All Chapters of Ties That Bind: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

AURORA’S POVI ransacked my closet as I realized I was out of limited edition.“Oh Gosh, what is this !!!!!!” I sighed in frustration, I needed something new, I had an LV , Saint Laurent but for this gala party I was attending tonight, I really needed Birkins.“Girl, what are you looking for ?” Amanda, my friend, called out from the room as she saw me in a mess.“I need something to wear to this party!” I said to her while she rolled her eyes.“ You literally have a closet !! What more do you need???”“ Perhaps, a Birkin” I said to her.“ Then you should have thought of that before ending things with Rowan”I turned to look at my friend when she said I shouldn’t have ended things with Rowan.Her tone wasn’t gentle, it was laced with that subtle sting only a real friend can deliver.“You really fumbled that bag, girl,” Amanda said, folding her arms and leaning against my dresser. “Rowan Archer? You should’ve held onto that man like your life depended on it.”I gave a dry laugh, masking

THE OTHER WOMANHe froze the second he stepped in, the words on his lips clearly forgotten. His eyes swept over me—slowly, from head to toe—then back up again, lingering far too long on the way my dress hugged my waist and the way the soft gold of my skin glowed under the lights.His jaw clenched, then loosened.I didn’t say anything. I could feel the heat of his gaze, like it was slowly peeling away every layer of tension between us.Diana was the first to break the silence. “We’ll wait in the—”Rowan lifted a hand slightly, stopping her. But his eyes remained on me, like he was trying to remember what language was.“Are you… ready?” he finally asked, voice low and—was that a hint of huskiness?I nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m ready.”Rowan gave a small nod, as if trying to compose himself. “Good. The car’s waiting.”Diana cleared her throat loudly. “So, I guess I’ll take my leave and—”“Actually,” Rowan interrupted, turning to her. “There’s a third ticket. You

ROWAN’S POVI knew they were watching. From the corner of my eye, I saw them — the glances, the murmurs, the half-hearted smiles hiding sharpened tongues. Our marriage had been the Archer family’s clean-up solution. And now that we were out in public, the whispers followed us like smoke.“She doesn’t belong in his world.”
“Contract marriage, obviously.”
“He looks annoyed. She looks confused.”
“I give them six months.”My jaw tightened.I didn’t care what people thought of me, I’d survived boardroom wars and family betrayals. But someone talking about me when it came to marriage in a public space, is something I wouldn’t accept.Her posture was stiff beside me. Chin up, shoulders tense, like she could feel every eye piercing through her skin. I glanced at her, at the way her fingers curled around the clutch bag like it was the only solid thing she could hold onto.Then I heard it."Fake couple. Probably haven't even kissed off-camera."That was the final push.I held her tighter.Pi

AURORA’S POVThe door slammed shut behind me with a force that rattled the picture frames on the wall. I didn’t care.I was still shaking, the sticky feel of red wine clinging to my skin like humiliation I couldn’t wash off not yet. My heels clicked angrily on the marble tiles as I stormed into my apartment, my breath heaving."That bitch," I muttered, yanking off the Hermès bag and tossing it across the couch. “She fucking poured wine on me. Wine! In front of everyone!”Amanda came out from the kitchen, a half-eaten macaron in her hand. “Whoa, whoa. What the hell happened? You’re fuming.”I turned around, chest rising and falling. “Piper’s friend. That little rat. The one with the overly straight bangs and fake Bottega heels. She threw wine on me at the gala.”Amanda blinked. “Wait, Diana?”I nodded, pacing like a caged animal. “Yes! And the worst part? I couldn’t even slap her. Security was already stepping in before I could react.”Amanda sat on the edge of the armrest, licking p

PIPER’S POVThe morning sunlight spilled into the room like it had no idea what mess had unraveled the night before.I lay there a little longer than usual, staring at the ceiling, my mind drifting uninvited back to the kiss. Rowan’s lips, the way his hand lingered too long against my skin, the heat that spiked through me… and how it ended so abruptly like it never happened.“Get it together, Piper,” I muttered under my breath and swung my legs off the bed.I padded to the bathroom and brushed my teeth like I was scrubbing the thoughts out of my head. No room for confusion. No room for feelings. This marriage was a contract, and nothing more.The hot shower helped. The sting of cold reality helped even more.Wrapped in a thick bathrobe, I stepped out and tied it tightly before walking into the dining room.He was already there, Rowan sat across the table, dressed in a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up, watching something on his phone. His plate of eggs sat untouched. He didn’t loo