Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 655

Chapter 655

Gwen’s POV

In the days after the meeting at the gelato shop, something shifted.

Subtle. Gradual. Like a thin layer of ice forming over water that used to run free.

Nick started sleeping on the couch.

“Bella and Martina are using the guest room,” he explained the first night, grabbing an extra pillow from the closet. “And I’m going to stay up watching some documentaries about winemaking. I don’t want to wake you with the TV.”

It made sense. It even sounded thoughtful.

So I didn’t question it.

But the second night, he gave the same explanation. Just as casually. The third night, too. The fourth.

Before I realized it, an entire week had passed without him sleeping in our bed.

The bed felt too big.

I started waking up alone every morning.

Nick had already left. Always early. Always before the sun had fully risen.

“I need to get to the estate early,” he would text when I asked. “The contractors start at seven. I want to supervise everything personally.”

Reasonable. Responsible. The rebuild mattered.

But it meant we no longer had breakfast together. No more slow, sleepy minutes at the kitchen table. No Bella narrating her entire universe while Nick stole fruit from my plate like it was some sacred morning ritual.

When he came home at night, it was late.

“Long day,” he would murmur, dropping his keys on the entry table. “I’m exhausted.”

And he was. Dust from the construction clung to his clothes. There was a heaviness in his eyes that wasn’t just physical. His shoulders stayed tight. His mouth set in a straight line, like smiling required more energy than he had left.

We ate dinner together because Bella insisted. Because Martina cooked and called us all to the table.

But the dinners were quiet. Polite. Functional.

Nick answered questions about his day with one-word responses. Asked about my work without really listening to the answer.

Chat E

+25 Bonus

And when I tried to touch him, a hand on his arm, my fingers brushing his when I passed the salt, he

moved away.

Not obviously. Not cruelly.

He just… shifted.

Got up to get water. Remembered something he had “forgotten.” Checked if Bella had finished her food. Asked Martina if she needed help with anything.

Always a reasonable excuse.

Our conversations narrowed to logistics.

“Bella has the dentist Tuesday.”

“Okay, I’ll take her.”

“Martina wants to use the kitchen to bake bread.”

“Of course.”

“Christian sent over documents for you to sign.”

“I’ll look tomorrow.”

Efficient. Functional. Empty.

What hurt the most was that with Bella, he was exactly the same.

He played with her in the pool for hours. Laughed loudly at her silly jokes. Helped with homework patiently. Read bedtime stories in ridiculous voices that made her collapse into giggles.

A loving, present father.

With Martina, he was gentle and attentive. He thanked her for the meals. Talked about the estate with warmth and respect.

Only with me had he built a wall.

It took me days to admit it wasn’t just stress. It wasn’t just exhaustion from the reconstruction.

It was a deliberate choice to keep emotional distance.

From me.

On the tenth night, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Nick,” I called when he started to get up from the table after dinner. “Can we talk?”

He paused, his hand resting on the back of the chair.

2/5

+25 Bonus

“About?”

The question was too sharp for something so intimate.

“About us.”

He let out a slow breath, like I’d just added another task to his list.

I’m really tired tonight, Gwen,” he said, avoiding my eyes. “Can we do this tomorrow?”

You’re tired every day.” I pointed out, my frustration slipping through. There’s always a reason.”

“It’s not a reason,” he shot back, finally looking at me, his expression closed off. “It’s reality. I’m dealing with the reconstruction, a pending court case, new business issues. I’m exhausted.”

I could have backed down. I could have let it slide again.

But I’d let it slide too many times already.

Then let me help you,” I said more quietly. “You don’t have to carry everything alone.”

Something flickered across his face. Quick. Almost invisible. But it hurt to see. Like my words had brushed against something he was keeping locked away.

He looked away.

“I need a shower,” he said.

And he left.

I stayed there, staring at his empty chair, with that awful feeling of being in a full house and still being the only place where someone was missing.

The next day, I called Zoey.

“I need to talk,” I said without preamble.

“Apartment or coffee?” she asked immediately, catching the urgency in my voice.

“Coffee. I need to get out.”

We met at a small café. Zoey was already there with two espressos waiting. She slid one toward me like it was a lifeline.

“Tell me,” she said simply.

So I did. Everything.

The gradual distance. The repeated excuses. The subtle coldness. The way he was normal with everyone else but me. The way I was starting to feel… inconvenient.

Zoey listened in silence, sipping her coffee, nodding occasionally. She didn’t interrupt. Didn’t try to fix it

Chapter 655

+25 Bonus

before I was done.

When I finished, she let out a long sigh.

“He’s scared,” she said.

“Scared of what?”

“Of losing you,” she answered bluntly. “Of dragging you down into his financial mess. Of becoming an anchor around your neck. Of Renee bleeding you through him.”

I gripped the cup too tightly. The heat didn’t register.

Zoey continued, choosing her words more carefully than usual.

“Men do this. When they feel powerless. When they think they’re causing damage, they create distance. They convince themselves that if they pull away, they’re protecting you. They think if they don’t let themselves fully lean in, it’ll hurt less.”

“But I would never leave him,” I protested, my throat tightening. “I would never.”

“He knows that logically,” Zoey said. “But emotionally, he’s not operating on logic. He’s watching Renee threaten you because of him. He’s seeing himself as the weak point she’s using.”

She paused.

“So he pulls back because, in his head, that’s protection. He thinks if he creates space, you won’t get in too deep. Won’t tie yourself too tightly to him. And if you ever decide to walk away, it won’t destroy him completely.”

Tears burned behind my eyes, anger and sadness tangled together.

“That’s ridiculous,” I muttered.

“It is,” Zoey agreed. “It’s also human. And it’s fear.”

We sat there in silence for a moment, the sound of the espresso machine hissing behind us, people passing outside.

“What do I do?” I finally asked.

Zoey leaned forward slightly, like she was about to outline a strategy.

“You confront it,” she said firmly. “You don’t let him hide behind ‘tired’ and ‘busy.’ You don’t accept avoidance like it’s normal.”

“And if he keeps pushing me away?”

Zoey’s lips curved into that half-smile she wore right before flipping a negotiation in her favor.

“Then you pull him back harder.”

4/5

Chapter 56

+25 Bonus