying her back to bed. Throughout everything, he had been patient, gentle, and unbelievably considerate, making sure she was comfortable before finally lying beside her.

Now, watching him sleep so peacefully, Clara’s heart softened.

He looked nothing like the cold, intimidating man everyone feared.

Right now...

He was simply her husband.

The man who loved her more than anyone else.

Carefully, she reached out and brushed a few strands of hair away from his forehead.

She wanted nothing more than to lean down and steal another kiss.

If she hadn’t already heard him confess his love the previous night, she probably would have done exactly that.

Just the thought of waking up one day without him by her side made her chest tighten painfully.

The mere possibility felt like the end of her world.

"Never leave me, Dom..." she whispered, her fingertips gently tracing the outline of his face.

Her eyes lingered on his handsome features before the smile on her lips gradually faded.

Fragments of the dream she had just awakened from flashed through her mind.

Three months ago...

The night Julianna had betrayed her.

Back then, she had been too heartbroken and confused to think rationally. She had accepted everything at face value without questioning how perfectly everything had unfolded.

But now...

Looking back with a clear mind...

She realized none of it had been a coincidence.

Julianna had planned every single step.

She had deliberately drugged her.

She had lured her into that room under the pretense of Alex preparing a birthday surprise.

She had carefully manipulated every situation so that Clara would believe exactly what she wanted her to believe.

Even afterward...

Julianna never stopped pulling the strings.

Alex had confronted Clara, accusing her of betraying him.

Rather than defending either of them, Julianna had cleverly played the role of the innocent mediator.

She comforted Alex.

She pretended to support Clara.

And all the while, she quietly shifted the blame onto Dominic.

Little by little, she poisoned Clara’s mind.

Every misunderstanding.

Every lie.

Every carefully chosen word...

Had pushed Clara further away from the only man who had truly stood by her.

By the time Clara finally realized the truth, she had already hurt Dominic more times than she could count.

She had doubted him.

Rejected him.

Blamed him for things he had never done.

Yet despite everything...

He had never once stopped protecting her.

Tears slowly welled in Clara’s eyes.

She lowered her gaze to Dominic’s sleeping face before gently intertwining her fingers with his.

"I’m so sorry..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

"I kept believing everyone else... except the one person who never stopped believing in me."

She tightened her hold on his hand, silently making herself a promise.

No matter what happened from this day forward... she would never let anyone come between them again.

With that thought in mind, Clara moved closer and wrapped her arms around Dominic, burying her face against his chest. She remained like that for several quiet minutes, enjoying the warmth of his embrace and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Then she suddenly pulled away.

Her expression instantly turned serious.

No, this isn’t the time to be romantic, Clara.

You still have to find Thomas.

After Thomas had managed to escape from the Crimson Crest, she realized it was no longer the time to toy with him. He had slipped through their fingers once already, and she had no intention of letting it happen again.

This time... she would drag him out of whatever hole he was hiding in and make him reveal the truth.

Determination filled her eyes as she carefully tried to climb out of bed without disturbing Dominic.

Just as her feet were about to touch the floor, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.

Before she could react, she was pulled backward.

"Ah!"

Clara landed right on top of Dominic.

She blinked in surprise. "When did you wake up?"

Dominic slowly opened his eyes, a lazy smile forming on his lips as he looked at her.

"Where do you think you’re going?" he asked, his voice still hoarse with sleep.

Clara’s cheeks warmed under his gaze.

"I... I have something important to do."

"Hmm?" He tightened his hold around her waist, refusing to let her escape.

"I’m not done with you yet." His deep, sleepy voice sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.

Before she could respond, she suddenly felt him shift beneath her. Her eyes widened.

"Oh..."

Realization dawned on her almost instantly. "Dom..." she said, looking at him in disbelief.

"Don’t tell me you’re thinking about that first thing in the morning."

Dominic simply raised an eyebrow, his amused smile growing wider.

"And whose fault do you think that is?"

Clara immediately looked away, trying and failing to hide the blush spreading across her face.