6

For a second, I thought maybe my eyes were lying.

That I’d stepped into someone else’s life. Someone else’s heartbreak.

But no.

The lady was real, and I wasn't imagining things.

Perched confidently on Nathan's lap like she was born there. Her lips still glistening from the kiss she’d stolen. Her hands roaming places I hadn’t even dared to think about.

And Nathan?

Leaning back, relaxed,like I wasn’t standing there with my heart in my hands.

I didn’t even know I’d dropped the dress until I heard it hit the floor.

That soft rustle of fabric landing like a slap across my dignity.

Amy turned slightly, her lips still curved in that smug little smile, and her eyes met mine.

“Oh,” she said, like she was surprised,but not really. “Didn’t see you there, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart.

The word made my skin crawl.

She adjusted herself, not bothering to move off him. “You should really knock next time. But… oh wait, I forgot. You’re just the prop fiancée, right?”

My throat burned. My fists curled.

Nathan didn’t say a word. Didn’t move. Didn’t even flinch.

Just sat there, cold and unreadable, like this moment meant nothing. Like I meant nothing.

Amy’s voice dropped to a whisper only I could hear. “This is the part where you cry and run out, I think. That’s what girls like you do, isn’t it?”

My entire body trembled—but not with sadness.

With humiliation.

With rage.

With the ache of realizing I was nothing more than a pawn in their game.

I didn’t say a word.

I didn’t let the tears fall.

Instead, I bent slowly, picked up the dress from the floor, handed it to the stunned attendant beside me, and walked past them like they were mannequins in a store window.

The driver outside looked up as I approached, but I didn’t meet his eyes.

I slid into the back seat, shut the door quietly, and stared out the window with a numbness that didn’t feel like silence,it felt like drowning.

Nathan Blake could keep his world.

I don't care.

****

Nathan's pov

Ivy dropped the dress and walked out.

She didn’t say a word.

Didn’t need to.

Her silence screamed loud enough for the both of us.

I didn’t move. Didn’t chase. I just stared at the blue silk on the floor.

Amy leaned against the armrest, a smug smile on her lips.

“Well,” she said lightly, “guess the little show’s over.”

I picked up my phone and scrolled like nothing happened.

“She’ll be fine,” I said flatly.

Amy raised a brow. “You sure about that? She looked like she just got punched in the throat.”

“She’s not my concern,” I muttered, standing up.

That wasn’t entirely true.

But I said it anyway.

Amy tilted her head, watching me. “You really expect me to believe that? The way you stormed out the other day to go meet her family…”

“It’s business,” I cut in, turning toward the windows. “Nothing more. You know that.”

She stood too, heels clicking slowly across the marble as she came to face me.

“Then let me move in with you.”

I blinked.

“No,” I said immediately.

Amy’s arms folded across her chest. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not in the mood for distractions,” I replied smoothly, refusing to let my voice shift. “This marriage,this deal,is temporary. Public appearances. Clean image. That’s all.”

She stared at me.

Then laughed.

“God, Nathan. You’re cold. You always have been, but this? This is low, even for you.”

I didn’t answer.

Because she wasn’t wrong.

But I had no intention of explaining myself not to her, not to anyone.

Amy’s smile faded. “Fine. But don’t forget,I was there before her. And I’ll be there when she’s gone.”

I didn’t respond,just moved out.

I found her in the backseat.

She didn’t look at me.

Her arms were folded, eyes on the tinted window, jaw clenched like she was trying not to cry—or scream.

The silence was heavier than anything Amy had said.

I stepped in and shut the door.

The driver didn't ask questions. He knew better.

I let a few seconds pass, but she didn’t move.

Didn’t ask what happened.

Didn’t say a word.

Good. That made this easier.

“We’re registering the marriage tomorrow.”

Her head snapped toward me.

Finally.

“What?”

“Courthouse. 10 a.m. My assistant will send the details.”

She blinked. “And that’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

I looked at her.

Eyes rimmed red. Pride sitting on the edge of collapse.

This wasn’t part of the deal. Getting involved. Explaining myself.

Still… a small part of me almost said more.

But I didn’t.

“I told you what this was, Ivy. Don’t expect anything more than what was written in the contract.”

She laughed under her breath. Bitter. Soft. Broken.

“You didn’t even deny it.”

“There was nothing to deny.”

She turned away again. “Of course.”

I tapped on the window. “Drive.”

The car pulled away from the boutique, and I stared out my side of the window, jaw tight.

THE NEXT DAY

Ivy's pov

The morning came too quickly.

I barely slept.

And when I did, my dreams were loud—flashes of blue silk falling from my hand, lips crashing against lips that weren’t mine, and a cold voice saying, “There was nothing to deny.”

I sat on the edge of the bed in silence, the weight of a brand-new life pressing down on me like wet cement.

Today was my wedding day.

But there was no flutter in my chest. No butterflies. No dream dress.

Just a neatly tailored suit hanging by the door and a contract tucked in my bag.

I didn’t cry.

Not because I wasn’t hurting.

But because I was too tired to.

I brushed my hair back, applied the barest touch of makeup, and wore the same expressionless mask I’d been perfecting since that hotel scandal erupted.

It fit now.

I didn’t need answers anymore.

Not about the woman from yesterday.

Not about the lips Nathan didn’t bother to pull away from.

Common sense had already filled in the blanks.

She was his girlfriend.

And I? I was the PR cover-up. The walking press solution. The pawn that helped him maintain his empire while someone else had his heart.

What hurt more than the image was how numb I’d become to it.

I checked my phone.

No message. No apology. No explanation.

Just a reminder from Desmond with the courthouse address and time.

Be there by 10 a.m.

Of course.

I looked at myself in the mirror,cold eyes, calm face, spine straight like steel,and whispered:

“This is just a transaction. Get through it.”

Because if I didn’t remind myself...

I just might fall apart before saying “I do.”