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Chapter Six:Tangled Lies

작가: Mel
last update 게시일: 2026-05-14 23:18:11

~Tangled Lies~

~Celine’s POV~

Morning light slipped through the heavy silk curtains like an uninvited guest, painting the master suite in soft gold.

I woke slowly, my body heavy with exhaustion from a wedding night I desperately wished I could forget.

Then I felt him.

A strong arm was banded tightly around my waist, pulling me flush against a hard, muscular chest. A powerful leg was thrown possessively over mine, locking me in place. Lucien’s breath fanned hot against the nape of my neck, deep and steady. His hand had slipped beneath the thin silk nightgown, palm splayed across my bare stomach like he owned every inch of me.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

This was not the giggling, childish boy from yesterday. This was a man six-foot-two of lean muscle and coiled power  wrapped around me like I belonged to him. His broad chest rose and fell against my back. His fingers flexed once in his sleep, thumb brushing slow, lazy circles over my skin that sent unwanted sparks racing straight to my core.

Heat flooded my face. My pulse thundered between my legs before I could stop it.

This isn’t the broken boy everyone sees.

I tried to shift away, but his arm tightened instinctively, pulling me even closer. A low, sleepy rumble vibrated in his throat  deep, masculine, nothing like the high-pitched voice he used in public. My breath hitched.

I turned my head just enough to look at him. Dark hair tousled across the pillow. Sharp jaw relaxed in sleep. Those steel-gray eyes still closed. Up close, without the mask, he looked devastatingly lethal.

The contradiction made my stomach twist with fear… and something far more dangerous.

I stayed frozen, barely breathing, terrified that any movement would wake him  and terrified that it wouldn’t. His hand splayed wider across my stomach, possessive even in sleep.

Who are you really, Lucien Thornhart?

Before I could find the courage to slip away, his eyes fluttered open.

Steel-gray met mine.

For one heartbeat, the mask was completely gone. No vacancy. No childish sparkle. Just raw, unguarded hunger staring back at me. His hand flexed against my stomach, pulling me closer. His gaze dropped to my lips.

The air between us thickened until I could barely breathe.

Then the mask slammed back down.

“Morning, new Mummy!” he chirped in that high, sweet voice, blinking at me with exaggerated innocence. He nuzzled closer, rubbing his cheek against my shoulder like an affectionate puppy. “You’re so warm! Can we stay in bed all day? Lucien likes cuddles!”

I jerked away, heart pounding, scrambling to the edge of the massive bed. My nightgown had ridden dangerously high. I yanked it down with shaking hands.

Lucien sat up, tilting his head with that same boyish confusion. “Did I do something bad? Mummy looks mad…”

I couldn’t answer. My skin still burned where he had touched me. My mind was spinning.

A sharp knock at the door saved me.

Mrs. Eleanor Hargrove entered with a silver tray. “Good morning. This arrived for you, Mrs. Thornhart. It’s marked urgent.”

I took the cream-colored envelope with numb fingers.

The return address made my stomach drop.

“Clara Laurent & Xavier Salvador”

My hands trembled as I tore it open. It was their wedding invitation extravagant, mocking, and set for two weeks from now. A handwritten note from Clara was clipped to the front:

Dear Sister,  

We’d love for you and your new “husband” to attend. After all, you were supposed to be the bride once. Don’t worry  we saved you a seat in the front row.  

Try not to cry too much this time.  

Clara xoxo

Rage and humiliation surged through me.

Clara was marrying the man who had destroyed me in public… and she wanted me there to watch.

I crumpled the invitation in my fist, but a cold, dangerous thought settled in my mind.

This wedding wasn’t just another humiliation.

It was the perfect opportunity.

While everyone was distracted at Clara and Xavier’s perfect ceremony, I would search my father’s private office. There had to be answers  reasons why they treated me like I was nothing.

I looked at Lucien, who was still playing the excited child.

The man who held me like he owned me in his sleep.

The stranger whose mask was slipping faster every day.

This marriage wasn’t just my prison.

It might be the key to destroying everything that had destroyed me.

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