Semua Bab Married To My Arrogant Billionaire Enemy : Bab 21 - Bab 30

BROOKLYNThe ship was even larger up close. Its white hull stretched impossibly tall above us, decks stacked like a glittering crown against the fading sky. Elliot tugged me forward, practically dragging me, his hand hot and eager in mine.I tried to keep my voice calm, grounding, even though part of me was just as overwhelmed. “Slow down, El. The ship isn’t going anywhere without us.”He grinned back at me, eyes sparkling, cheeks still a little pale but flushed with joy. “I know, but Brook, it’s huge! Look! There’s a theater up there—two! And oh my god, that’s a movie screen!”I followed his pointing finger, biting back a laugh. His excitement was a balm, a reminder of why we were even here. For once, he wasn’t a boy recovering from surgery. He was just a kid again.Behind us, Dominic’s voice carried, low but steady as he continued directing staff with our luggage. His parents and siblings walked ahead in a cluster of poised elegance, like they’d done this exact trip dozens of times

DOMINIC Birthdays have always felt… performative to me. Another reminder that time moves, that expectations grow heavier, that the world is watching for cracks. My family loves their theatrics—yachts, champagne, candles that cost more than most people’s rent. I usually endure it, mask on, voice steady, ready to parry whatever passive-aggressive comments my siblings lob my way.But this year feels different and i am more happier..Because she’s here.Brooklyn. Sitting across from me at the low mahogany table in the lounge, the evening glow catching strands of her chestnut hair like they were lit with gold. Elliot tucked against her side, nibbling on a macaron she broke in half for him. My son in this fiction, my responsibility in reality. The boy who keeps peering up at me like he’s trying to figure out if I’m the sort of man who stays or disappears.I sip champagne I don’t taste. My eyes keep wandering back to her lips. The way they curve faintly every time Elliot whispers something

BROOKLYNThe ship’s horn echoed one last time as it docked against the shore. Sunlight poured across the water, golden and restless, making everything shimmer like a painting.For once, I felt light, almost untethered. Elliot leaned over the railing, pointing excitedly at the gulls circling above, his laughter ringing out. Dominic stood beside me, his hand brushing against mine as though it belonged there, as though it had always been there. I hadn’t expected sweetness from him, not really. But he had been soft these last few days—gentle in his own quiet, commanding way.“Did you have fun?” he asked Elliot, his deep voice low but touched with warmth.Elliot turned with a wide grin. “Best trip ever! Even better than the fair.”Dominic’s lips quirked upward in what might have been a smile. “Then I’d call it a success.”My chest tightened, an odd, unfamiliar ache spreading through me. It was strange watching Dominic like this—human, almost tender. A part of me wanted to believe this wa

BROOKLYNThe morning light slipped through the curtains far earlier than I needed it to, but I was already awake. Habit had its claws sunk deep into me, and no amount of marble floors, gilded staircases, or staff in tailored uniforms was going to change that. Elliot needed to be ready for school, and I wasn’t about to let anyone else take that from me. That was mine—the one thing I could still do for him without Dominic or his world interfering.I slipped out of bed quietly, padded across the soft carpet, and tugged on one of the plain sweaters I brought from our apartment. Comfortable. Familiar. The kind of thing that reminded me I was still myself, even here.When I entered Elliot's room he was still asleep, sprawled out in the big bed that looked like it could swallow him whole. His hair was sticking up in a dozen directions, his face soft and boyish. For a moment I just watched him breathe, my chest tightening with the kind of fierce, protective love that never seemed to dull.“El

BROOKLYNI had been to events before—formal dinners, stiff luncheons, even the occasional charity auction where Dominic’s name carried more weight than anyone else’s. But nothing compared to this.The annual Blackwell Foundation Gala.The moment i stepped out of the sleek black car, all eyes seemed to snap toward Dominic and I. Flashbulbs ignited like a storm, camera shutters clicking furiously, and the low hum of murmurs rippled through the crowd lined up outside the hotel’s towering glass entrance. I could feel the stares sliding over me like icy fingers. I straightened my shoulders, lifted my chin, and forced my lips into the kind of poised smile I’d practiced in the mirror but still felt unnatural wearing.Dominic, of course, looked untouchable.His tall frame cut an imposing silhouette in his midnight blue tuxedo, the sheen of the fabric catching the light in a way that made him appear sculpted for the night. His steel-gray eyes barely flicked toward the flashing cameras, instea