All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Contract Wife Can't Let Go: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Dana POV: Dana Gets A Meeting For CillianThe meeting wraps and as we file out of the conference room, Alex falls into step beside me.“Lunch?” he asks.That thrill, that romance of being with him creeps up my body and a quick yes almost drops from my lips.I reply instead, “I’d rather not. Jodie might throw a fit.”He laughs and the sound of it makes my legs weak, I want to lean against him, just put my hands around him. I hold back a smile and give him a deadpan stare.“I miss the blunt way you used to talk to me,” he says.“Hm.”More ripples spread through my chest of that sweet feeling of attraction. He misses me? What does that even mean coming from him now? I feel the familiar pang of anxiety, the one that whispers maybe I’m reading too much into it, maybe I’m hoping for something that isn’t alive anymore.Larry catches up with us, clapping Alex on the shoulder. “I’d love to join you two for lunch. If that’s all right.”I seize the lifeline. “I’d love that too.”We step out onto

Dana POV: She Confesses About Her Marriage To AlexAs the elevator carries me back up, I hold the pocket watch by its chain, letting it dangle like a pendulum in front of my eyes. I love the way the gold catches the overhead light, swinging in slow, hypnotic arcs. Tick-tick-tick, like something alive. Like a baby. I still don’t know what it means. He said it's a compliment from The Club of Eight, but it feels more like an invitation to a party I had no intention of attending. My phone rings against my hip and I answer. “Hey, Hymar.”“Dana! Kathie’s birthday is tonight. I completely forgot to mention it at the Maurice Denis thing. She’d love it if you came. It's last-minute, I know, but—”“I’ll be there,” I say before he can apologize again. “I’ll grab a gift for her too.”He exhales, relieved. “She’ll be so happy. Eight o’clock. I'll send you an address. See you then.”I hang up just as the doors slide open on our floor. Alex is coming out of his office at the same moment, looking

Dana POV: At Kathie's Birthday Party Derek follows me through the living room, hot with his argument. “It’s the fear of rejection, Dana. That’s what’s holding you back from telling him.”I stop at the kitchen island and turn to look at him, my phone in my hand. “No, it’s not just that. Look.” I show him my phone which is open to Jodie’s Instagram, and thrust it in his face. The latest story is still up. It shows her hand in Alex’s at what looks like a restaurant. The caption is sprinkled with hearts and wine emojis. In the picture, he's smiling from ear to ear. He looks happy being with her. Derek takes the phone, and scrolls. He shrugs. “So what? Jodie posts about him all over her Instagram. So what? That’s what girls like this do. She’s a baddie.”“She’s not a baddie.”“Of course she is. I’ve checked her out too.” He hands the phone back. “Alex doesn’t even know it, I’m sure. Or he does but he’s just taking her for a ride. It’s you he loves. That’s why he’s taking you to lunc

Dana POV: Alex Knows About Her Pregnancy The first thing I see when I open my eyes is Derek.He's slumped in the chair beside my bed, chin dropped to his chest, his arms folded. He must have sat down meaning to stay awake and lost the fight somewhere around midnight. There's a line from an IV bag to my left wrist. After a moment the memory returns of me in a faint and falling against Alex. "Derek."His head snaps up. He blinks at me with the disoriented look of someone yanked out of a deep, uncomfortable sleep, then straightens in the chair, rubbing his face."Hey. Are you feeling better?" he asks. "What happened to me?" I push myself up on my elbows. "How did I get here?""Alex brought you in," he wipes his red eyes. "Doctor says it's a bacterial thing. Pregnancy is making your body more reactive to stuff. It's nothing serious, Dana."I lay back down and close my eyes.He knows now. The doctor told him, didn't they. If he brought me in, and before Derek came, they'd have told him

Dana POV: Meet Charles Ripping By afternoon I feel like myself again.The medication has done its work quietly and efficiently. Now I'm moving around the apartment, grateful to be alive and feeling well. The doctor's instructions is simple: I must get my check-ups. “Eat well, eat consistently, your baby will be fine,” he said. I'm not terrified of being pregnant anymore. It appears the more people around me know of it, the less frantic I am about hiding it. And now that the one whom I share ownership of the baby also knows, a big weight is off my shoulders. I decide I'm going to paint.I go to my supply bag only to discover what I should have noticed a week ago: I'm completely out of oil pastels. I usually order them from a specialty shop in New York. That shop stocks brands you can't find in a regular art store. Jack and Cilian aren't coming in yet, and I'm not calling either of them to ask them to stuff pastels in their carry-on.I google “painting supplies Washington” and a sho