Chapter Five

By the time she joined him for breakfast, he was dressed sharply again, navy shirt, dark trousers, sleeves rolled to his forearms as he scrolled through emails on his laptop.

He looked up briefly. “Sleep well?”

“As well as someone who just accidentally became a headline,” she said wryly.

He smiled faintly. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I really hope not.”

He chuckled softly, setting aside his laptop. “There’s something you should see.”

He handed her a folded newspaper. On the front page, a blurred photograph of her stood under the bold headline:

“THE RUNAWAY BRIDE WHO DIDN’T RUN. MYSTERY GROOM STEALS THE DAY.”

Olivia’s pulse jumped. “Oh my God.”

“It’s already viral,” Sebastian said calmly. “But the good news is, no one has connected you to the company yet. We have time.”

She sank into the chair opposite him. “You’re not worried?”

“Worry doesn’t help. Action does.”

“You sound like a man who’s used to controlling everything.”

He smiled slightly. “I try.”

Olivia bit her lip, studying him the way he spoke, the quiet confidence that seemed to wrap around him like a second skin. He wasn’t arrogant, not exactly. Just certain. Self-contained.

And for reasons she didn’t understand, that made her trust him, maybe more than she should.

The days that followed were a strange blend of calm and tension.

Sebastian worked from home most of the time, handling company calls, reviewing documents, and taking meetings via video. Olivia stayed out of the way, trying to adjust to this strange new existence, part hiding, part healing.

Sometimes she’d find him standing by the window at night, city lights reflecting off the glass as he stared into the distance, lost in thought.

He looked like a man carrying more than he ever said aloud.

Once, she asked him why he’d really done it, why he’d stepped forward in that church.

He didn’t answer right away. Then he said quietly, “Because you looked like you’d been broken too many times, and I couldn’t let it happen again.”

The words silenced her. Not just because they were kind, but because they sounded like a confession.

A week later, the tension she’d feared finally arrived.

Sebastian was on a conference call when his phone buzzed again and again. He excused himself, answering it.

His expression shifted almost instantly. “How bad?” he asked.

Olivia froze where she stood, watching him.

He ran a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath. “Damn it. Who leaked it?”

When he hung up, she spoke softly. “What happened?”

He looked at her, eyes stormy. “Someone recognized me. A reporter connected the dots: a retired pilot from London, recently returned to the States, brother of Joel Hart. It’s out.”

Her stomach dropped. “So they know?”

“Not officially,” he said. “But by morning, they will.”

He moved toward the window, shoulders tense. “I’ll need to make a statement before it gets twisted.”

Olivia’s chest tightened. “And what about me?”

His gaze softened when he looked back at her. “You stay out of it. Let me take the attention. You’ve had enough chaos.”

“I can handle it,” she said quietly.

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t have to.”

There was a long silence between them, heavy with things neither dared to say.

Finally, Olivia whispered, “You know this can’t stay fake forever. People will ask questions.”

Sebastian turned, his expression unreadable. “Who said it was fake?”

Her breath caught. “Sebastian”

“I told you before,” he said softly, stepping closer. “When I made those vows, I meant them.”

She stared up at him, her heart racing.

“I don’t regret marrying you, Olivia,” he continued quietly. “Not for a second.”

And before she could stop herself, before she could remind herself that this was all too fast, too unreal, her body moved first.

She kissed him.

It wasn’t planned, it wasn't perfect, but it was real.

For the first time since the disaster of her wedding day, Olivia didn’t feel broken or pitied. She felt seen. Wanted. Alive.

When they finally pulled apart, Sebastian rested his forehead against hers, his breath unsteady.

“This,” he murmured, “is going to make the next headline a lot harder to explain.”

She smiled faintly. “Then let’s make it worth reading.”

“Are you sure you want to do this, Olivia”? The media can be terrifying, in most cases and they bring up things that are unpleasant, but do not worry, I will protect you as much as i can”, trust me” he said taking her hands in his.

Olivia grinned, “yes I know all this, Sebastian, but I’m willing to give us a chance”.