Semua Bab The Billionaire’s Paper Wife: Bab 21 - Bab 30

The morning light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows in soft golden streaks, washing the bedroom in a warm, quiet glow. Lena blinked slowly, the unfamiliar softness of the silk sheets brushing against her skin, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure if she was still dreaming.Then she felt the steady rhythm of Zane’s breathing behind her. One of his arms was curled around her waist, holding her close, while his other hand rested loosely against her thigh, his body tangled with hers like they’d belonged that way all along.A deep warmth bloomed in her chest. It was different this time. This wasn’t just about physical connection—though, God, it had been that too. It was the way he’d held her afterward, the way his lips had brushed her temple as if to memorize her. He hadn’t said much, but then again, Zane rarely did. Still, last night had spoken louder than any promise.She turned slightly, careful not to wake him, and studied his face—so peaceful, so unlike the sharp edges he sho

Lena woke before dawn, her body tangled in the soft linen sheets, her heart far from rested. The ocean outside whispered calmly, but inside her chest, there was a storm.The message from Marcus wouldn’t leave her alone.“You’re not the only one hiding something from Zane.”She hadn’t shown Zane the photo. Couldn’t. Not yet. Her phone lay facedown on the nightstand like a secret she couldn’t bear to look at again.Zane stirred beside her, warm and solid, one arm still loosely draped over her waist. His scent—clean, masculine, familiar—should’ve calmed her. Instead, it only made the guilt twist deeper.She turned to study his face. Even in sleep, he looked guarded. Like a man who didn’t know how to let his walls down all the way. Was he really hiding something? Or was Marcus playing her?She slipped quietly from the bed and padded barefoot into the kitchen. The beach house was still, the early light just beginning to filter through the floor-to-ceiling windows. She poured herself a glas

Lena stared at the screen long after the message from Marcus disappeared.“Ask him about Celine.”Just five words—but they rattled something deep inside her. Zane never spoke about his past. He danced around it like landmines. And now a name—Celine—had become the flame to a fuse she wasn’t sure she was ready to light.She closed her laptop and sat back on the couch, heart thudding. The penthouse was silent, only the distant hum of traffic breaking through the glass windows. Zane was still at a meeting, and the silence stretched like a loaded question.She didn’t want to be suspicious. She didn’t want to be that woman—the one constantly questioning, digging, bracing for disappointment. But Marcus had planted the seed.And it was growing.Later that night, Zane returned. His tie was loose, and he looked tired—but still disarmingly handsome. The kind of tired that came from too many conversations, too many responsibilities. His eyes lit up when they landed on her, but Lena stayed curled o

The silence in the Caldwell penthouse had a weight to it—thick, almost suffocating. Lena sat curled on the chaise in Zane’s study, her eyes locked on the fireplace, though the flames had long gone out. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the blanket draped across her lap, but the chill that danced down her spine wasn’t from the cold.It was the growing distance between them.Zane hadn’t said much since returning from the office. His jaw had been locked, shoulders tense, as if carrying the weight of something he refused to name. He’d kissed her cheek, murmured something about a headache, and vanished into the guest room.It wasn’t like him.Not anymore.Lena bit her lip. The secrecy was gnawing at her. She had kept Victoria’s visit a secret, and it felt like that silence had bloomed into something darker, festering between them.Tell him, her conscience whispered for the hundredth time. Before someone else does.She pulled her legs closer to her chest and exhaled, her breath shaky

The rain started just before midnight, tapping against the glass wall like impatient fingers. Lena lay awake, eyes tracing the faint outlines of shadows across the ceiling. Zane’s steady breathing beside her should have been comforting, but tonight, it only reminded her how fragile the peace between them was.She rolled over carefully, not wanting to wake him. The heat of his body lingered on her skin from earlier—his touch had been hungry, desperate, like he was trying to erase something gnawing at him. And Lena had let him, had drowned in him, because it was easier than asking the questions clawing at her chest.Marcus’s words still echoed. “You’re not the only one hiding something.”She wanted to believe Marcus was bluffing, but he wasn’t the type to play without holding a winning card. And the way his eyes had lingered on her… he knew something. The problem was, she didn’t know if that something was about her—or about Zane.Zane stirred and murmured her name in his sleep. She froz