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All Chapters of Second Choice: Wife by contract: Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

141 Chapters

Chapter 131

I take the phone from her.Not snatching it. Not hesitating either. Just… taking it, like I already know this is one of those things I’ll have to sit with whether I want to or not.The statement is shorter than I expected.Of course it is.People like him don’t ramble. They say just enough, then leave everyone else to fill in the gaps.I read it once.Then again, slower.“I don’t think it’s something I can speak on yet.”That’s all.I stare at the screen a second longer, like maybe something else will appear if I wait.It doesn’t.Mara shifts beside me. “That’s it?”I hand the phone back.“That’s it,” I say.She makes a face. “That doesn’t even sound bad.”“It’s not bad.”I pause.“It’s just… not nothing.”She tilts her head, thinking. “I don’t get it.”I lean back, looking out at the park again. Same people, same slow movement, but something in me has shifted just enough that it all feels slightly off. The sunlight feels a little harsher on the grass, the distant laughter from other

Chapter 132

I don’t call him right away.I drop my bag by the door and stand there longer than necessary, keys still in my hand, like I’ve forgotten what comes next. Sunny circles once, twice, then settles near the couch, already done with the day. The familiar sound of his collar tags jingling fades into the quiet.The apartment is quiet in a way that doesn’t feel empty. Just… still. Everything exactly where I left it. The chair I picked because I liked the shape. The mug I never match with anything else. Small things. Mine.I walk in slowly, turning on the lights one by one, like I’m arriving somewhere I haven’t seen before. The warm glow spreads across the room, catching on the edges of bookshelves and the soft throw blanket draped over the arm of the couch.It’s strange. How something can belong to you and still surprise you.I sit down, then stand up again. Walk to the kitchen. Pour water I don’t really drink. Come back. Sit.My phone is in my hand before I decide what I’m doing.I stare at

Chapter 133

“I think he’s actually doing it.”Mara doesn’t look up immediately. She stirs her drink slowly, like I just said something ordinary.“Doing what?”I’m still staring at my phone, like the words might rearrange themselves if I keep looking.“Moving back.”That makes her pause. She lifts her head this time, really looking at me.“Back like visiting or…?”“No.” I shake my head once. “Back.”She studies my face for a second longer than usual, like she’s trying to see if I’m exaggerating.I’m not.“He left because of me,” I say, quieter now. “And now he’s coming back because of me.”Mara leans back in her chair, unimpressed in that very specific way she gets when I start attaching too much meaning to things.“That’s not some tragic cycle,” she says. “That’s a man making a decision.”I press my lips together, my thumb brushing over the edge of my phone.“It just feels… big.”“It is big,” she shrugs. “So stop talking about it like it’s a problem.”I almost argue.I almost say something about

Chapter 134

The café is busy in that steady, familiar way that usually keeps my mind from wandering.Cups stack. Orders come in. Someone laughs too loudly at something that probably isn’t that funny. The espresso machine hisses like it has opinions about everything.I move through it all on autopilot.Wipe. Turn. Nod. Smile.Check my phone.Put it down.Pick it up again two minutes later.“Your mind is not here.”Mara doesn’t even try to soften it. She says it like a fact, like she’s announcing the weather.“It is,” I say, already reaching for a cloth I don’t need.“It’s not.”“I’m working.”“You’re pacing.”“I’m not pacing.”She leans forward slightly, watching me like I’m something she’s trying to figure out.“Solene.”I sigh and look at her. “What?”“You’ve checked your phone how many times now?”“I don’t know.”“Exactly.”I roll my eyes, but I don’t argue further.Because she’s right.And I don’t want to explain why.I glance at the door again.Not intentionally.Just… habit.Or maybe expecta

Chapter 135

He watches me for a second like he’s sorting through too many starting points and trying to choose the one that won’t complicate everything.“Here?” he asks.I glance over his shoulder into the café. Someone is pretending to scroll through their phone while very obviously listening. Mara has turned her back, which means she’s listening even harder.“Not here,” I say.He nods once, like that was expected.“Okay.”I don’t wait. I push the door open and step outside.The air hits differently. Warmer, a little thicker. There’s noise, but it’s spread out. Cars, footsteps, distant voices. Nothing focused. Nothing watching.I lean against the railing, fingers resting lightly on the metal. It’s warm from the sun.He joins me a second later.Not too close.Not far.Just there.It takes a second for the quiet between us to settle into something that isn’t awkward. Not silence exactly. Just space.“So,” I say.He lets out a small breath, not tired, just… gathering.“London is stable now.”I nod.

Chapter 136

It starts with my phone refusing to be quiet.Not one notification. Not two. It keeps going like something is trying to get my attention and won’t take no for an answer.I’m at the counter, pretending to focus on something small and unnecessary, wiping a spot that doesn’t exist anymore. My hands are busy, which usually helps. Keeps my thoughts from wandering too far.The phone buzzes again.Then again.I ignore it.Mara doesn’t.“You’re not going to check that?”“I will.”“You’ve said that three times.”“I mean it this time.”She doesn’t respond, which usually means she’s watching me instead.The phone buzzes again.I exhale, drop the cloth, and reach for it.The screen lights up with stacked notifications. Too many for something normal. Too many for something small.I open one.A headline.I don’t react immediately. I just read it.Then I read it again, slower this time.“Ethan Cole Expands to Miami, Establishing Independent Venture Beyond Family Holdings.”I blink.Scroll.Another h

Chapter 137

The house won’t leave my head.Not in a dramatic way. It’s not consuming me or anything like that. It just keeps showing up in small flashes. The kitchen mostly. The light in that space. The way it didn’t feel like a display, like something waiting to be admired and left alone. It felt… usable.Which is a strange thing to fixate on.But I do.“Okay, I’m about to drag it out of you.”Mara drops into the chair across from me like she’s been rehearsing this moment all day.I blink, coming back properly.“Drag what out of me?”She leans forward, elbows on the table, eyes sharp.“What happened.”“Nothing happened.”She stares at me.Long enough that I feel like I should add something.“We saw the house,” I say.“And?”“It’s nice.”She freezes.Actually freezes.Then slowly leans back like she needs space from me.“Nice.”I nod.“Yes.”⸻lMara presses her lips together like she’s trying not to say something offensive.“You disappeared for hours. Came back looking like you’ve just… I don’t e

Chapter 138

Mara’s voice is still in my head the next day.Not loud. Just… there.Are we getting an actual wedding this time?She said it like a joke. Like something to laugh about over drinks and forget on the drive home. But it stayed. Followed me into sleep. Sat with me while I opened the café in the morning. Slipped into quiet moments when I wasn’t doing anything important.An actual wedding.I don’t know why that feels different now.Maybe because this time, it wouldn’t be about fixing anything. Not proving a point. Not surviving something.Just choosing.My phone lights up while I’m wiping down the counter.Ethan.I don’t open it immediately.I finish what I’m doing. Rinse my hands. Dry them. Then I pick up the phone.Ethan: Are you free?I stare at it for a second longer than necessary.Me: Depends.The reply comes quickly.Ethan: On what?I lean against the counter.Me: Where you’re taking me.There’s a pause. Not long. Just enough for me to picture him reading it.Ethan: You’ll like it.

Chapter 139

The first thing my mother does when she sees my hand is grab it.Not gently. Not carefully. She just takes it like she has every right to, like she has been waiting for this moment and is done pretending she hasn’t.“Let me see.”I laugh, but it comes out softer than I expect.She turns my hand toward the light, angling it slightly, her thumb brushing over my fingers as she studies the ring like she is trying to understand something beyond what it looks like.“It’s beautiful,” she says.“It is.”I’m not even looking at the ring anymore. I’m looking at her.Her face. The way her expression shifts slowly. Pride first. Then something quieter. Something that looks a lot like relief.“You look different,” she says.I tilt my head slightly. “Different how?”“Happier,” she replies.She says it like she is still testing it. Like she wants to believe it fully but is giving herself a second to be sure.I don’t rush to answer.I just nod.Because I am.Not in a loud, overwhelming way. Not in a w

Chapter 140

I wake up before anyone calls my name.Not because I’m anxious. Not because something is pulling me out of sleep.Just… awake.The room is quiet in that early kind of way where the day hasn’t fully started yet. No movement outside the door. No voices. No rushing. Just stillness.I lie there for a moment, staring at the ceiling.Today.The word feels simple. It should feel heavier. Bigger. Like something I need to prepare for.It doesn’t.It just settles.I sit up slowly, letting my feet touch the floor. The air feels cool against my skin. Grounding. Real.For a second, I don’t move.I just sit there and let myself feel it.Not excitement. Not nerves.Something steadier.The dress is exactly where it was left last night.I walk over to it, fingers brushing lightly over the fabric. It feels softer than I expected. Less intimidating.This is not my first wedding.That thought comes, and for a brief moment, I pause.Not in discomfort. Not in regret.Just acknowledgment.The first time was

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