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Chapter Fourteen – This Heat, This Distance
Last Updated:
2025-05-23 00:38:36
Latest chapter
The Billionaire’s Paper Wife Chapter Fifteen – The Lines We Cross
The car ride back from the event was silent.Zane sat beside her, fingers laced loosely in his lap, jaw tight. The tension in the back seat wasn’t new, but this time it wasn’t born from distance. It was from everything they hadn’t said on that balcony.Are you jealous?Are you?Lena had meant it as a jab, a test. She hadn’t expected it to land the way it did.He hadn’t answered. And somehow that said more than anything else could have.When they reached the penthouse, she stepped out of the car first, letting the heels click like defiance on the marble floor. She didn’t wait for him. She didn’t care if the driver saw. The performance was over the second the door shut behind them.She reached the living room first, pulled the pins from her hair, and dropped them on the console table one by one.Behind her, Zane’s voice came low and tight.“You didn’t need to say that.”Lena turned slowly. “Say what?”“You know what?”She shrugged. “If it’s not true, it shouldn’t bother you.”“It’s not
The Billionaire’s Paper Wife Chapter Fourteen – This Heat, This Distance
Lena didn’t sleep that night.She lay awake with Zane’s words playing over and over in her head. “I want you here. Even if I don’t know how to deserve it.”It had been the most honest thing he’d said to her since they started this whole performance. And yet, when she’d been right there—one breath away from falling—he hadn’t kissed her.He’d let her walk away.And maybe that was worse.By morning, the penthouse was quiet again. Sterile. She padded barefoot into the kitchen, hoping he wouldn’t be there. Hoping he would. She didn’t know what she wanted anymore.But the coffee machine was untouched. His usual glass was gone. And the air felt empty in that way it did when someone left without saying goodbye.She stood there for too long, hands wrapped around a warm mug she didn’t sip from.Zane didn’t come home that night.Not the next one either.And Lena?She kept going.She uploaded more of her artwork online. Texted Noah. Cleaned. Sketched. Told herself the silence meant nothing.But t
The Billionaire’s Paper Wife Chapter Thirteen – One Door, Slightly Open
Ellie left the next morning with a dramatic eye-roll, a warning to text her every day, and one final line tossed over her shoulder like a bomb:“If you fall for him, fall with your eyes open.”Lena stood in the doorway long after the elevator had closed, feeling hollow and cracked wide open at the same time.How could everything feel louder after Ellie left? The quiet hummed with too many thoughts, too many feelings she hadn’t been ready to admit. Her best friend saw it—even Zane saw it. And that scared her more than anything.She was falling. She didn’t mean to. But here she was, halfway down and still pretending it was just acting.The day passed in a haze. She tried to sketch, but her hand wouldn’t stay steady. Every line she drew turned into some version of Zane—his jawline, his eyes, his hands. It was infuriating.By the time evening rolled around, she was curled up on the living room sofa, a throw blanket around her shoulders, watching the city lights blink through the tall wind
The Billionaire’s Paper Wife Chapter Twelve – Bestie, Bombshells & Boundaries
Lena was elbow-deep in her sketchbook when the penthouse intercom buzzed.She frowned. Zane wasn’t expecting anyone. Neither was she.The voice on the other end came through with sharp clarity:“Tell her her real best friend is here before I scale this building myself.”Lena’s heart jumped. She scrambled for the panel. “Ellie?”“Damn right,” Ellie snapped. “Now open the door before your fake billionaire husband sues me for trespassing.”Lena slammed the button to buzz her up, already halfway to the door.When the elevator chimed and opened, Ellie practically burst out. Short braids swinging, oversized tote on one arm, eyes scanning the penthouse like she was ready to fight it.“Wow,” she said, stepping inside. “So this is what a contract with Satan buys you.”Lena couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. “You’re not supposed to be here.”“You’re not supposed to be living in a marble museum,” Ellie shot back, then pulled her into a tight, grounding hug. “I’ve been calling you for days.”“
The Billionaire’s Paper Wife Chapter Eleven – The Space Between
Lena was still staring at the city lights long after Zane had gone quiet.He hadn’t answered her question—not really. What happens to me when this ends? But she hadn’t expected a straight answer anyway. Men like Zane didn’t deal in certainties. They dealt in terms, in loopholes, in numbers.She was the variable.And that hurt more than she wanted to admit.The next morning, Lena stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair into a sleek ponytail. She was dressed simply: black jeans, an oversized blouse, no makeup. She needed a break from appearances.Zane’s voice floated down the hall. “Are you ready?”“For what?”“You’ll see.”He stood at the door, wearing a charcoal hoodie and dark jeans, his usual polish traded for a more casual, almost boyish version of himself.“Where are we going?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.“You said you needed space to be yourself,” he said. “Today, that’s the plan.”Her arms folded automatically. “Is this a setup?”“No cameras. No assistants. Just a car
The Billionaire’s Paper Wife Chapter Ten – Rules and Realizations
Lena woke to the faint sound of piano music.Soft, low notes floated through the penthouse like ghosts. It wasn’t a melody she recognized, but there was something haunting about it—raw, unpolished, almost hesitant. She followed the sound barefoot, her silk robe whispering against the polished floors.Zane was at the piano.He sat with his back to her, shoulders slightly hunched, bare feet pressed to the pedals. His fingers moved slowly across the keys, like he was playing from memory—not music sheets. Not for performance. Just for himself.Lena didn’t interrupt. She stood in the doorway, watching quietly. This wasn’t the billionaire the world knew. This wasn’t the cold-eyed CEO who shut down emotion like it was a weakness. This was a man grieving something. Or someone.After a moment, the music stopped. Zane didn’t move.“Since when do you play?” Lena asked gently.He didn’t turn. “Since I was five.”She took a step closer. “You’re good.”“I used to be better.”There was something fra
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