All Chapters of The Vows We Fake : Chapter 101 - Chapter 108

For a heartbeat, silence reigned. The delicate fabric dangled between his fingers, unmistakable under the glare of the chandeliers. The color burned against the black of his suit, a brand, a signature. Then the whispers began. “What is that?” “Is that… underwear?” “Whose is it?” “Oh my God!” The crowd rippled with laughter, shock, cruel speculation. Phones lifted instantly. Camera flashes went wild. This was no private slip. It was a viral moment in the making. Zane’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening with fury as he realized. He crushed the panties in his fist, tried to continue, but the room had shifted. Sera, sitting at the front table in her silk gown, had gone pale. Her lips parted, trembling as humiliation bloomed across her face. Her hands fisted in her lap. Catherine leaned in, whispering frantically, but her eyes flickered sharp with suspicion. Julian shifted uncomfortably beside her, glancing at Zane as though silently asking for damage control instructions. Julian. H

Upon hearing Zane’s voice, I turned, my chest heaving. He stood there, his hands in his pockets. His tie was gone, shirt unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up like he had been waiting and watching. His eyes locked on mine. He was supposed to be away with Sera. He wasn’t supposed to be here. I couldn’t speak. My throat had closed up, strangled by the sound of my name on his lips. He said it like he owned me. For a heartbeat the whole world seemed to vanish, leaving only the two of us in that vast, glittering room. Me with my pockets heavy with stolen jewels. Him with that dangerous calm, like a lion catching his prey mid-step. “How… how are you here?” I finally rasped, hating how my voice trembled. “You were supposed to be…” “Gone?” His mouth curved into something that wasn’t a smile. “You should know by now, Amara. I’m never where you expect me to be.” His gaze dropped deliberately to my apron pockets, the bulge of jewelry impossible to miss. Heat rushed up my neck, shame

I froze. “Them?” He nodded. “Sera. Julian. Catherine. They’ve been pulling strings, weaving lies, building their little empire. But I know you’ve seen the cracks, Amara. You’re clever and resourceful. You can be dangerous when you want to be.” My pulse thundered in my ears. “And you think I’d partner with you?” He smirked again, tilting his head. “You already did last night.” “Go to hell,” I rasped. “I have a better idea. How about we burn them first? You and me.” His smirk was slow, lethal. “Think about it, Amara. They’ve all wronged you. They’ve all wronged me. Why waste our energy destroying each other when we could destroy them?” I swallowed hard, my body still trembling from his touch. His offer was poison. And yet, as he stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, I couldn’t help but think of the power we might wield together. Zane’s smile deepened as if he could read my thoughts. “Think about it, Amara. Revenge tastes sweeter when it’s shared.” ## I couldn’t breathe wh

The smell of something warm and buttery pulled me out of a shallow, dreamless sleep. For a moment, I forgot where I was. My body was cocooned in sheets softer than anything I’d felt in months, the quiet hum of the city below drifting faintly through the floor-to-ceiling glass. Then I shifted, and the realization struck: Zane’s penthouse. His bed. I pushed myself up slowly, the events of last night crashing back: his arms around me as I sobbed, his steady voice whispering that I wasn’t safe in that apartment, his decision to bring me here. My stomach tightened, nerves and exhaustion twining into one. And then I smelled it again. Toast. Coffee. I padded out of the bedroom barefoot, my skin prickling with the intimacy of the moment before I even saw him. Zane was in the kitchen. No immaculate chef’s coat, no staff, no pretense. Just him. His sleeves rolled up, his hair messy, his hands steady as he cracked eggs into a pan like it was second nature. Like it used to be. He looked up th