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Chapter 10

Author: Mary
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-05-30 05:27:08

My mind wandered back to the days when Ethan and I were inseparable. We were the definition of love - passionate, all-consuming, and reckless. Three years flew by in a blur of laughter, tears, and adventures. He was my rock, my confidant, my forever home. I thought our love was unbreakable, but life had other plans.

As I looked at Ethan now, memories flooded my senses. I remembered the way he used to make me laugh, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, and the way his touch set my soul on fire. It was like no time had passed, and yet, everything was different.

I couldn't help but wonder what could have been if we had stayed together. Would we have worked through our issues and built a life together? Or would we have continued to drift apart? The what-ifs still lingered in my mind, but I knew I had to let go of the past, and right now I’m in love with Michael, someone who wouldn’t even think of loving me back in this lifetime.

Seeing Ethan again brought up a mi
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  • THE RENTED BRIDE   Chapter 15

    I stood outside Grandma Fisher’s house for five full minutes before ringing the bell, watching my reflection in the polished brass like it held answers. I looked… composed. Mostly. But my heart thudded like I was about to walk into a courtroom instead of a sunroom.Jasper, the butler, answered with his usual stoicism and ushered me into the conservatory, where the queen herself was holding court among her orchids and afternoon tea. She looked impossibly elegant in a cream silk blouse, sleeves rolled just enough to be casual—but not careless.When she spotted me, she didn’t look surprised. Of course she didn’t.“Well,” she said, setting down her porcelain teacup, “either you’ve come to confess something... or ask for money. And if it’s the second, you’re far braver than I thought.”I forced a smile as I stepped forward. “No money. Just the truth.”That earned a raised brow. “My favorite kind of trouble.”She gestured to the seat across from her. I sat down, spine stiff, unsure whether

  • THE RENTED BRIDE   Chapter 14

    I felt the weight of the lie before we even stepped into the parlor.Michael's hand grazed mine as we entered, offering comfort, but my pulse was already racing. This was it. The moment we unraveled it all—the fake marriage, the contract, the deception. I The moment we told his grandmother the truth.Only, she already knew.She sat in her usual chair by the window, bathed in the soft afternoon light, porcelain teacup poised between two perfectly manicured fingers. Calm. Regal. Untouchable. She looked like someone expecting guests to confess to borrowing a vase, not orchestrating a love story laced with lies.Michael stood beside me, shifting his weight like he might bolt. I remained seated, spine straight, hands folded in my lap, holding in the tremble.Grandma Fisher didn't glance up. “Well,” she said. “Someone say something before I assume you've joined a cult.”Michael cleared his throat. “It’s about the marriage,” he said, voice low. “It wasn’t real. At first.”She looked up slowl

  • THE RENTED BRIDE   Chapter 13

    The coffee was burnt. Or maybe I just didn’t know how to work his stupid machine. Either way, I stood barefoot in his oversized shirt, trying not to overthink the events of last night, and absolutely failing.Michael was still in the shower. I’d woken up tangled in his sheets, in his arms, in this very real, very confusing version of our very fake marriage.And then—A knock.No—a pounding. Sharp, impatient, familiar.I froze.Michael’s voice echoed faintly from the bathroom. “Can you grab that?”The knock came again. Louder this time.I padded toward the door, heart thudding like a warning.When I opened it, the cold morning air rushed in—and so did Serena.She stormed past me like she owned the place, like she had keys once and maybe still thought she did.Her eyes scanned the room in a quick, cutting sweep—and landed on me.Wearing Michael’s shirt.With no pants.“Oh,” she said. Her lips curved into a slow, tight smile. “I see.”I swallowed. “Can I help you?”She turned toward me f

  • THE RENTED BRIDE   Chapter 12

    Leah was sitting on the couch, legs curled beneath her, still wearing that stupid blue dress she knew drove me insane. She hadn’t said much since I told her the truth in the car. The air between us was electric and fragile—like one wrong move and everything would shatter.I stood across the room, hands jammed in my pockets, trying to keep it together.God, I was such a coward.She looked up at me. Eyes shining. Soft. Waiting.That was the problem. She always waited. Patient. Careful. Guarded. Like she didn’t know she was the one person who could undo me completely.“I brought Serena tonight,” I said, my voice low, “because I needed to know if what I was feeling… for you… was real.”Leah’s eyes narrowed, searching my face. “And?”“I thought maybe seeing her would wake something up. Old feelings. Familiarity.” I laughed under my breath. “It didn’t.”She didn’t speak. Just looked at me, still and silent, like she could hear the space between my words.I stepped closer. “I kept telling my

  • THE RENTED BRIDE   Chapter 11

    The streetlights smeared across the windshield like melting stars, and the silence between us buzzed louder than the engine. I yanked my seatbelt tighter, as if that would stop the words from rising in my throat.“You didn’t have to kidnap me,” I snapped, breaking the silence.Michael’s hands clenched the steering wheel. “I didn’t kidnap you.”“Oh no? Dragging me out of a restaurant mid-dinner like some jealous caveman? That’s just...romantic now?”His jaw flexed. “He tried to kiss you, Leah.”I laughed—sharp and bitter. “Yeah, Ethan tried to kiss me. You don’t get to care about that. You’re not my husband. Not really.”That landed. I saw it in the way his fingers went still on the wheel.“You made it pretty clear what this is. A business deal. Benefits, loopholes, paperwork.” I turned to him. “So why do you care if he kissed me or not?”Michael didn’t answer right away. The tension between us pulsed like a live wire.“He doesn’t know you anymore,” he finally said. “Not like I do.”I

  • THE RENTED BRIDE   Chapter 10

    My mind wandered back to the days when Ethan and I were inseparable. We were the definition of love - passionate, all-consuming, and reckless. Three years flew by in a blur of laughter, tears, and adventures. He was my rock, my confidant, my forever home. I thought our love was unbreakable, but life had other plans. As I looked at Ethan now, memories flooded my senses. I remembered the way he used to make me laugh, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, and the way his touch set my soul on fire. It was like no time had passed, and yet, everything was different. I couldn't help but wonder what could have been if we had stayed together. Would we have worked through our issues and built a life together? Or would we have continued to drift apart? The what-ifs still lingered in my mind, but I knew I had to let go of the past, and right now I’m in love with Michael, someone who wouldn’t even think of loving me back in this lifetime. Seeing Ethan again brought up a mi

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