All Chapters of Second Choice: Wife by contract: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

I burn the toast.Not a little. Completely.It’s black around the edges, smoke curling up like I’ve done something dramatic instead of just… not paying attention.I stare at it for a second.“Right,” I mutter. “We’re starting like this today.”Sunny is by the door, sitting, watching me like this is a show he didn’t ask for but is willing to critique anyway.“You’re not helping,” I tell him.He tilts his head.I sigh, scrape the toast into the bin, and start again.My movements feel slower than usual. Not lazy. Just… slightly out of sync. Like I’m half a step behind myself.There’s something unfinished sitting in my chest from yesterday.Not loud.Just there.I don’t reach for my phone.I notice the impulse. Let it pass.“Walk?” I ask.Sunny is already up before I finish the word.⸻Outside, the air is warmer than it was yesterday morning.Or maybe I just didn’t notice yesterday.Sunny pulls ahead, leash taut, determined about something only he understands.“Relax,” I say. “You don’t e

We don’t move.It’s not dramatic. No one freezes, no one reaches for anything. We just… stay. Like both of us have quietly agreed that walking away again would feel ridiculous at this point. Repetitive. Almost lazy.Ethan shifts first. Just a small adjustment, like he’s settling into the moment instead of stepping out of it.“What are you suggesting?” he asks.I open my mouth, then close it again.Because the honest answer is—I don’t know. Not fully. I only know what I don’t want anymore, and that’s not the same thing as having a plan.“I’m not suggesting anything,” I say, which already sounds like a lie even to me. “I’m just—”I stop. There’s no clean way to finish that sentence.He watches me, waiting.“You’re just what?”I exhale, looking down briefly before meeting his gaze again.“I’m tired,” I say.That feels more accurate than anything else I could’ve come up with.“Of what?” he asks.“Of acting like this is over when it doesn’t feel like it is.”There. It’s out.No soft landin

I don’t expect a message from him this soon. After everything yesterday, I thought there’d be a pause. Not distance, just… space to breathe. Time to sit with what we said without immediately turning it into something else. Instead, my phone lights up while I’m halfway through tying my hair. Ethan: We need to be seen today. I read it once. Then again. It’s very him. No greeting, no easing into it. Just the point. I type a reply, delete it, type again. Me: That was fast. The typing bubble appears, disappears, comes back. Ethan: It was always going to be. I don’t answer immediately. Not because I don’t know what to say. I do. I just… sit with it for a second. This is the deal in motion. Not theoretical anymore. Sunny nudges my leg, impatient. “I’m going,” I tell him, grabbing my bag. I look at my phone again. Me: Where? Ethan: Adriana’s. Of course. That makes sense. Neutral ground. Controlled. Somewhere that isn’t his world or mine, but close

By the time he calls, I’m already halfway ready.Not in the polished, perfectly put-together sense. Just… mentally there. Present in a way I haven’t been in a while. Like I know what today is asking of me, and I’ve decided not to argue with it.I’m standing in front of my mirror when my phone rings.“Yeah?” I say, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.“I’m outside.”Of course he is.“I’ll be down.”I hang up and look at my reflection for a second longer than necessary.Not to fix anything. Just to check in.You’re fine, I think. You know what you’re doing.Or at least—you’ve decided to act like you do.That’s close enough.⸻Mara leans against my doorframe, arms crossed, watching me in that way that means she’s been there long enough to have opinions.“You look like you’re about to negotiate a merger,” she says.“Not far off.”She hums, stepping into the room. “And you’re calm about it.”“I’m focused.”“That’s worse,” she says immediately.I glance at her, grabbing my bag.“Why is t

The door closes behind his father and for a moment I just stand there, staring at it like it might open again.It doesn’t.The noise from inside drifts back in, soft and distant, like it belongs to a different night entirely. Out here, it’s quieter. Not peaceful. Just… clearer. Like everything has been stripped down to what actually matters.I rest my hands on the railing, more to ground myself than anything else. The metal is cool, steady under my palms. I focus on that for a second.Then I stop avoiding it.“I didn’t make it easy for you.”My voice comes out low, almost like I’m testing the words before committing to them.He doesn’t interrupt. Doesn’t rush to respond. He just waits.So I keep going.“I kept leaving.” I let out a small breath, not heavy, not dramatic. Just real. “Every time things got complicated, I found a way out.”I glance at him briefly, then away again.“And you didn’t.”That part sits differently. Not like guilt. Just… something I didn’t fully understand befor