Se connecterShare
CHAPTER THIRTEEN — DEAFENING SILENCE
Dernière mise à jour:
2026-02-20 23:29:11I spent the next few hours pacing the length of the room until my feet were sore. The plush carpet felt like sandpaper against my skin, and every time I caught my reflection in the darkened window, I saw a woman I barely recognized. I wasn't the cold, calculating Aria who had died on an operating table, but I wasn't the innocent girl Lucien had married either. I was something in between, trapped in a timeline that was rapidly spinning out of control.
Every time I approached the door, I could hear the faint murmur of Marcus and Chen. They were sticking to me like glue, or rather, like jailers.
"Should we check on her?" Chen whispered. "It’s been quiet for twenty minutes. Quiet usually means she’s climbing through the vents."
"Give it a rest, Chen," Marcus grunted. "The vents in this building are too small for a cat, let alone a grown woman. Besides, if she tries anything, the Boss will have our heads. I’m already halfway to the unemployment line as it is."
"Oh no, definitely not the unemployment line," Chen replied. "More like the bottom of the Atlantic. Did you see the look in his eyes tonight. He’s gone into full 'Dark Lord' mode."
I leaned my forehead against the cool wood of the door. "Marcus? Chen? Please, just let me talk to him for five minutes. I need to explain the folder."
The silence on the other side was immediate.
"Can't do it, Mrs. B," Marcus finally said, his voice unusually soft. "He gave us strict orders. No one goes in, and you definitely don't come out. He took the master key with him."
"He’s just trying to protect…" I started, then bit my lip. Protect what? His heart? Or the cage he’d built for me?
"He’s trying to survive you," Marcus interrupted. "I’ve been with him for three years, and I’ve never seen him like this. Just... stay put. For everyone's sake."
I slumped to the floor, my back leaning against the door. They were right. Lucien wasn't acting out of malice, he was acting out of a desperate kind of self-preservation. I had spent months handing him reasons to lock me away, and now that I actually had something worth saying, I had no platform to say it.
The night dragged on. Around 2:00 AM, the light under my door flickered as a shadow crossed it. There was a heavy, familiar weight on the other side of the door. Someone sat down, their back against the door just like mine.
The scent of whiskey drifted through the door cracks.
"Lucien?" I whispered cautiously as my heart leaped a bit.
He didn't answer. I heard the clink of glass, he’d finally found a cup, or perhaps he was just tapping the bottle against the floor. He was right there, inches away, separated only by a few inches of solid door and a lifetime of broken trust.
"I'm not going to run," I said with a cracked voice. "I know you think Friday is about Ethan. It’s not. It’s about your mother. She’s trying to replace me, Lucien. She’s trying to turn our marriage into a transaction."
Still silence. I could hear his slow, rhythmic breathing. He was listening, but he was unreachable. It was a special kind of torture, knowing he was right there but refusing to bridge the gap.
"I know I lied about the passport," I continued, the words spilling out in the dark. "And I know I looked at Ethan like he was my way out. I was stupid. I was blind. But I’m seeing clearly now. I'm seeing you."
A low, bitter sound came from the other side of the door. It wasn't a word, just a sharp exhale that signaled his utter disbelief.
"Just give me a chance to prove it," I pleaded.
I waited for a response. A shout, a curse, even a sarcastic remark, anything would have been better than this absolute silence. After a long while, I heard the sound of him pushing himself up off the floor. His footsteps receded down the hallway, slow and heavy.
He hadn't said a word.
I crawled back into the bed, shivering despite the warmth of the room. I refused to eat the food Chen slid through the small service gap in the door, my stomach was tied in too many knots to function. I spent my time staring at the city, watching the sun rise and set, feeling the seconds of Helena’s ultimatum ticking away like a bomb.
If I couldn't convince Lucien, I had to find another way.
I looked at the landline phone on the desk. Lucien had taken my cell phone, but he’d forgotten the house phone. I picked it up, but there was no dial tone. He had disconnected the line from the main hub. He was thorough, I had to give him that.
By Friday morning, the air in the room felt stagnant. My eyes were sunken, and I had reached a level of calm that only comes with total desperation.
Around 10:00 AM, the deadbolt finally clicked.
I stood up as my heart began to beat frantically. The door opened, but it wasn't Lucien. It was Chen, looking uncharacteristically somber. Marcus was standing right behind him, his hand resting on his belt, looking like he was expecting a fight.
"The Boss left for the office," Chen said. "He told us to let you out to get dressed. He said if you try to leave the apartment, Marcus has permission to use... well, let's just say he’s not going to be gentle."
"Mrs. B, don't make me do it," Marcus muttered. "I’ve got a soft spot for you, but the Boss is in a 'no-mercy' kind of mood."
"Where is he?" I asked with a raspy voice .
"He's at Blackwood Industries," Chen replied. "He’s meeting with the board. Apparently, his mother is already making moves to 'restructure' his authority. He’s fighting for his life out there, and he thinks you're the one who handed her the ammunition."
I felt a cold shiver go down my spine. She was doing it. She was attacking him before the deadline even hit.
"I need to get to the office," I said, stepping toward them.
Marcus blocked the doorway instantly. "No can do. You stay here until five. Then the car comes. Those are the orders."
"Marcus, listen to me! She most likely already knows that I won't sign the papers, If I don't get to him now, there won't be anything left to save by five o'clock!"
"Oh no," Chen whispered, looking at Marcus. "She’s got that look again. The 'I’m-about-to-do-something-insane' look."
"I don't care about the orders!" I shouted, the frustration finally breaking through. "He’s going to lose everything because he’s too busy guarding a wife who isn't even trying to run anymore! If you want to save your jobs, if you want to stay 'not dead', then you'll help me get to that building!"
Marcus and Chen exchanged a long, hesitant look.
"If we do this," Marcus said, "and he finds out... we aren't just fired. We're erased."
"I'll take the blame," I promised. "Just get me to him."
Marcus sighed, a long, weary sound that seemed to deflate his entire frame. "You’re definitely going to be the death of me."
"Toast bread," Chen muttered. "We are definitely toast bread."
“Was that supposed to be funny?“ Marcus said, glancing at Chen.
"Get your coat," Marcus snapped. "We have six hours until that car arrives. Let’s move."
Latest chapter
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX — THE MATRIARCH'S SUBTLE REGRET
Aria's POVThe morning sun filtered through the high-performance glass of the medical wing, turning the sterile room into a soft, hazy gold color. Lucien was still asleep, his breathing deep and even for the first time in hours. I hadn't moved from his side. My head was rested on the edge of his mattress, my hand still tucked firmly in his.The quietness was shattered by the sound of heavy, rhythmic footsteps in the hallway. These weren't the silent, tactical steps of Chen or Marcus. They were deliberate and commanding.The door slid open, and Helena Blackwood stepped inside.She wasn't wearing her usual structured boardroom armor. Instead, she wore a simple black silk wrap, her silver ha
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE — A LOVE MEAL
Aria's POVI sat by Lucien’s bed for hours, my hand locked in his. The nurse’s words looped in my mind, Genetic. Chronic stress. Alcohol. I looked at his pale face. This man, who moved mountains to keep me in a gilded cage, was crumbling from the inside out. Every time I had fought him, every time I had looked at him with cold suspicion, I had been pushing him closer to this bed. The guilt was like a heavy weight in my chest, heavier than the wooden box still tucked in my jacket.I didn't want to ask about Vane anymore. I didn't care about the boy on the beach or the "J" on the compass. Not right now. I just wanted the man in front of me to breathe without a machine.Around 4:00 A&z
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR — UNFORSEEN DISCOVERY
Aria's POVI stood outside the glass doors of the private medical suite, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of Lucien’s chest. He looked fragile, pinned to the bed by plastic tubes and glowing wires. The high-tech hum of the monitors felt like a countdown I couldn't stop.Marcus stood by the door, his arms crossed over his chest. His suit jacket was off, his shirtsleeves were rolled up, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like a man who had been at war for forty-eight hours straight."He’s stable," Marcus said, though his voice lacked its usual iron. "But the doctors say the next few hours are critical. The strain on his heart was too much."I turned to him, the wooden box with the silver compasses still heavy in my pocket. "Marcus, talk to me. What really happened? You said it was the mission, but I saw the scars. That wasn't just shrapnel. That looked like a lifetime of trauma."Marcus tightened his jaw. He looked at
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE — THE UNEXPECTED COLLAPSE
Aria's POVLucien was still standing by the darkened television, his silhouette cast in jagged red by the emergency lights. He looked like a king standing amidst the ruins of his palace. His chest was heaving, his hand still white-knuckled around the grip of his gun."Lucien?" I stopped in my tracks as I called out.My voice was cold, filtered through the new layer of distrust I felt. I still had the wooden box tucked behind my back, the silver compasses biting into my palm. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to demand the name of the boy in the photo.But Lucien didn’t turn around.He stayed frozen, staring at the black screen where Vane’s face had been moments ago. Then, a strange sound came from him, a harsh, wet wheeze that sounded like air being forced through a crushed pipe.His gun slipped from his hand. It hit the thick carpet with a dull thud."Lucien!"My suspicion vanished, replaced by the sharp, electric jolt of my
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO — STRANGER
Aria's POVThe library was too cold. The air felt thin and clinical, like everything else in the high-tech prison Lucien called a home. I stood against the mahogany shelves, my fingers tightening around the small wooden box. Inside, the silver compasses clinked. The sound was soft, but in the dead silence, it sounded like a warning.I turned the bent compass over and I felt the tiny, jagged engraving on the back.J & A.The letters were old and faded. A was for Aria. That was me. But the J was like a hole in my life. My mind searched for a name, a face, or a voice but I found nothing. The amnesia was a solid wall, cold and unyielding.Lucien had told me I was alone. When I woke up in that hospital bed, he was the only thing I had. He told me my parents were dead. He said I had no siblings. He said he was the only anchor I had left in a dangerous world.Liar.The thought didn't come from my brain. It came from my
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE — THE SHADOW AT THE DOOR
Aria's POVThe silence following my question was more than just an absence of sound, it was a physical weight. Lucien’s hand, usually an immovable anchor of strength, was trembling against my waist. The "Dark Lord" who had just dismantled a boardroom full of predators looked like he was staring at his own executioner."Lucien," I repeated, my voice dropping to a whisper as I searched his face. "Who is Vane? Why are you reacting like this?"He didn't answer. He couldn't. He looked at Marcus, a silent command passing between them that I couldn't decipher. Without a word, Lucien hauled me toward the private elevator, his stride frantic and disjointed.As the doors hissed shut, plunging us into the high-speed descent, Lucien finally turned to me. His eyes were no longer silver, they had darkened to something terrifyingly black."Vane is a ghost I thought I had buried, Aria," he rasped, his voice sounding like grinding stones. "
Vous vous intéresseriez aussi à
She Accepted Divorce, He Panicked
Nyx Rai620.8K VuesI Kissed A CEO And He Liked It!
LiLhyz1.5M VuesCEO Husband's Crazy Love For His Little Wife
TSI1.5M VuesOn Her Daddy’s Bed!
Xee write658.4K VuesMy Billionaire Bodyguard
Blossom Harold240 VuesThe Elite's Wild Beauty
madnesses109 VuesAlluring Mr. Billionaire
Crystal L861 VuesThe Rise Of The Betrayed Wife
JohnK507 Vues
