THE BILLIONAIRE’S EXCHANGED BRIDE

Chapter 24

Ariana ~

The quiet intimacy of the rooftop dinner lingered as we finally stepped out into the crisp night air and slid into the back of the waiting Maybach. The partition between the driver and the back seat was raised, wrapping us in a secluded, quiet cocoon as the luxury vehicle glided smoothly toward the Vaughn estate.

I rested my head against the cool leather seat, gazing out the tinted window at the blurring neon lights of Manhattan. My mind was still reeling from Ethan’s words on the rooftop. *I want children, Aria. I want you pregnant.*

The sheer weight of his devotion pressed heavily against my chest. Every beat of my heart felt like a countdown, a painful reminder of the tangled web of lies holding our entire world together.

Beside me, Ethan was unusually quiet. He sat with one long leg crossed over the other, staring straight ahead into the dim interior of the car. The harsh, angled shadows from the streetlamps outside flickered across his sharp features, casting a mysterious, unreadable darkness over his face.

I shifted slightly, turning my head to look at him.

"Is everything alright?" I asked softly, breaking the silence as I reached out to tentatively brush my fingers against the sleeve of his shirt. "You've been quiet since we left the restaurant."

Ethan slowly turned his head, his dark obsidian eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made the breath catch in my throat. But after a long, agonizing beat, the serious edge in his expression melted away, replaced by a soft, reassuring warmth.

"Just thinking about logistics," Ethan murmured, his voice dropping into that rich, gravelly register that always calmed my racing nerves. He reached out, his warm, heavy fingers wrapping around my hand and bringing my knuckles to his lips for a gentle kiss. "Trying to clear my calendar for the next few weeks so we can actually take that trip upstate we've been talking about."

A massive wave of relief washed over me, so potent it made my knees weak. My heart stuttered, the sudden terror vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

He didn't know. He hadn't figured it out at all.

"You don't have to clear your whole schedule just for me," I murmured, offering him a small, breathless smile as I leaned my head against his broad shoulder.

"I do," Ethan replied firmly, wrapping his arm securely around my waist and pulling me flush against his side. "Because you're my wife, and taking care of you is my favorite job."

I closed my eyes, breathing in the comforting scent of his cologne, letting the warmth of his embrace push back the dark, lurking shadow of the future.

*Not yet,* I told myself, clutching onto the fleeting peace. *He still doesn't know. I still have time.*

With Aria's timeline stretching out for another full year before she planned to return and burn my world to the ground, I still had months left in this safe harbor. Months to be loved by him, months to pretend, and months to desperately figure out how to survive the day the truth finally came to light.