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Husband in Name Only
publish date:
2026-09-17 15:49:43“Our contract says separate bedrooms.”
I remained in the corridor while Caelan leaned against the doorframe of the room we were apparently expected to share.
“It also says our marriage must appear genuine.”
“There are no reporters inside your house.”
“There are twenty-three employees, six security officers, and a grandfather who pays people to report my movements.”
“Then tell them you snore.”
“I don’t.”
“How reassuring.”
His mouth almost curved.
“Your room shares a wall with mine. A connecting door separates the two suites. Your belongings were moved into the adjoining room, not this one.”
I looked past him.
Another door stood open on the far side of his bedroom. Beyond it, I could see my suitcases and the blue curtains of a private suite.
“You could have explained that before frightening the housekeeper.”
“I didn’t frighten her.”
“You frighten everyone.”
“Not everyone.”
His gaze held mine for a second too long.
I stepped into my suite and inspected the connecting door. It had locks on both sides.
“I’ll keep this locked.”
“So will I.”
“Good.”
“Excellent.”
Neither of us moved.
Being alone with Caelan felt more dangerous than confronting Lucien in a crowded ballroom. Lucien’s charm had concealed cruelty. Caelan made no effort to appear harmless.
I preferred the honesty of it.
“Why did you have footage of Selene meeting Lucien?” I asked.
“I had Lucien followed.”
“Since when?”
“Before your wedding.”
“Why?”
“He was interfering with my acquisition of a logistics company.”
It was a reasonable explanation, yet I sensed it was incomplete.
“And you happened to attend my wedding?”
“I was invited.”
“By whom?”
He turned away. “Good night, Elara.”
I caught the door before he could close it.
“You said this marriage requires trust.”
“No. You said trust had failed you. I never promised it.”
The answer angered me because it was true.
I returned to my room and locked the connecting door.
Sleep refused to come.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lucien’s office, Selene’s face, and the black river closing above me.
At 2:00 a.m., thunder shook the windows.
I woke choking.
For several seconds, I could not distinguish the dark bedroom from the submerged car. My hands clawed at the blanket as I struggled for air.
“Elara.”
Someone gripped my shoulders.
I struck blindly.
Caelan caught my wrists.
“Look at me.”
Lightning illuminated his face.
I stopped fighting.
“You’re in my house,” he said. “You’re safe.”
Water still seemed to fill my lungs.
“I couldn’t unlock the belt.”
“What belt?”
The concern in his voice was too sharp.
I stared at him.
Caelan released me slowly.
“The connecting door was locked,” I whispered.
“You were screaming.”
“How did you enter?”
“The hallway.”
He wore dark trousers and no shirt. A scar crossed his ribs, pale against his skin. It looked old and deep, like an injury caused by twisted metal.
I had seen a similar scar once before.
On the night of my death, when Caelan leaned over the bridge railing, his torn shirt had revealed blood along the same side.
But that had not happened yet.
I looked away before he noticed where I was staring.
“It was a nightmare.”
“About drowning?”
Cold travelled along my spine.
“I said I couldn’t unlock a belt.”
“You were calling for help before I entered.”
“Did I mention water?”
He did not answer.
Thunder rolled again.
My hands began trembling despite my efforts to control them.
Caelan sat on the edge of the bed, leaving space between us.
“Breathe slowly.”
His voice was unexpectedly gentle.
I followed his rhythm until the room became solid again.
“You can go,” I said.
He remained seated.
“This marriage is only an arrangement.”
“I know.”
“You don’t need to comfort me.”
“I’m not doing it because the contract requires it.”
The admission settled between us.
For one reckless moment, I wanted to ask why else he would care.
Instead, I drew the blanket around myself.
“Did you know me before the wedding?”
Caelan’s entire body became still.
“We had met at public events.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
His phone rang from the other room.
He stood before answering me.
“I’ll have the housekeeper bring you something to help you sleep.”
“I don’t want medication.”
He paused at the connecting door. “Neither does your father.”
“What does that mean?”
Caelan turned back.
“Ask Gideon what his doctor prescribed last month.”
My heart began pounding.
In my first life, Father’s health had started deteriorating shortly after my wedding. His doctor called it a hereditary heart condition. Selene personally collected his medication and made certain he took it.
I threw off the blanket.
“What do you know about my father’s medicine?”
Before Caelan could answer, his phone rang again.
He glanced at the screen, and his expression hardened.
He left without another word.
I followed him into his study several minutes later, but the room was empty.
A desk drawer had been left slightly open.
Inside it was a file stamped with my name.
I pulled it out.
The first page contained a photograph of my destroyed car at the bottom of the river.
Beneath it was a date three years in the future.
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The ballroom remained half-lit when I placed my hand in Caelan’s.Guests stood near the exits, uncertain whether the emergency was over. Reporters kept their cameras raised.The orchestra continued playing the song from the wedding I had abandoned.Lucien and I had chosen it together—or so I once believed. Selene later confessed that she suggested it to him because it had been Evelyn’s favourite.Crowne had been writing messages into our lives long before we knew how to read them.Caelan led me to the centre of the floor.“You don’t have to do this,” he said.“I’m tired of them turning every memory into a weapon.”His hand settled against my back.“Then make a new one.”We began to dance.Caelan moved with controlled precision, but he held me gently. Around us, the ballroom quieted. Even the false financial records vanished from the screens, replaced by the silver crown symbol.Someone was watching.I refused to look toward the cameras.“You knew this song,” I said.“My mother played
Reborn as the Ruthless Heir’s Contract Wife The Mercer Gala
The Mercer Gala had always been Father’s favourite event.Each year, the foundation funded hospitals, technical scholarships, and housing programmes. In my first life, the final gala he attended became a public display of his weakness.This time, he entered the ballroom standing straight.Doctors had cleared him to attend for two hours. Mara’s team tested everything he touched, from his water glass to the microphone.Caelan remained beside me.“You’ve checked the exits six times,” I said.“Seven.”“You promised not to turn this into a prison.”“I’m counting doors, not locking them.”He wore a black tuxedo that made him appear even more severe. Guests watched us as we moved through the ballroom, their curiosity sharpened by the scandals surrounding our marriage.The contract required us to appear affectionate.The problem was that I no longer knew which gestures were performances.Caelan’s hand rested against my waist. When someone approached too quickly, his fingers tightened. When I
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Reborn as the Ruthless Heir’s Contract Wife The Man Who Asked for Nothing
Caelan did not speak during the drive home.Evelyn’s letter remained inside his coat, but its surviving sentence seemed to fill the car.Protect her—but do not imprison her as I was imprisoned.I wondered who had imprisoned Evelyn.Octavian was the obvious answer, but her warning had already taught us not to mistake the most visible enemy for the true one.At the estate, Caelan dismissed the medical team after they treated his arm. I followed him into his study.“You need to rest.”“So do you.”“My burn is minor.”“And my wound is inconvenient.”Blood had already stained the fresh bandage beneath his sleeve.“You nearly fell through a burning floor.”“I remember.”“You told me to release you.”“You’ve mentioned that.”“Because you would rather die than become someone else’s burden.”His expression hardened.“Do not analyse me.”“Then stop making yourself so easy to analyse.”That almost made him smile.I reached for the buttons of his shirt.He caught my wrist.“What are you doing?”“
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Evelyn’s warning replayed through the investigation room.“Lucien must never marry Elara. Selene was placed inside the family to make certain he does.”Then came the final sentence.“Do not trust Octavian—but understand this: he is not Crowne.”The recording ended, leaving only the low hum of the equipment.Caelan stood beside the speaker, motionless. His expression remained controlled, but his fingers had curled into a fist.“That was your mother’s voice?” I asked.“Yes.”“You’re certain?”“I would know it anywhere.”Lucien had left Mercer Holdings before the recording was recovered. Father remained upstairs with the board, approving the final termination of every Vale contract.For the moment, Caelan and I were alone.“How could Evelyn know Crowne planned to use Selene?” I asked. “She died when Selene was still a child.”“She knew Amelia.”“Selene’s mother.”“Possibly.”Caelan took the drive from the technician’s console and turned it over in his hand.“My mother never spoke to me a
Reborn as the Ruthless Heir’s Contract Wife Their Affair Began Before My Marriage
The Lake Arden records documented three years of betrayal.Hotel reservations.Private dinners.Jewellery purchases.Messages hidden inside business accounts.Lucien had courted me publicly while maintaining Selene privately. She gave him information about my family. He gave her money, influence, and promises he never intended to keep.Together, they created the man I thought I loved.I took the evidence to Father.He sat behind his desk at Mercer Holdings, still pale from the poisoning but strong enough to read every page.When he finished, he removed his glasses.“I brought Selene into our home.”“This is not your fault.”“I trusted her with you.”“So did I.”He looked older than he had that morning.“Did Lucien ever love you?”I considered the question.“He loved the way I saw him. He wanted to remain that man without becoming him.”Father reached across the desk and held my hand.“I am sorry I encouraged the marriage.”“You did what you believed would protect me.”“And Caelan?”Th
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