Semua Bab Her Sister’s Surrogate: Bab 21 - Bab 30

Hunter’s POVThird fucking night in a row. Sleep wasn’t going to come. It wasn’t even close.Those damn pills haunted me like a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from. I didn’t know what the fuck I was supposed to do, or think, or even feel. Everything between him and Helena had been tense since then, thick with silence neither of us wanted to break.I stared at the ceiling while Helena slept beside me, turned away. Even asleep, she was miles away, unreachable. Last night she’d tried again to get him to have sex with her. The seduction had included a silk negligee and candles. Her mouth sliding along my neck had left me cold. I’d wanted it. Fuck, I’d tried. I needed sex like the next guy, but every time I closed my eyes, all I saw were those pills and whatever the hell Helena was hiding.So my body refused to cooperate. Helena had tried hiding her anger behind the forced sweetness, but I saw the flash of fury beneath her careful mask.“Is it work stress?” she’d asked, her voice tight and

Grace’s POV I shot her a grateful look as my mother’s mouth tightened. “Grace is excellent at her job,” Hunter said firmly. I watched Helena’s fingers tightened around her wineglass. “Darling, I’m sure Grace can defend herself. Mummy just wants her to do well in life.” “I don’t need defending,” I said, meeting Hunter’s eyes briefly before looking away. “I like my job.” “And she’s very good at it,” Hunter added, ignoring Helena’s sharp glance. The tension at the table was thick enough to cut with one of the sterling silver knives beside our plates. “Well,” Iris said, clearly trying to change the subject, “I think it’s wonderful how you’re all supporting each other through this process. It can’t be easy.” If she only knew. There was nothing wonderful about it. Just desperation, manipulation, and my own pathetic inability to say no to my sister. “Yes,” Margo agreed, her smile not reaching her eyes. “Grace has always been so accommodating. Haven’t you, dear?” There was

Grace’s POVBy the time we pulled into the parking garage that morning, I’d made a silent vow to keep my mouth shut around Hunter Sinclair about his marriage.No more questions. No more concern. No more getting caught in the crossfire of whatever was going on in that marriage. I was just the assistant. The surrogate. Nothing more. Like I had said before—all couples have fights. It was best if I stayed out of it.After our run-in in the kitchen, the air between us on the drive had been thick with unsaid things. Not angry, exactly. Just... muted. He hadn’t spoken unless it was about work. I hadn’t dared say a word that didn’t involve schedules or reports. It was easier that way. Safer. Cleaner. Like slipping back into a role I actually understood.Still, I couldn’t stop replaying the look on his face after I asked if everything was okay with Helena. Like I’d crossed some invisible line I hadn’t even seen coming. That cold tone in his voice, the way he shut down so fast—he may as well ha

Hunter’s POV I jolted awake, drenched in sweat.The dream had been so vivid… Grace beneath me, her eyes darkening as I moved inside her, her lips forming my name. I sat up, glancing at Helena’s sleeping form beside me, shame washing over me in hot waves.What the hell was wrong with me? Last night I’d been with my wife, but in my mind, it had been her sister. And now even my dreams were betraying me.I slipped out of bed quietly, heading for the shower. The cold water did little to wash away the guilt or the lingering images from my dream. I’d promised myself after last night that I would get these feelings under control. That I would be the husband Helena deserved, the man I was supposed to be.Yet here I was, first thing in the morning, already fucking it up… failing. Downstairs, the kitchen was empty, but the coffee was already made. Grace must be up. The thought of facing her after that dream made my stomach knot.I poured a cup, staring out at the garden, not really seeing it.

Grace’s POVMax’s apartment surprised me. No sleek bachelor pad—instead, warm colors, actual bookshelves, framed art that wasn’t just expensive for the sake of it. It felt like a home.I had accepted Max’s invitation. Helena was out tonight and Hunter was working late again. I hadn’t wanted dinner alone again in Hunter and Helena’s big house.“Wine?” he asked, already moving to the kitchen.“Please.” I followed, watching him select a bottle. Everything about him was confident, easy. He knew who he was.I wished I could say the same.“You’re thinking too hard again,” Max said, handing me a glass. His smile was genuine, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I can practically see the gears turning.”I laughed, the sound rusty. “Sorry.”“Don’t apologize.” He clinked his glass against mine. “I like your brain. It’s one of your best features.”“One of?” I raised an eyebrow, feeling lighter than I had in days. Max was fun. “Well, your ass is pretty spectacular too,” he said with a wink.I snorted