All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Paper Wife: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Lena was still staring at the city lights long after Zane had gone quiet.He hadn’t answered her question—not really. What happens to me when this ends? But she hadn’t expected a straight answer anyway. Men like Zane didn’t deal in certainties. They dealt in terms, in loopholes, in numbers.She was the variable.And that hurt more than she wanted to admit.The next morning, Lena stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair into a sleek ponytail. She was dressed simply: black jeans, an oversized blouse, no makeup. She needed a break from appearances.Zane’s voice floated down the hall. “Are you ready?”“For what?”“You’ll see.”He stood at the door, wearing a charcoal hoodie and dark jeans, his usual polish traded for a more casual, almost boyish version of himself.“Where are we going?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.“You said you needed space to be yourself,” he said. “Today, that’s the plan.”Her arms folded automatically. “Is this a setup?”“No cameras. No assistants. Just a car

Ellie left the next morning with a dramatic eye-roll, a warning to text her every day, and one final line tossed over her shoulder like a bomb:“If you fall for him, fall with your eyes open.”Lena stood in the doorway long after the elevator had closed, feeling hollow and cracked wide open at the same time.How could everything feel louder after Ellie left? The quiet hummed with too many thoughts, too many feelings she hadn’t been ready to admit. Her best friend saw it—even Zane saw it. And that scared her more than anything.She was falling. She didn’t mean to. But here she was, halfway down and still pretending it was just acting.The day passed in a haze. She tried to sketch, but her hand wouldn’t stay steady. Every line she drew turned into some version of Zane—his jawline, his eyes, his hands. It was infuriating.By the time evening rolled around, she was curled up on the living room sofa, a throw blanket around her shoulders, watching the city lights blink through the tall wind

The car ride back from the event was silent.Zane sat beside her, fingers laced loosely in his lap, jaw tight. The tension in the back seat wasn’t new, but this time it wasn’t born from distance. It was from everything they hadn’t said on that balcony.Are you jealous?Are you?Lena had meant it as a jab, a test. She hadn’t expected it to land the way it did.He hadn’t answered. And somehow that said more than anything else could have.When they reached the penthouse, she stepped out of the car first, letting the heels click like defiance on the marble floor. She didn’t wait for him. She didn’t care if the driver saw. The performance was over the second the door shut behind them.She reached the living room first, pulled the pins from her hair, and dropped them on the console table one by one.Behind her, Zane’s voice came low and tight.“You didn’t need to say that.”Lena turned slowly. “Say what?”“You know what?”She shrugged. “If it’s not true, it shouldn’t bother you.”“It’s not

Lena didn’t remember falling asleep, only the weight of exhaustion pressing her into the mattress after Noah left. When she opened her eyes, the world outside was still dark, the city quiet beneath layers of night and fogged glass.But something was different.She sat up slowly, her heart still heavy, her body stiff from lying curled too long. The apartment, usually filled with silence that pressed in like fog, held a different kind of quiet now—gentler, softer. She swung her legs off the bed and noticed the door cracked open. There was a light on down the hall.And then came the scent. Warm. Familiar. Toast? Maybe eggs?She padded barefoot into the hallway, the wooden floor cool beneath her feet. The scent grew stronger as she approached the kitchen. Her breath caught at the sight in front of her.Zane stood at the stove.Not a chef. Not a cook. Just Zane Caldwell—billionaire, boardroom shark, and her husband on paper—in grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt, barefoot, stirring somethi

Lena woke to the press of warmth behind her, Zane’s arm draped protectively over her waist, his breath steady against the curve of her neck.For a second, she didn’t move.She just let herself feel it—how right it felt to be in his arms like her body had finally found a place it recognized. The bed sheets were tangled from the night before, their clothes abandoned in a lazy trail toward the doorway.“Are you awake?” Zane murmured against her shoulder.She smiled into the pillow. “Barely.”He kissed the spot just below her ear. “Good. Stay here with me.”She turned, facing him. His hair was a little messy, and his eyes were softer than she’d ever seen them—unguarded.“I can’t,” she whispered, running her fingers down his chest. “I need to breathe.”He blinked, then nodded slowly and let his arm fall away. “Did I push too far?”“No,” she said gently. “You gave me something real. That’s what scares me.”Zane sat up, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’m not asking you to promise anything. Ju