All Chapters of Married by Mistake, Loved by Fate: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

“You saved me tonight, Lucy,” Austin murmured, his voice low, intimate, heavy enough to crush the air between them. His hand tightened over hers, thumb brushing slow, deliberate strokes across her knuckles, as if grounding himself in her touch. “Do you have any idea how rare that is? For me to admit I couldn’t have done it alone?”Her lips curved faintly, though her eyes shimmered with something sharper, more dangerous. “Then admit it,” she whispered, her voice carrying a quiet challenge. “Say you would’ve failed without me.”Austin’s jaw flexed, his chest rising sharply. The words caught in his throat, fighting with the iron pride that had built his empire. His gaze locked on hers, dark, unflinching, and for a moment it looked like he might actually say it.But instead, his voice dropped, rough, unfinished. “You have no idea what you just did to me.” His fingers tightened, his tone burning with frustration and desire, as if the confession he *wouldn’t* make was tearing him apart insi

Lucy finished her speech and descended the steps with a poise that belied the storm inside her. Cameras flashed like lightning, voices buzzed like a hive, but the moment she reached Austin, the noise dulled.“You’re trembling,” Austin murmured, his hand closing over hers, steady, grounding, yet burning hot against her skin. His eyes searched hers, not with doubt, but with a pride so fierce it made her breath hitch.Lucy tilted her chin, her lips grazing his ear as she whispered, “I’m not shaking. I’m vibrating.”Austin’s brows lifted, caught off guard by the husky confidence in her tone. “From nerves or victory?”Her crimson mouth curved, slow, deliberate. “Not nerves, Austin. Power. It’s in my bloodline, the Bennett dynasty built it over generations, and now, as a DiMarco, it’s doubled. Tonight they didn’t just applaud me, they remembered I carry two empires in my veins. And no one in this city dares forget that.”For the briefest heartbeat, his steady composure cracked. A low chuckl

The man’s ragged cry shattered the ballroom.“They’re coming!”A hush swept the hall, every head turning.Austin’s voice cut through the tension, steady as steel. “And who exactly are they?” His eyes narrowed, cool and commanding. “And more importantly… who are you, sir?”The man swayed, laughter bubbling up wild and broken. His torn tuxedo hung off his shoulders as he bent in a mocking bow.“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he sneered, before collapsing into a fit of manic laughter.Gasps rippled through the crowd.Lucy’s fingers dug into Austin’s arm. “This isn’t madness,” she whispered, her voice sharp. “It’s a message.”Austin’s gaze remained fixed on the stranger, unreadable, but his jaw tightened ever so slightly.Gasps ripped through the ballroom. A woman screamed. The orchestra fell silent, bows frozen midair. Glasses clinked against the marble as hands shook.Lucy’s heart slammed in her chest. Austin’s arm tightened protectively around her, his body shifting between her and the ma

The doctor dropped to his knees beside Austin, not wasting a second. “Pulse is thready,” he muttered, fingers pressing firmly against Austin’s wrist, then his neck. His tone was brisk, clipped, all business, but beneath it, Lucy caught the edge of concern.He tilted Austin’s chin, checking his lips, the color drained to an unsettling pallor. “Breathing rapid, shallow… he’s not responding well.”Lucy’s stomach twisted. Every clinical word landed like a blow. She clutched Austin’s hand tighter, her own breath ragged.“Do something!” she snapped, her voice breaking, a raw mix of command and plea.The doctor didn’t flinch. He was already reaching into his bag, vials clinking, latex gloves snapping over his hands. “We’ll stabilize him. But you”he shot Lucy a sharp look, “you have to keep talking to him. Don’t let him drift. Keep him here.”Lucy leaned down immediately, her lips brushing Austin’s temple. “You hear that?” she whispered fiercely, tears spilling unchecked. “You’re not going an

A soft knock at the door startled Lucy from her haze.“Come in,” she said quickly, her voice hoarse from the long night.The door creaked open and Maria, one of the younger maids, slipped inside with a tray. Steam curled from a porcelain cup, rich with the sharp scent of fresh coffee.“Madam,” Maria said gently, “I thought you could use this… and maybe sir too, once he feels stronger.”Lucy blinked at the cup, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Coffee?” she murmured, almost to herself. “After a night like this, I don’t know if my stomach can handle it.”Maria gave a small, nervous smile. “It might help, madam. You look… very tired.”Lucy sighed, forcing a little smile in return. “Do I?”“Yes,” Maria said quietly. “But anyone would. You didn’t leave his side all night.” Her eyes flicked toward Austin on the bed. “That means something, madam. To him.”Lucy’s throat tightened. “Don’t read into it,” she said briskly, picking up the cup to mask her unease. “I’m just… doing what any wife