All Chapters of THE RENTED BRIDE: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

The streetlights smeared across the windshield like melting stars, and the silence between us buzzed louder than the engine. I yanked my seatbelt tighter, as if that would stop the words from rising in my throat.“You didn’t have to kidnap me,” I snapped, breaking the silence.Michael’s hands clenched the steering wheel. “I didn’t kidnap you.”“Oh no? Dragging me out of a restaurant mid-dinner like some jealous caveman? That’s just...romantic now?”His jaw flexed. “He tried to kiss you, Leah.”I laughed—sharp and bitter. “Yeah, Ethan tried to kiss me. You don’t get to care about that. You’re not my husband. Not really.”That landed. I saw it in the way his fingers went still on the wheel.“You made it pretty clear what this is. A business deal. Benefits, loopholes, paperwork.” I turned to him. “So why do you care if he kissed me or not?”Michael didn’t answer right away. The tension between us pulsed like a live wire.“He doesn’t know you anymore,” he finally said. “Not like I do.”I

The coffee was burnt. Or maybe I just didn’t know how to work his stupid machine. Either way, I stood barefoot in his oversized shirt, trying not to overthink the events of last night, and absolutely failing.Michael was still in the shower. I’d woken up tangled in his sheets, in his arms, in this very real, very confusing version of our very fake marriage.And then—A knock.No—a pounding. Sharp, impatient, familiar.I froze.Michael’s voice echoed faintly from the bathroom. “Can you grab that?”The knock came again. Louder this time.I padded toward the door, heart thudding like a warning.When I opened it, the cold morning air rushed in—and so did Serena.She stormed past me like she owned the place, like she had keys once and maybe still thought she did.Her eyes scanned the room in a quick, cutting sweep—and landed on me.Wearing Michael’s shirt.With no pants.“Oh,” she said. Her lips curved into a slow, tight smile. “I see.”I swallowed. “Can I help you?”She turned toward me f

I stood outside Grandma Fisher’s house for five full minutes before ringing the bell, watching my reflection in the polished brass like it held answers. I looked… composed. Mostly. But my heart thudded like I was about to walk into a courtroom instead of a sunroom.Jasper, the butler, answered with his usual stoicism and ushered me into the conservatory, where the queen herself was holding court among her orchids and afternoon tea. She looked impossibly elegant in a cream silk blouse, sleeves rolled just enough to be casual—but not careless.When she spotted me, she didn’t look surprised. Of course she didn’t.“Well,” she said, setting down her porcelain teacup, “either you’ve come to confess something... or ask for money. And if it’s the second, you’re far braver than I thought.”I forced a smile as I stepped forward. “No money. Just the truth.”That earned a raised brow. “My favorite kind of trouble.”She gestured to the seat across from her. I sat down, spine stiff, unsure whether

It was supposed to be the best night of our lives.The garden shimmered under golden lights, every tree outlined like something out of a fairytale. Guests wandered between marble tables, glasses of champagne in hand, laughter and the soft hum of string instruments filling the night air.Leah had no idea.That was the best part.She thought it was just a party—for fun, maybe a belated birthday surprise. She didn’t know I’d spent the last two months planning every detail, or that I’d invited everyone who meant something to us.Trey and Liam stood near the bar in sharp tuxedos, nodding as I passed. Grandma Fisher sat like royalty beneath the wisteria-covered archway, wearing that unreadable expression she always wore—part amused, part watchful. My father, whom I’d only recently forgiven, actually showed up. And Leah’s family—her father, her younger siblings—stood a little in awe of the extravagance. Her dad was holding a drink he hadn’t touched, just… watching her.And Leah?God.She look

I hadn’t stepped foot into the Fisher estate in two months.Not since that night.The night Leah broke my heart in front of everyone I loved. The night I saw my grandmother’s carefully constructed web snap—and realized I’d been a pawn in my own life.Since then, I’d buried myself in work, in silence, in long drives that led nowhere and whiskey bottles I never finished. I told myself I needed space. Clarity. That I couldn’t think with the echo of her voice still in my ears.But clarity never came.And the silence only made it worse.I hated her.I missed her.And more than anything—I loved her.That was the part I couldn’t shake. Not even when I tried. Not even when I wanted to.So when Grandma called out of the blue and asked me to come home—"Just for tea,” she said—I almost said no. But something in her voice wasn’t quite… right.So I came.The moment I stepped through the front door, Jasper gave me a strange look. Not judgmental. Just… hesitant.I nodded at him. “Hey.”“She waited h