All Chapters of Second Choice: Wife by contract: Chapter 31 - Chapter 38

The house feels different again. Not quieter. Just… watchful. Like the walls are listening. Like something has already happened and the space hasn’t caught up yet. Ethan sits across from me on the couch, one ankle resting on his knee, fingers laced together. He’s trying to look calm. He isn’t succeeding. His jaw is too tight. His shoulders don’t rest the way they used to. We’ve been circling the conversation for almost an hour now. “So,” I say finally, breaking it. “Do you want to talk about it, or are we going to keep pretending we’re fine until one of us snaps?” He lets out a breath. Half laugh. Half surrender. “I don’t think I’m pretending.” “That makes one of us.” His eyes flick to mine. There’s something there now. Something rawer. Less guarded. I hate how much that affects me. “I didn’t like it,” he says. “Luca,” I offer. “Everything,” he corrects. “You being gone. You not answering. The not knowing.” I nod slowly. “You didn’t like how it felt.” “No,” he says quietly

I tell him he can go. The words surprise me as they leave my mouth. I feel them pass my tongue before I’ve fully agreed with them in my head. “You can see her,” I say, quieter than I meant to. “If you want to.” Ethan looks at me like I’ve just handed him something sharp. Something he doesn’t trust himself to hold. “Are you sure?” he asks. I nod, even though my chest feels like it’s folding inward. “I just… don’t lie to me anymore. Please.” That’s the real ask. Not permission. Honesty. He steps closer. Takes my hands. Warm. Familiar now, which still scares me sometimes. “I would never lie to you,” he says. And I believe him. That’s the worst part. I believe him so easily it feels reckless. We don’t talk much after that. Not because it’s awkward, but because it’s heavy. Like we’ve both placed something fragile on the table and agreed not to touch it too hard. Later, when he leaves, he kisses my forehead instead of my mouth. Gentle. Respectful. It shouldn’t hurt.

The call comes when I’m alone. Of course it does. Ethan has stepped out to take a meeting, something brief, something “nothing serious.” He said it like a promise. Or maybe like a warning. I don’t know anymore. I watched him grab his jacket, watched the way his eyes lingered on me like he was checking if I’d still be there when he came back. I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, phone in my hand, scrolling without reading, when it rings. Unknown number. I almost don’t answer. Something in my chest already knows. “Hello?” “Hi, Solene. This is Nadia, from Crestview Properties.” My stomach drops so fast I have to put my other hand on the mattress to steady myself. “Yes,” I say. My voice sounds normal. I hate that it does. “I’m calling to let you know the apartment you viewed is ready. If you’re still interested, we’ll send over the final paperwork today.” Ready. The word echoes. Loud. Heavy. “Oh,” I say. Brilliant. Eloquence at its peak. “Okay.” There’s a pause on her end. P

I notice the room change before I see her. It’s subtle. A shift. Like when air pressure drops and your ears don’t pop, but your body still knows something is coming. People straighten. Voices lower. Laughter thins out, like someone turned the volume knob just a little to the left. I’m holding a glass I’ve already forgotten to drink from. My fingers are cold. Or numb. Hard to tell. Ethan’s hand is at the small of my back. Familiar. Anchoring. And then it stills. That’s when I know. I look up. Celeste doesn’t announce herself. She doesn’t need to. She steps into the space like it was always hers and everyone else is just borrowing it for the evening. She looks exactly how I remember her. Which is annoying. Which feels unfair. Like time didn’t dare to touch her without permission. Elegant. Composed. Soft smile that doesn’t reach too far, like she’s careful not to give more than necessary. Her eyes find Ethan first. Of course they do. Something passes between them. It’s fast. O