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Chapter Thirty-One – Fractures Beneath the Surface

ผู้เขียน: Zobelle Monroe
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-11-08 16:59:53

The next morning, the Caldwell mansion felt like a stage after the curtain had fallen. Silent. Empty of applause.

The press conference had gone exactly as Zane wanted—at least on the surface. Lena had smiled, spoken carefully rehearsed words, and stood at his side while cameras flashed. She had even leaned into his touch when his hand settled on the small of her back, letting the world believe in the fairytale they’d painted.

But beneath her calm expression, Lena had been holding her breath the entire time.

Now, with the house wrapped in quiet, the performance was over. Headlines already flooded the internet:

“Caldwell Heir and Wife Put Rumors to Rest.”

“Zane Caldwell: ‘My Marriage is Real. My Commitment is Unshakable.’”

It should have been enough. For the press, maybe it was. But for Lena, it wasn’t.

She stood by the window of her studio, arms wrapped around herself as the ocean churned gray in the distance. Every flash of a camera, every fake smile she’d worn yesterday played back i
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  • The Billionaire’s Paper Wife   Chapter Thirty-Four – The Morning After the Fall

    The morning light crept into Ellie’s apartment like an uninvited guest. It was quiet — too quiet for a city still buzzing with gossip. Lena sat at the kitchen counter, a cup of untouched coffee in her hands, her eyes fixed on nothing.Her phone lay beside her, face down again. The silence of it was heavier than the constant buzzing from the night before. She hadn’t slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Zane’s face — the way he’d looked at her in the rain, torn between guilt and desperation.The news channels were still looping the same footage. Her picture. His name. Their marriage. Every segment turned her life into a spectacle.Ellie padded into the kitchen, hair in a messy bun, robe tied loosely. She took one look at Lena and sighed.“You look like you fought a hurricane.”Lena gave a humorless laugh. “Maybe I did.”Ellie poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter. “So, what’s the plan? Because hiding here forever isn’t one.”Lena stared into her cup. “I

  • The Billionaire’s Paper Wife   Chapter Thirty-Three – The Edge of Truth

    The rain had slowed to a mist by the time Lena reached the edge of the city.Her phone screen glowed faintly in the darkness of the car. The location pin led her to a narrow, quiet street tucked behind the financial district — an odd place for anyone connected to Zane or Marcus. The kind of street where secrets went to sleep beneath neon reflections and forgotten signs.She parked near the corner, engine idling, her fingers tightening on the steering wheel.Every logical part of her screamed to turn back. To go home. To wait for Zane to explain, even if his truths came in pieces.But her heart — bruised, uncertain, desperate — refused to sit still.Marcus’s last message replayed in her mind:“He’s not done lying. But I can help you find the truth.”Maybe she was a fool for coming. Maybe this was another manipulation.But if she didn’t face whatever waited here, she’d never stop wondering.She stepped out of the car, the chill hitting her instantly. Her heels clicked against the wet pa

  • The Billionaire’s Paper Wife   Chapter Thirty-Two – The Storm After the Fire

    Lena’s heart thudded against her ribs as Marcus’s message burned on her screen:“Bold move. Let’s see how long it lasts when the next truth comes out.”Her throat went dry. The words looped in her mind, cruel and taunting, until the air around her seemed to thicken. She looked up at Zane, who was still standing by the table, the torn contract lying between them like proof of something sacred and dangerous.He had just destroyed everything he’d built — for her.And now Marcus was hinting that it still wouldn’t be enough.Zane’s voice broke through her panic. “Lena?”She blinked, quickly locking her phone and forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s nothing. Just… a message.”But Zane didn’t buy it. His brows furrowed, that sharp intuition of his flickering behind his eyes. “From who?”“Ellie,” she lied too quickly.A tense silence stretched. For a man who’d spent his life reading boardrooms, Zane could easily read the tremor in her voice. But he didn’t push. Maybe because, for

  • The Billionaire’s Paper Wife   Chapter Thirty-One – Fractures Beneath the Surface

    The next morning, the Caldwell mansion felt like a stage after the curtain had fallen. Silent. Empty of applause.The press conference had gone exactly as Zane wanted—at least on the surface. Lena had smiled, spoken carefully rehearsed words, and stood at his side while cameras flashed. She had even leaned into his touch when his hand settled on the small of her back, letting the world believe in the fairytale they’d painted.But beneath her calm expression, Lena had been holding her breath the entire time.Now, with the house wrapped in quiet, the performance was over. Headlines already flooded the internet:“Caldwell Heir and Wife Put Rumors to Rest.”“Zane Caldwell: ‘My Marriage is Real. My Commitment is Unshakable.’”It should have been enough. For the press, maybe it was. But for Lena, it wasn’t.She stood by the window of her studio, arms wrapped around herself as the ocean churned gray in the distance. Every flash of a camera, every fake smile she’d worn yesterday played back i

  • The Billionaire’s Paper Wife   Chapter Thirty – Shadows Between Us

    The morning sun spilled across the wide windows of the Caldwell estate, filtering through the gauzy curtains like soft fire. Lena sat at the edge of the bed, pulling the silk robe tighter around herself. Zane was already awake, dressed in a crisp white shirt, his tie hanging loose around his neck as he adjusted his cufflinks.She watched him silently, tracing how he moved—calm, efficient, controlled. Like nothing was wrong. Like last night hadn’t happened at all.“You’re leaving early,” she said quietly.Zane’s gaze flicked to her in the mirror, then back to the tie. “A meeting.”“With Marcus?” she asked before she could stop herself.His hands stilled. “Why would you think that?”“Because I heard you,” Lena said, rising slowly from the bed. “Last night. On the phone. You threatened him.”Zane finally turned, his eyes sharp, calculating. “You were listening?”Her pulse jumped, but she lifted her chin. “You didn’t tell me he called. You didn’t tell me you’ve been dealing with him behin

  • The Billionaire’s Paper Wife   Chapter Twenty-Nine – Fault Lines

    The house felt colder that morning, as if the storm from the night before had seeped into its walls and lingered there. Lena sat at the long dining table, untouched coffee cooling in front of her, while Zane scanned through documents on his tablet. The silence between them was a wall neither seemed ready to climb.Every clink of his spoon, every rustle of paper, grated on her. The folder Marcus had handed her yesterday burned in her memory like an open flame. The photographs—Zane with that unknown woman—were etched into her mind no matter how hard she tried to push them away.She stole a glance at him, searching for something in his face. Did guilt hide in the angle of his jaw, in the way his eyes skimmed the words without seeming to take them in? Or was she simply seeing shadows where there were none?“You’re quiet,” Zane said at last, without looking up.“I could say the same about you,” Lena answered, her voice tighter than she intended.He set the tablet aside, folding his hands a

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