Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Billionaire’s Betrayed Bride: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 77

RILEY'S POV I headed inside, my mind still overwhelmed by different thoughts.I hadn’t even fully swung shut behind me before I heard Claire’s voice from the living room.“Who dropped you off in that flashy car?”Her tone wasn’t casual. It wasn’t curious. It was sharp, like she’d been holding the question on the tip of her tongue, pacing with it, burning with it.I paused in the entryway, my fingers still curled around the handle of the door, and turned slowly. As much as she startled me, I tried to maintain my cool.Claire was sitting cross-legged on the couch, a bowl of noodles balanced on her thigh. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, her fluffy socks mismatched, and her face… her face was wearing that dangerous stillness she only got when she was pretending not to panic.The moment I opened my mouth, she lifted her spoon halfway, froze, and stared.“It was Owen,” I said, and the reaction was immediate.Claire choked, her noodles went the wrong way, broth sloshed, and she bent fo

RILEY'S POVIf someone had told me earlier that dinner with Aiden would feel like sitting on a warm cloud and hot coals at the same time, I would’ve probably stayed in the office and slept under my desk.The moment we stepped into the restaurant, I regretted agreeing.It wasn’t anything fancy. Warm lighting, wood tables, soft jazz, the kind of place where conversations hummed but nothing felt overwhelming. But having Aiden across from me made everything feel too sharp, too intense, too present.He ordered something simple.I did too.We talked about small things, harmless, but somehow every second felt charged.“Do you always walk that fast when you’re trying to avoid someone?” he asked at one point, his tone annoyingly amused.I stabbed my food lightly, trying not to look at him. “I wasn’t avoiding you.”“Riley.”“Okay, maybe a little.” I sighed. He was stubborn when he needed to hear something from me.He smiled, that reluctant, gentle smile he’d been giving me lately. I looked aw

RILEY'S POVI wasn’t exactly sure when Claire decided that today was the day to drag me out for what she cheerfully called “a little retail therapy,” but I suspected she had planned it the second she noticed how pale I looked that morning.She didn’t ask if I wanted to go or not. She just marched straight into my room the moment I shuffled out of the shower, hands on her hips, already choosing an outfit for me like I was a life-sized Barbie she owned.“We’re going shopping,” she declared.I blinked at her. “Why? I have clothes.”“No, babe. You have fabric and you have vibes. Not clothes.” Then she added with a suspiciously casual tone, “And besides, you need new stuff.”The way she looked at my stomach for half a second made me narrow my eyes, but I pretended not to notice. Claire thought she was subtle. She wasn’t. But I didn’t have the energy to question anything this morning. Especially not that, talking about it was awkward.So I let her dress me and drag me out of the house like