Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE PROXY BRIDE: His bride. Her Secret. : Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 85

Night pressed heavy against the windows, the Orada Sea humming its endless, mournful song. Amara paced her chamber, candlelight throwing restless shadows across the walls.Her gown swirled around her ankles as she whispered to herself, words half-mad, half-desperate.“I don’t feel anything for him,” she told the silence, her voice breaking as if she needed the walls to believe her. “Cassian means nothing to me. Nothing at all.”Her heart betrayed her, racing wildly at the mere mention of his name.She pressed trembling fingers to her temples and walked faster, as though movement could drown out memory—the restaurant’s golden glow, his rare laughter, his hand brushing away her tears.“It isn’t real,” she whispered sharply, her reflection in the mirror mocking her denial. “This is nothing but circumstance. A lie. I cannot feel anything for him.”The silence thickened. Amara’s steps faltered.And then—“Forgive me, Madame,” a soft voice came from the doorway.Amara spun, nearly choking on

The corridors of the main Drevane mansion had grown quiet as night settled over its vast halls. Every polished surface, every flickering candle, seemed to hum with secrets, as if the house itself were alive—watching, waiting.Lyra moved swiftly, her steps silent, carrying herself with the precision and authority that had earned Cassian’s unwavering trust. She was his confidante, his shadow, and yet she carried the knowledge of secrets that could topple empires if revealed. Her mission tonight was delicate: to meet the patriarch of the Drevane family in his private study.The study’s massive doors loomed ahead, dark and imposing, their carved family crest catching the firelight. Lyra pressed the cold brass handle and slipped inside. The air within smelled of aged leather and faint traces of incense, a scent that seemed almost to guard the room’s secrets.Inside, the Drevane grandfather sat behind a massive mahogany desk, his eyes sharp and unyielding, yet weighed with the knowledge of g