Share

Chapter 115

last update publish date: 2026-05-20 00:38:00

Maria:

I was halfway through my tea when my phone buzzed against the kitchen counter.

Unknown number. I almost ignored it. Lately unknown numbers usually meant journalists pretending not to be journalists, or strangers suddenly convinced they were entitled to details about my marriage because the internet had discovered my existence. But something made me open this one anyway.

Hi Maria. I think it’s time we spoke properly. Woman to woman. There are things you deserve to know about Daniel an
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • What We Pretended To Be    Chapter 127

    Maria:By the time our honeymoon finally arrived, I was starting to think Daniel genuinely enjoyed watching me pretend I wasn’t excited. For two weeks, I’d acted like this trip was no big deal. Just France. Just a honeymoon. Just two weeks away from everything. Meanwhile, I’d checked the weather forecast so many times I could probably have delivered a local news report. Daniel knew, obviously. The man noticed everything. Which was exactly why he spent those two weeks refusing to acknowledge my excitement. Not once.The flight was long but surprisingly peaceful. Somewhere over the Mediterranean, I fell asleep with my head against his shoulder. When I woke up, the blanket had been tucked more securely around me, and there was a cup of water waiting beside me. I blinked up at him. Daniel was reading something on his tablet as if he hadn’t moved in hours. “You could’ve woken me.” “You were sleeping.” “I gathered that.” “You looked comfortable.” Then he went right back to reading. Tha

  • What We Pretended To Be    Chapter 126

    Maria: “Yes,” I said. Daniel still had a dish towel in his hand when I answered him. He’d been drying the same wine glass for so long that the entire thing had started to feel suspiciously performative. He looked over at me from the kitchen sink, calm as ever, but something was waiting underneath it, quietly waiting—very Daniel. “Yeah?” he asked. I nodded once. “Yeah. I think it’s time.” The smallest shift crossed his face. Barely there. Most people would have missed it. I wouldn’t have. Not anymore. He turned back toward the counter, setting the glass down carefully. “I didn’t want to ask too early.” “You mean you didn’t want me thinking you were trying to relocate me like one of your business acquisitions.” “That happened one time.” I laughed and walked farther into the kitchen. “You built an entire house because I said the farm felt peaceful.” “You liked the reading nook.” “I did like the reading nook.” “And the horse.” That made me smile immediately. His mo

  • What We Pretended To Be    Chapter 125

    Maria:The clinic had become ridiculous lately.By ten thirty in the morning, every seat in the waiting room was occupied, two dogs were barking at each other like divorced parents at a custody hearing, and somebody’s parrot kept calling Ada sweet cheeks every time she walked past reception. Ada finally pointed at the bird and said, “If he says it one more time, I’m charging him consultation fees.” The owner looked mortified. I laughed into my coffee and kept moving.The strange thing was I’d gotten used to the attention faster than I expected. A year ago I probably would’ve overthought every new client walking through the doors because of the Rothfield connection. Now I mostly just found it mildly absurd. People really did see one article about you marrying a billionaire and suddenly decided you must possess miraculous veterinary abilities. I wasn’t complaining though. Business had doubled in less than a year, the clinic was thriving, staff salaries were stable, and equipment upgrade

  • What We Pretended To Be    Chapter 124

    Maria: Two weeks passed quietly. Not empty, not uneventful. Just settled. The kind of settled I used to think only existed for other people — people with uncomplicated lives and emotionally functional relationships and refrigerators covered in vacation magnets. Meanwhile, I had accidentally married a billionaire under contractual circumstances and somehow ended up happy about it. Life was strange. Good. But strange. Most mornings now started the same way. Daniel was already awake before me because apparently, sleep was optional to him, standing in the kitchen in dark trousers and a white shirt that probably cost more than my first apartment rent while reading financial reports like they personally offended him. Coffee already made, my mug already waiting beside his because somewhere along the way he’d memorized exactly how I took it without either of us acknowledging when that happened. It wasn’t dramatic anymore. That was the thing. The love confession on the yacht had changed ever

  • What We Pretended To Be    Chapter 123

    Daniel: I left the yacht earlier than I wanted to. Maria was still half asleep when I got out of bed, tangled in white sheets and one of my shirts, her hair completely out of control in a way she would’ve hated if she were fully conscious enough to notice it. I stood there for a second just looking at her because last night still didn’t feel entirely real yet. Not in the dramatic sense. More in the quiet one. Like my body hadn’t caught up to the fact that I could finally touch her without wondering if she’d pull away emotionally afterward, when I told her I needed to check on Marcus she barely opened her eyes before nodding. “Okay,” she murmured. No questions, no guilt, no irritation. Just understanding. Then she squinted at me sleepily and added, “Try not to behave like a man emotionally raised by wolves while you’re there.” I stared at her. “You’ve become very disrespectful.” “You love me deeply anyway.” Unfortunately, yes. The drive across the city felt longer than it actually

  • What We Pretended To Be    Chapter 122

    Maria: By the time I got to Lily’s apartment the next morning my coffee had gone lukewarm. I still brought hers upstairs anyway. She opened the door wearing an oversized sweatshirt and mismatched socks, her hair twisted into a bun that looked like she’d done it halfway through a breakdown and then lost interest. Her face wasn’t swollen from crying anymore. Just tired. There was something strangely stripped down about her, like all the usual polish had burned off overnight. Neither of us spoke for a second. Then I held up the coffee. “You look frightening,” I said. She took the cup from me slowly. “Good morning to you too.” “You’re welcome.” That got the smallest twitch at the corner of her mouth, which was honestly more encouraging than if she’d burst into tears again. I followed her inside. Lily’s apartment was spotless in the aggressively controlled way it always was — everything arranged perfectly, pillows aligned, counters clean enough to perform surgery on. But the cracks

  • What We Pretended To Be    Chapter 18

    Maria:“I don’t think I’m competing with him anymore.”It doesn’t sound dramatic.That’s what makes it worse.Noah says it like he’s stating something obvious. Something he’s already accepted.I try to respond.“That’s not—”The rest doesn’t come.Because I don’t know what I’m correcting.He doesn’

  • What We Pretended To Be    Chapter 15

    Daniel: “Why wouldn’t I?” It comes out clean. Easy. Like it belongs there. Maria doesn’t answer right away. I can feel her eyes on the side of my face, searching for something I’m not ready to give. I keep my gaze fixed on the road, fingers steady on the wheel. It’s easier this way. If I look

  • What We Pretended To Be    Chapter 10

    Sleep doesn’t come.Not properly. Not the kind that settles into your bones and stays.I turn. Adjust the pillow. Flip it to the cold side like that might fix something. Check the time.2:14 a.m.Close my eyes.It’s quiet. Too quiet.And then—Do you want it to be?I open my eyes again.“Why would

  • What We Pretended To Be    Chapter 6

    The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was my phone.The second was that something about it felt… aggressive.Notifications stacked across the screen, one over the other, like they’d been building up overnight with nowhere to go.Most of them were from Lily.Of course.I squinted, still half-a

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status