My Millionaire Husband’s Secret のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

The moment consciousness returned to me, it hit me like a slow, dragging wave—painful and disorienting. The harsh fluorescent lights above blurred as my eyes tried to adjust, and then there he was. Lincoln.His face swam into view, pale and soaked, droplets of water still clinging to his eyelashes, his shirt plastered to his chest. His hair was slicked back from the lake, his breaths ragged, his eyes wide with worry—no, panic. It was written all over him: the tremble in his fingers, the flush in his cheeks, the way he hovered, afraid to touch me but unable to look away.I didn’t need to ask. I knew. I could see it all—he was the one who’d jumped in after me. He was the one who’d dragged me from that cold, dark water. Not Alan. Alan hadn’t even gotten his shoes wet.Instead, I heard him. His voice slithered through the crowd that had gathered at the lake’s edge, thick with feigned concern and rehearsed urgency—my wife, please, someone help her! He played his part well, but I could see

Jessie had finally surrendered to her exhaustion, allowing it to dull the sharp edges of her grief. She now lay peacefully asleep in her hospital bed, her breathing even, her features softened at last by rest. Watching her like that—so fragile, yet still so resolute—brought a knot to my chest. I sat in silence for a long moment, just listening to the steady rhythm of the heart monitor, grounding myself in the fact that, for now, she was safe.I knew I couldn’t stay in the same clothes I’d been wearing since the chaos began, nor could I keep going without at least a moment to reset. I leaned in close, careful not to wake her, and whispered gently, “I’m going to be right back, Jessie. Just thirty minutes—to shower, clean up, grab some clothes. I’ll be back before you even know I’m gone.”I gave her hand a soft, lingering squeeze, reluctant to let go. Then, standing slowly, I let my eyes settle on her one last time before quietly slipping out the door and into the quiet corridor. I walke

Lincoln stays glued to my side, an immovable presence as we wait for updates from hospital security. They’re still searching for the imposter nurse who fled moments before, disappearing into the chaos of the hospital corridors, and we're waiting for the police to arrive. The silence in the room is heavy, taut with unspoken fear and tension. Lincoln’s normally steady hands are clenched tightly in his lap, his jaw tight, his eyes locked on the doorway as if sheer will alone could bring answers faster or keep danger away.He isn’t just concerned — he’s seething. And beneath the surface, I can sense something deeper. Guilt. A gnawing, hollow kind that sits in the chest and spreads like a slow burn. I reach out, placing a hand gently over his clenched fist.“This isn’t your fault, Lincoln,” I whisper, my voice fragile in the sterile air.He doesn’t look at me right away, but I see the way his shoulders drop — not in relief, but in resignation. A momentary softening. Barely but still someth

It must have been several hours before the police finally returned. The silence of the room had grown thick in their absence, heavy with unspoken fears and lingering adrenaline until it was silenced by my own exhaustion and rest. Jessie was still fast asleep, her breathing shallow but steady, the rhythm of someone clinging to rest after surviving something incomprehensibly dark.Then came the knock. Steady but deliberate. Followed by the unmistakable sound of two pairs of firm footsteps approaching through the sterile doorway. My body went rigid in an instant. I sat up sharply, heart racing, instincts kicking in like a current of electricity. For one breathless moment, I braced myself—ready to defend, to protect, to do whatever it took if danger had returned.But as soon as I saw the familiar uniforms, the tension in my chest released slightly. It was Officers Miller and Pennet. I let out a slow, shaky breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. They must have something if they’ve come

I paced back and forth in my living room, the soft thud of my footsteps against the hardwood floor mingling with the low hum of the clock ticking away in the background. Each second felt like an hour. The last time we spoke, everything was cut short by Jessie’s sudden appearance from behind the bushes. I couldn’t believe that she had the audacity to interrupt my conversation, to stop me from finally voicing the things I needed to say or stalk me. I had to hide her face from Jessie and escape before things got worse. There were questions I still needed answers to, things I’d buried under the weight of my own indecision. I couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight, things would either shift or shatter entirely.Ten minutes passed, or maybe it was closer to fifteen, but it felt like hours before the doorbell finally rang. I didn’t need to check the surveillance cameras to know who was at my door. I knew that scent, the intoxicating blend of strawberries and vanilla. I knew that gleam in th