All Chapters of The Price of A Bet: Chapter 51 - Chapter 55

The room was dimly lit, the scent of fresh linen mingling with a trace of lavender from the diffuser on the nightstand. Vivian sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers anxiously toying with the hem of her sweater. Her gaze was fixed on the floor, but her thoughts were far away—locked in the chaos of the past few weeks, the chaos that was Ethan Carter.The silence was heavy between them. Ethan leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable. He had come to her apartment unannounced, again. But this time, he wasn’t here to tease or seduce. He was here to talk. Or so he said."Vivian," he said, finally breaking the silence. His voice was low, almost cautious. "We can’t keep doing this. Hiding. Pretending nothing happened."She flinched at the truth in his words."You think I don’t know that?" she snapped, her voice tinged with frustration. "You think this is easy for me? I’m risking everything, Ethan. Everything."He took a step forward. "And I’m n

The silence inside the car was suffocating. Vivian sat stiffly in the passenger seat, arms crossed over her chest, her eyes focused on the dark road ahead. Ethan gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles white, the only sound between them was the soft hum of the engine and the occasional sigh that escaped his lips.Neither of them spoke.It wasn’t just the tension from their earlier argument. It was the way everything had unraveled so quickly, so violently. The way Daniel had looked at them when he caught them together still haunted Vivian’s mind. There had been betrayal in his eyes, but also fury—a fury she hadn’t expected.She rubbed her temple. "I still can’t believe that happened."Ethan glanced sideways at her, his voice low and rough. "Do you regret it?"Vivian turned sharply toward him. "Is that really what you want to ask me right now?""Yes," he said simply, jaw clenched.She inhaled, steadying herself. "I don’t regret us. I regret the way it happened. I regret hurting peo

The next morning, the headlines exploded.Heiress Vivian Hart Ends Engagement—Rumored Affair with Reclusive Neighbor Caught in Scandalous Love Triangle.Vivian stared at the screen of her phone in silent horror, her thumb frozen over the “Do Not Disturb” notification. Her inbox was flooded—dozens of missed calls from her father, hundreds of unread messages, a litany of notifications that vibrated relentlessly on the table beside her coffee.Someone had leaked the story. And judging by the tone of the articles, they knew everything.Photos of her entering the cabin. A blurred shot of her and Ethan walking to his car. Another of them kissing in the parking lot outside her apartment complex.It felt like her skin was being peeled away, layer by layer, for the world to dissect.Ethan stepped out of the shower, towel slung low on his hips, rubbing his wet hair with another towel. He saw her face immediately—pale, tight, eyes glazed with disbelief.“What is it?” he asked, his voice low but