All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Ex-Dead Wife : Chapter 41 - Chapter 49

The silence was thick, heavy.I cleared my throat. “You know... an open marriage. Where we’re free to be with whoever we want. No jealousy. No guilt. Just pure bliss.” I smiled lightly. “The best part? It stays between us.”His hand stilled on the pen. I kept going, voice light, teasing, pretending this was nothing, even doing a little dance. I was so proud of what I called ‘the perfect idea’.“You get to be with your white moonlight,” I added, taking a slow step forward. “And I…”I didn’t finish the sentence. I didn’t need to. The implication hung in the air. I was so lost in talking, in the rhythm of my own voice, I didn’t even realize how close I’d gotten to him. Only when I stopped did I see the distance between us had vanished.“How does that sound?” I asked finally meeting his eyes. “Fair enough?”For a moment, Damian didn’t move. Then, slowly, he lifted his eyes.Not from shock, but from something else. His brow rose. His pen slipped from his fingers and hit the desk with a d

“Tell me, Arianna…” Damian’s voice was calm, too calm. “What do you think this photo means? And you still say you want an open marriage?”The photo slapped against the table with a soft thud. My pulse skipped. I didn’t even need to see it; I already knew what I thought it was, the one of me and Caden, kissing.Oh God.“I can explain,” I muttered, voice small.“Explain what?” he asked, stepping closer, expression unreadable.“I… I mean…” I caught myself. Why was I even explaining? He wasn’t my priest. Has he been faithful? My brain screamed. What about you and Vivian, you gas-lighting jerk?The words slipped out before I could stop them. “What about you and Vivian?”His brow lifted. “I didn’t commit any sin,” he said smoothly, like a lawyer delivering his closing argument.A sound behind us made me freeze.Grandma’s chuckle.Oh no. Not now.“You youngsters,” she said cheerfully, stepping into the room. “What are you arguing about?”“Nothing, Grandma,” I said too quickly, heart pounding

I took a deep breath.If I was right, God help me if I was right, Vivian could be more than just jealous. She could be dangerous.The kind of woman who didn’t just manipulate people... but erased them.The thought sent a cold shiver through me. I wasn’t just pretending to be Arianna anymore; I was playing hide and seek with a possible murderer.Days and weeks were crawling by. Too slow. Too tight. Too filled with eyes that watched me for cracks in my mask.“I need to finish this divorce,” I muttered to myself. “Get out of this house, this twisted family, and go back to living a quiet life with normal problems like bad WiFi and overpriced coffee.”Arianna, wherever your soul is, I’m sorry you had to die. But I’m not about to waste our second chance.I closed the diary and slid it back into the dresser drawer, tucking it behind some of her lace nightgowns. My fingers lingered on the last line I’d read.“I hate that name. I don’t sparkle. She only calls me Little Star when she wants peop

“That’s what you think of me, right?” My voice came out sharper than I meant. He paused. “I mean, you’ve done it once why should I be surprised you’d do it again?”“Arianna…”“Jerk,” I muttered, grabbing the nearest pillow and hurling it at him. It hit his chest with a soft thud. “I was the fool for helping you.”I turned to leave, but before I could reach the door, Damian caught my wrist.“What happened?” he asked quietly.I yanked my hand free. “You tell me. You think I drugged you again? That I enjoyed watching you lose control? What else could possibly be wrong?”He sighed, running a hand through his hair, still disheveled from sleep. The veins in his arm flexed, that same arm that had bled the night before. And had run across my bare breast. For a split second, I almost softened. Almost.“I’ll get to the truth,” he said finally, voice low, unreadable.“Sure,” I scoffed. “You always do. Too bad this time the truth is staring right at your face.”He didn’t answer. He just turned

Father’s eyes darted from the screen, confusion twisting his features.“How… how is this possible?”I smiled to myself. This was the power of knowing the future. Now, thank me.He blinked at me, still glued to the numbers flashing in green. “The stocks are still rising, Arianna. You made me pull out early! Do you know how much I just lost?”Vivian’s face lit up with a cruel sort of glee. “Sister, why do you always have to be a jinx?”“It can’t be,” I muttered under my breath, a chill crawling down my spine.The book… did the plot change? I held my breath as the numbers ticked up… maybe I read it wrong. Maybe I was too confident. My stomach twisted.Mother turned sharply, probably to throw another insult my way, but Father’s voice cracked through the tension first.“The stocks…” his voice trembled. “They’re dropping now. Real fast.”Vivian froze, stunned. “What?” she whispered.Mother rushed to Father’s side. “It crashed,” she whispered. “It really did.”I glanced at my clock. 7:03. Ju