All Chapters of Married to the Billionaire in Disguise : Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Victoria's PovThe barn looked like something out of a magazine.String lights hung from the rafters, casting a warm glow over everything. White roses covered every table. The smell of expensive perfume and barbecue mixed in the Texas heat. Everyone I'd ever known was here, dressed in their best, smiling at me like I'd finally done something right.I stood near the entrance in my perfect red dress, watching my parents greet guests. My mother kept touching my father's arm, pointing at the decorations, her face glowing with pride. This was everything she'd dreamed of for me."You look beautiful, baby," she'd whispered earlier while fixing my hair. "I knew you'd make us proud."The words had settled in my chest like stones.Make them proud. That's what tonight was about. Proving that little Victoria Hale from nowhere Texas had built a real life in New York. That she'd found a successful man who wanted her. That she wasn't just the girl who left town chasing dreams too big for her.I smoo

Victoria's PovI woke up in my childhood bedroom with sunlight stabbing through the curtains.For one blissful second, I forgot.Then it all came crashing back. Carl. Bianca. The announcement. The humiliation.My phone sat on the nightstand, screen dark. I'd turned it off after Simon dropped me back around two in the morning. Before that, forty-three missed calls. Sixty-two texts.I didn't want to know what they said.A knock at the door made me freeze."Victoria?" My mother's voice. Tight. Strained. "We need to talk. Now."Downstairs, my parents sat at the kitchen table. My father's face was carved from stone. My mother's eyes were red and puffy."Sit," Dad said.The silence stretched like a wire about to snap."What happened last night?" Mom's voice cracked. "Carl said you misunderstood the relationship. That you made up an engagement. Is that true?""No." The word came out hoarse. "He proposed. He gave me a ring. He told me he loved me.""Then why would he say those things?""Becau

Victoria's PovThe drive back to the ranch felt like driving toward a firing squad.I sat in the passenger seat of Simon's borrowed truck, my hands twisted together in my lap. The marriage certificate was folded in my purse. Real. Legal. Binding.I was married to a man I barely knew."You okay?" Simon asked quietly."No." I didn't see the point in lying. "I'm terrified.""Of what?""Everything. My parents. The questions. Keeping this lie going." I looked at him. "What if they figure it out? What if someone realizes we don't actually know each other?""Then we make sure they don't figure it out." Simon's voice was calm, steady. "We keep it simple. We met at the shelter. Started talking. It grew from there. We've been together for months but kept it quiet because of Carl.""That's a lot of lying.""It's a lot of protecting yourself from people who are ready to judge you for something that wasn't your fault."I wanted to argue, wanted to say lying was wrong. But the truth was, I didn't h

Victoria's povI barely slept that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Marcus calling Simon "sir." Saw the way Simon's entire presence changed when that man showed up. The way he commanded respect without even trying.Who was my husband?By morning, I'd convinced myself to demand answers. No more deflecting. No more secrets.But when I walked into the kitchen, Simon was already there making coffee with my mother. They were laughing about something. He looked relaxed. Normal. Like last night never happened."Morning," he said, handing me a mug. "Sleep okay?"The casual greeting felt like a slap. Like we hadn't just had that tense confrontation on the porch."Fine," I lied.Mama looked between us, sensing tension. "I'm heading into town for groceries. You two need anything?""We're good," Simon said. "Thank you, Mrs. Hale."After she left, silence filled the kitchen. I sipped my coffee, waiting for him to explain. To say something about last night.He didn't."So we're just not go