~Fallon~The room went silent.Bianca’s eyes went wide, her mouth opening and closing like she couldn’t quite believe what she’d just heard.And honestly? Neither could I.Reid stood in the doorway, his face calm and unreadable — but there was a sharpness in his voice I’d never heard before. A quiet, controlled anger that sent a shiver down my spine.“Is there a problem?” he asked, his eyes never leaving Bianca.She recovered fast. “We were just talking.”“Funny,” Reid said, his tone ice. “It didn’t sound like that from where I was standing.”I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.I hated this — the attention, the confrontation, the fact that my husband had to step in because I couldn’t seem to fight my own battles.But at the same time, I couldn’t look away from him.Reid wasn’t just defending me. He was staking a claim.And it left me breathless.Bianca’s smile turned brittle. “You’re awfully protective, Reid. But I’m sure Fallon doesn’t need you fighting her battles.”“You’re rig
~Fallon~The fire crackled, sending sparks dancing into the night sky. The air smelled like woodsmoke and toasted marshmallows, and for a brief moment, the warmth of the flames almost made me believe this was a normal family gathering.But nothing with my family ever stayed peaceful for long.The seating arrangement alone was enough to set me on edge. Oliver and Elise sat off to one side, speaking in hushed tones that made it clear they had no interest in anyone else’s conversation. Bianca lounged in one of the Adirondack chairs like she owned the place, sipping her wine with a smirk that set my teeth on edge.My parents were doing their best to keep things civil — my mom fluttering around with drinks and snacks, my dad maintaining his usual stoic silence.And then there was Reid.Sitting next to me. Close enough that his warmth wrapped around me, close enough that every time his arm brushed mine, my skin tingled.Too close. And not close enough.The fire wasn’t the only thing making
~Fallon~I woke up with one thought in my head: Get me out of here.The sun wasn’t even fully up yet, but I was already wide awake — my body stiff from the too-fancy guest bed, my head pounding from too many forced smiles and carefully swallowed words.This trip had been a disaster from the moment we arrived. And while part of me wanted to stick it out and prove that Bianca and Oliver and everyone else’s judgment didn’t affect me, the other part was ready to throw my bags into the car and never look back.Beside me, Reid was still asleep.The unfamiliar sight made me pause — the sharp, controlled man he always was softened in sleep. His breathing was slow and even, his brow relaxed in a way I rarely saw when he was awake.The tension between us hadn’t eased, not really. But for a moment, watching him like this, I felt something I hadn’t let myself feel in a long time.Safe.I tore my eyes away.Safe was dangerous. And it wasn’t real.If I thought I was the only one eager to leave, the
~Fallon~Mia was already waiting when I walked into the café — impossible to miss, even in her half-baked attempt at anonymity. A wide-brimmed hat sat at a dramatic angle on her head, and her sunglasses were so oversized they covered half her face. She looked like a celebrity trying — and failing — to go incognito.I stopped at the edge of the table, arms crossed. “Really subtle.”Mia grinned, sliding her sunglasses down just enough to reveal her eyes. “You know me. I live for the drama.”The waiter appeared almost immediately, and Mia waved him off with a casual, “We’ll need mimosas. Keep them coming.”I laughed despite myself, slipping into the seat across from her. The tension from the weekend — from my family and the endless pressure — began to ease, bit by bit. Mia had that effect on me. She always had.“Okay,” she said, leaning forward with the kind of excitement that should probably scare me. “Spill. How was the trip? How terrible was Bianca? Did Reid finally throw her in the l
~Fallon~The second I walked through the door, I knew something was off.It was in the quiet—the kind of heavy, expectant silence that only meant trouble.Reid was waiting for me in the living room, standing beside the coffee table like some kind of brooding statue. His arms were crossed, his expression blank, but the tension rolling off him was impossible to miss.And then I saw it.A thick stack of legal documents, sitting right there on the table.I stopped dead in my tracks, a sharp, uneasy weight settling in my stomach. “What is that?”Reid exhaled slowly, like he was preparing for a battle. “Sit down.”“Not happening.” I crossed my arms. “What’s going on?”He hesitated—hesitated—which immediately sent every alarm in my body blaring.And then he said it.“There’s been an update to our contract.”My stomach turned to ice. “What kind of update?”Reid picked up the papers and flipped to a page near the middle. “The initial two-year agreement was based on the assumption that the Pres
~Fallon~For the first few days, it was fine.Totally fine.I buried myself in work, filmed brand content like my life depended on it, and pretended The Conversation That Ruined My Life™ never happened.Because if I didn’t acknowledge it, then maybe—maybe—I could trick my brain into forgetting that my entire timeline had been derailed.That I wasn’t halfway through this marriage anymore.That the end wasn’t anywhere near close enough.It wasn’t until the fourth day—when I passed by Reid’s office three times and realized it was empty—that I noticed something was off.Reid Callahan was avoiding me.And the worst part?I was avoiding him, too.___How To Avoid Your Billionaire Husband: A Guide by Fallon CallahanStep 1: Perfectly Timed Mornings• If he’s in the kitchen, don’t go in.• If he’s in his office, grab your coffee and run.• If, God forbid, your paths cross, fake a phone call.Step 2: Opposite Schedules Are Your Best Friend• Suddenly, every work meeting is urgent.• Running er
~Reid~The avoidance game had gone on long enough.Seven days.Seven long days of passing each other like strangers. Of empty spaces where her presence used to be. Of waiting—waiting—for her to finally come to me.I hadn’t meant to give her space. Hadn’t intended to let this stretch for a week.But the longer she avoided me, the more stubborn I got.And now?I was done waiting.I’d played patient. Now it was her turn to squirm.I heard her before I saw her—hesitant footsteps in the hall, the soft click of the door handle as she finally stepped into my office.For a moment, she didn’t say anything. I could feel her standing there, lingering in the doorway like she was debating whether or not she should’ve come at all.Too late, sweetheart. You walked in. That means I win.I didn’t look up right away. Just let the silence stretch between us as I flipped a page in the file I wasn’t actually reading. Let her wait. Let her feel the same weight I’d been carrying for the past week.Then, fin
~Fallon~If I was going to be dragged on this sudden trip, I was going to make damn sure I looked good doing it.Better than good. Unforgettable.So I packed accordingly.Every outfit was meticulously chosen. Every accessory, every pair of heels, every carefully coordinated look—flawless. No one was going to doubt for a second that I belonged at Reid Callahan’s side.He wanted me to play the part? Fine. I’d play it better than he ever expected.And I wasn’t stopping with just myself.Reid Callahan was not walking into that resort in some boring, last-minute suit. No way.If we were making an appearance together, we were going to match.⸻By the time Reid finally emerged from his office, suitcase in hand, I was ready.I gave him one look—from the effortlessly expensive sweater and tailored pants to the watch that probably cost more than some people’s houses—and crossed my arms.“What?” he asked, arching a brow.I gestured toward the suitcase. “Let me see what you packed.”His eyes narr
~Reid~The suitcase sat half-packed on the bed, but my attention wasn’t on it.It was on Fallon.She stood in the doorway of my room, arms crossed, her silk robe loosely tied around her waist, hair still damp from her shower. The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a golden hue over her skin, and for a moment, it felt too easy to remember the way she’d looked at me that night in the car.The way she’d kissed me.Or maybe I kissed her.It didn’t matter.What mattered was that we hadn’t talked about it since.And judging by the way she was watching me now, we weren’t going to be able to keep avoiding it.She exhaled, stepping inside. Slow, deliberate. The kind of movement that made me think she was choosing her words carefully before she even spoke.“So,” she said, her voice casual. Too casual. “Where this time?”“London.” I folded a dress shirt and placed it neatly in my suitcase. “Just a couple of days.”She hummed, watching me pack. “You’ve been traveling a lot lately.”I glanced at h
~Reid~Fallon was magnetic tonight.It wasn’t just the way she looked—the deep emerald dress that hugged her in all the right places, the delicate earrings that caught the light whenever she turned her head. It was the way she moved. Effortless. Confident. Like she was born for this world of flashing cameras and murmured intrigue.And maybe she was.I’d seen her in action before, but tonight, something was different.Maybe it was the way she handled the whispers, the way she laughed at the right moments and sidestepped invasive questions with a smile sharp enough to draw blood. Maybe it was the way she threw out a perfectly timed remark that left people either admiring her or wondering if she had just insulted them.Or maybe it was the fact that, for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t just watching her play the role—I was part of it.She stood beside me, poised but relaxed, one hand wrapped lightly around the stem of a champagne flute. She wasn’t drinking it. Just holding it, an
~Fallon~The moment we stepped into the event, all eyes turned to us.Flashing cameras. Murmurs that rippled through the room like a wave. The weight of a hundred socialites’ gazes assessing, whispering, speculating.I was used to this. The attention. The scrutiny. The carefully curated perfection that was expected at these high-profile events. But tonight, something felt different.Maybe it was because Reid was here with me.His presence altered the balance. He wasn’t just another attendee—he was a force. Tall, sharp, effortlessly commanding in a tailored black suit that looked like it had been crafted just for him. The air shifted around him. People either tried to impress him or feared getting in his way.And yet, despite his usual unshakable demeanor, I could tell he wasn’t entirely comfortable.“You hate these things,” I murmured as we glided through the crowd.Reid’s jaw ticked, but his hand on my lower back didn’t falter. “I tolerate them.”I smirked. “Liar. You despise them.”
~Fallon~I knew the moment I opened my eyes that today was going to be a whirlwind.Mornings in my world were never slow. There was always something to plan, something to post, someone to respond to. The moment I reached for my phone, notifications flooded my screen—emails from my management team, campaign updates, and an invite to yet another exclusive event that I wasn’t sure I wanted to attend.I exhaled, already feeling the rush of the day creeping in, but this was the life I had built, and I loved it.Still, it was a lot. More than it used to be.A year ago, I could handle everything myself. The emails, the collaborations, the content planning—I thrived on it. But ever since my following had exploded, so had the demands. My campaigns were bigger, my schedule tighter, my inbox never-ending.Which was exactly why I now had Maya.Her hiring hadn’t been my idea.It had been Reid’s.“You can’t do everything yourself anymore,” he had said, watching me juggle three phone calls while rev
~Fallon~I wasn’t sure when I first noticed it. Maybe it was the sharp edge to Reid’s voice when his assistant mentioned Pierce Industries. Or the way his jaw tightened, the muscle there ticking, when his father casually brought up Alexander at the last family dinner.Or maybe it was how, right now, as we sat across from each other in his office, he had barely looked up from his laptop in the last thirty minutes.Something was wrong.Reid wasn’t the type to let emotions cloud his judgment—at least, not in business. He was too methodical for that. But whatever had happened between him and Alexander Pierce, it wasn’t just business.And it was getting under his skin.I closed the folder I had been pretending to read and leaned back in my chair, watching him. His office was sleek, all dark wood and glass, every detail curated for power and precision. Reid himself was no different—clad in a crisp white shirt, sleeves pushed up just enough to hint at ease, though the tightness in his should
ReidThe office buzzed with its usual efficiency—phones ringing, keyboards clacking, the steady murmur of negotiations happening behind closed doors. I thrived in this chaos. Controlled, predictable, productive. It was a far cry from the staged interviews and socialite dinners that had dominated my life lately.Here, I was in control.Or at least, I had been.Until the moment Ethan, my CFO, stepped into my office with a carefully neutral expression that immediately set me on edge.“We have a situation,” he said, shutting the door behind him.I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly. “Go on.”Ethan slid a folder across my desk. “Pierce Holdings just made a bid for the Kingston project.”My fingers tightened around the folder before I even opened it.Kingston was supposed to be ours. It was one of the most sought-after commercial real estate developments of the year, and I’d spent months laying the groundwork to secure it. My team had vetted every risk, anticipated every counteroffer.
~Fallon~The Callahans knew how to throw a dinner party.The ballroom of the Callahan estate had been transformed into a vision of understated opulence—soft golden lighting, towering floral arrangements, crystal chandeliers casting a warm glow over the sea of finely dressed guests. It was the kind of gathering where wealth wasn’t flaunted but effortlessly woven into every detail.I was used to these events. I had attended them my entire life.But this time, I was attending after a scandal that almost blew our cover as a couple. And the weight of that title settled heavily on my shoulders.Reid and I entered together, his hand resting lightly on the small of my back—a practiced gesture, perfectly executed for the benefit of the watchful eyes dissecting our every move. He looked as effortlessly put together as ever, clad in a tailored black suit, his sharp features unreadable. I, in contrast, had spent too much time choosing the perfect dress—something elegant but not too soft, somethi
~Fallon~I should’ve known this would happen.The moment the interview aired, the internet exploded.And I mean exploded.The clip of Reid saying “Sometimes” in response to missing the past was spreading like wildfire, impossible to avoid. It was everywhere—spliced into fan edits, dissected in think pieces, slowed down, zoomed in, paired with heart-wrenching music and captions that made it impossible to ignore.At first, I told myself I wouldn’t look.Then, five minutes later, I was doom scrolling through the wreckage like an addict in withdrawal.Every single post was a fresh disaster.— @fallonandreidupdates: “THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HER. THIS MAN IS IN LOVE, AND SHE HAS NO IDEA. Okay many she does. She’s his wife. Lol.”— @popculturetea: “Reid Callahan saying ‘sometimes’ when asked if he misses their past is the most devastatingly romantic thing I’ve ever witnessed.”— @obsessedwithfallon: “No, but the way Fallon looked like she forgot how to breathe when he said it??? Someone check on
~Fallon~I wasn’t supposed to be enjoying this.The cozy atmosphere, the warm lighting, the way Reid and I had effortlessly slipped into this routine. It was too easy. Too familiar.Too dangerous.Because I knew what would happen if I let myself forget—even for a second—that this was still a game.This was our second interview this week. Another glossy, exclusive sit-down designed to steer the public narrative in our favor. Another carefully controlled conversation meant to prove that our marriage wasn’t built on smoke and mirrors.And yet, as I sat next to Reid on the plush couch of this sleek, modern studio, the bright lights illuminating us in a soft, flattering glow, I realized something unsettling.I wasn’t sure where the performance ended and where reality began.The host, a sharp-eyed woman in a perfectly tailored blazer, leaned forward, smiling like she was in on some inside joke we weren’t yet aware of.“You two have known each other for so long,” she mused. “Long before the