All Chapters of Bared To You : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Maximillian The confession left me raw, stripped bare. My chest ached, my pride trembled on the edge of ruin.Edwina’s mouth fell open, her stare cutting through me like I’d just grown horns. And then—she laughed.Not just a chuckle. No, it was the kind of uncontrollable, rib-aching, tear-inducing laughter that made my face flush hot with humiliation. Her stupid friend Steven joined in, like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.The sound shredded me.“What? You like me? Are you insane?” she managed through her laughter, staring at me like I was an utter fool.Maybe I was. But I wasn’t going to lie. “Maybe. Maybe not,” I shot back, not giving her the satisfaction of watching me squirm. “I know what I’m feeling. It’s okay if you don’t like me back.”“Of course I don’t.” Her words were sharp, a blade twisting in the very spot I’d just opened up to her. “Just because I told you I was attracted to you doesn’t mean I actually like you. You’re handsome, I’ll give you that, but you’re

Edwina It wasn’t until three days later—after Steven returned from his business trip and heard from his father what had happened—that I finally knew the reason Mr. Matthias had let us go.The truth hit me like a punch in the gut. And it hurt. Hurt, because I kept replaying it in my head, thinking how it could all have been avoided if King Anthony hadn’t been such a jerk. Him… and Justice too, if I was being honest.I pressed my lips together bitterly. I couldn’t believe King Anthony had threatened Mr. Matthias with a citizen boycott just to force his hand into firing me and Justice. And why? Because Justice had the audacity—the courage—to say no to marrying his useless daughter. Who does that nowadays? Seriously. You don’t just bully someone into giving up their freedom. You don’t force someone to do something they don’t want to do. But of course, King Anthony always played by his own twisted rules.Deep down, I knew this wasn’t the end of it. If Justice didn’t give in, Anthony and

Edwina I hated it. This feeling I couldn’t control, no matter how much I tried to shove it down and pretend it didn’t exist. The envy burned hotter each time I saw Miranda clinging to Justice like he was her lifeline. Maybe to her, he really was. Maybe she thought she’d finally found someone who made her feel less empty than she probably was inside. After all, he was the only man who had ever caught her fancy out of the dozens who had practically lined up to marry her.I could almost see the desperation in her grip, as though letting go of him meant she’d end up alone, unwanted, and forgotten. Well, newsflash, you spoiled little princess, I thought bitterly, Justice isn’t yours to keep. He’s mine—I’ve only loaned him to you for now.And then, the realization hit me with a cruel sting. God, listen to me. I sound so possessive, like Justice is some kind of property I own. I pressed my lips together, trying to silence the ache twisting inside my chest. Maybe I should just forget about

Steven The laptop finally booted up, and I dove into the search bar with shaking fingers. Crown Prince Maximillian Sebastiani. The results trickled in, not nearly as many as I’d expected. There were no bold headlines screaming about a disappearance, no scandalous reports about a runaway prince. Nothing that would give away the truth. Just carefully worded articles, the kind written to bury details rather than expose them.But there it was—a tidbit buried deep in the archives. An accident abroad. Injuries sustained. The royal family requested privacy. That was it. No photographs, no specifics, no follow-up. Just enough to confirm what Mr. Thomas had said, just enough to set my blood racing.I leaned closer, my breath shallow. Every vague sentence only tightened the knot in my chest. An accident. A prince hurt overseas. Victims. Brought back home afterward. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Too much.Justice. The bastard. It really is him.I sat back in the chair, a twisted grin spr

Maximillian No secret could last forever. No matter how much you buried it, it always found a way to claw itself back up, gasping for air until it finally surfaced and sank its teeth into you. I thought I could keep mine hidden for as long as I wanted—hell, I convinced myself I could control it. But I hadn’t factored in Steven’s damn tenacity, his envy, the way he seemed to thrive on sniffing out weaknesses. Maybe he stumbled upon the truth by chance, maybe he went looking for it out of spite. Either way, he caught me. Clean. Exposed me in a way I could never wriggle out of.And the worst part? I wasn’t even sure I wanted to keep hiding anymore. A part of me had been begging for release. Now that they all knew—not in the way I’d hoped, not on my terms—but still, the weight was off my shoulders. I was free. At least, a little. The lies, the fake life, the exhausting performance of being someone I wasn’t… it was over. I could finally stop running.But Edwina. God, Edwina.I was going