All Chapters of Nothing But Pretend: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

41 Chapters

Chapter 31 - Don't Go

Claire returns to the villa at 10:30 PM, her head buzzing slightly from the wine. Vivian's breakdown was a sobering reminder that even the most perfect relationships can be filled with poison.As she steps into the foyer, a blur of white fur streaks past her ankles.Claire blinks. Did I drink too much?A second later, the white blur returns. A tiny, fluffy ball with short legs waddles toward her, circles her feet, and lets out a high-pitched awoo."Oh my god!" Claire gasps. She squats down and scoops up the creature.It's a Samoyed puppy. A literal cotton ball with eyes. The moment she picks it up, it freezes, tucking its ears back and looking at her with pitiful, wet eyes."Hi there, baby," Claire coos, scratching its chin. "Where did you come from?""Give it a name."A deep voice speaks from behind her. Claire turns around, puppy in arms, to see Ethan leaning against the wall, watching her with a faint, satisfied smile."You bought this?" Claire asks, suspicious."En. On the way bac

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 32 - The Fever Strategy

When Ethan floats back to consciousness, the burning heat has receded slightly, replaced by something cool and soft touching his forehead."Still so hot," a familiar voice murmurs, laced with concern. "Is he going to burn his brain out if we leave him like this?"Claire.Ethan's heart gives a weak, happy thud. It isn't a dream.He hears a male voice, the family doctor, speaking quietly nearby. "If his temperature doesn't drop significantly within an hour, we'll have to move him to the hospital.""Okay. Thank you, doctor. I'll watch him," Claire says.She sighs, looking down at the man in the bed. Even sick, with messy hair plastering his forehead and lips pale and cracked, Ethan looks devastatingly handsome. There is a vulnerability to him now that his sharp, arrogant eyes are closed.She reaches out to brush a stray lock of hair from his damp eyes, her fingers lingering for a second.Suddenly, a burning hand shoots up and grabs her wrist.Claire jumps, her heart leaping in her chest.

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 33 - I Can't Live Without Her

The hospital room is quiet. The only sound is the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor, syncing with the frantic pounding in Ethan's chest."No," Claire says. Her voice is soft, but it hits him like a sledgehammer. She gently but firmly peels his fingers off her wrist, one by one."It's not good, Ethan.""I will listen to you from now on," Ethan begs, ignoring the IV needle digging into his vein. His eyes are red-rimmed, fever-bright, and terrified. "Claire, let's not divorce. Please?"Claire turns her head away, refusing to look at his broken expression. She forces her voice to remain steady."You need to recover first. From now on, we live our own lives. You made mistakes, but so did I. I shouldn't have insisted on marrying you three years ago." She lets out a shaky breath. "I learned the hard way that love can't be forced. And we were never meant to be."""No! It's my fault!" Ethan argues, his voice cracking. He tries to sit up, desperation clawing at his throat. "We are married. We

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 34 - The Golden Fruit

The world does not stop spinning just because a marriage ends. While Ethan is drowning in the silence of the empty villa, Claire is actively reclaiming her life.For the first few days post-divorce, she gives herself a holiday. She and Vivian go on a spree—eating, drinking, buying, playing. They move through the city like a whirlwind of expensive perfume and designer shopping bags.Only in the dead of night, when the laughter fades and the lights go out, does she think of Ethan.But the thoughts don't haunt her for long. In a way, she comforts herself with a cold, hard truth: She never really possessed him, so she never really lost him.For three years, she spent most of her time alone in the Maple Ridge Residence. If there is anything she actually misses, it isn't the man—it's the habit. She misses the layout of the house. She misses finding her favorite tea cup in the same spot. She misses Margaret's warm smile and fussing.But habits can be broken. And new memories can be made.---

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 35 - Strangers Again

It has been eight days since the divorce.Claire hasn't shed a single tear. When she posts a photo of her radiant smile on social media, she looks freer than she has in years.Ethan sees the photo from the backseat of his car. The sight of her happiness hits him like a physical blow."Boss," his driver says cautiously, noticing Ethan's dark expression. "This is called Emotional Backlash. It's normal after a divorce. You might feel a sudden wave of loss.""Emotional Backlash?" Ethan scoffs, locking his phone screen. "I don't have time for that."He decides to fight it. He throws himself into work, determined to prove he is the same cold, efficient machine he was three years ago.But the "machine" is broken.The atmosphere at the Lowe Group headquarters becomes terrifying. Ethan transforms into a tyrant, snapping at everyone.He specifically targets happy people.When he hears an overweight manager laughing on the phone with his wife of ten years, Ethan fires a cold, cutting remark, "if

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 36 - On His Knees for Her

Ethan walks into the VIP ward, expecting a quiet lecture.Whoosh.A hardback book flies through the air, slamming into his chest with a dull thud."Get out!"Ethan, usually the picture of untouchable grace, steps back instinctively. His polished leather sole slips on a stray grape that had been thrown earlier.Crash.Ethan Lowe, the terrifying CEO of Lowe Group, loses his balance. He hits the floor hard, his custom-made Italian suit instantly stained with crushed fruit juice.For a heartbeat, there is silence. Ethan pushes himself up, his jaw clenched so hard a vein throbs in his temple. He feels ridiculous. Humiliated."Old man," he hisses, his voice low and dangerous. "Have you gone crazy?""You're the crazy one!" The old man gasps, pointing a trembling finger at him. "Claire told me everything! You let a woman like that go? You useless thing! You deserve to be alone! You deserve to suffer!"She told him.The words hit Ethan harder than the book. He stands up, brushing off his ruine

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 37 - The Stray Dog on a Leash

Claire used to think Ethan Lowe was a block of ice. She never knew that beneath the ice lived a shameless, obsessive beast."Does the outside world know you act like this?" Claire gasps, trying to pry his iron arms from her waist. "Like a clingy child?""I don't care," Ethan mumbles, burying his face deeper into the fabric of her shirt, inhaling her scent like a drug."Hey," Claire warns, grabbing her phone. "I'm recording a video. If I post this, your reputation as the cold CEO is ruined."Ethan finally lifts his head. He doesn't hide. He looks straight into the camera lens, his eyes dark and heavy with feverish desire."Record it," he rasps, a smirk playing on his pale lips. "Let the whole world know I'm with you. Let them know you are my wife."Claire's heart skips a beat. He is insane."I need to remarry someday!" she snaps, panicking. "If people see my ex-husband clinging to me like an octopus, who will dare to marry me?""No one," Ethan growls, his grip tightening painfully. "Yo

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 38 - Beg Me, Mr. Lowe

The VIP suite at the hospital is larger than most apartments.Claire leans back on that sofa, scrolling through her phone, her legs crossed comfortably. The room is quiet, save for the hum of the air purifier. But the air feels heavy, charged with a sticky, palpable tension.She can feel it.Across the room, Ethan is watching her. He isn't reading. He isn't sleeping. He is just staring. His dark eyes trace every movement of her fingers, every shift of her hair, greedily drinking her in like a man dying of thirst.At 11:30 PM, Claire stands up."Where are you going?" Ethan's voice cuts through the silence instantly—low, tight, and laced with panic. He sits up straighter, his knuckles gripping the white sheets.Claire doesn't look back. She keeps walking toward the ensuite bathroom, her tone indifferent. "Shower."Ethan lets out a long exhale, his shoulders dropping. "Oh. Okay." It sounds like a sigh of relief. As if he was terrified she would vanish into thin air the moment she stood u

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 39 - Bark For Me

Claire is stuffed.She leans back against the velvet sofa, letting out a soft, satisfied sigh. "Did you eat?" Claire asks lazily, finally noticing his intense gaze.Ethan's eyes light up instantly, like a switch has been flipped. "Are you worried about me?"Claire rolls her eyes. "I'm just asking. Don't be narcissistic."Ethan's smile dims slightly, but he doesn't look away. "I sent you messages," he says, his voice lowering into a husky register. "Did you see them?""I saw them," Claire admits, pulling out her phone and scrolling idly. "You talk too much."Ethan frowns. His brows knit together in a look of genuine grievance. "But I was restraining myself. I wanted to send a hundred more.""Don't look for excuses." Claire sneers playfully, enjoying the upper hand. "If you annoy me, I'll block you. If you don't want to be blocked, be obedient."Ethan purses his lips. He falls silent, looking at her with large, dark, wet eyes. He looks like a mute child who has been scolded.Claire cros

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 40 - She Is The Prize

Ten days pass in a blink.Ethan is finally discharged from the hospital. As his health improves, the barrage of frantic, obsessive text messages begins to slow down.The man who used to send [Babe, look at me] every ten minutes now sends concise, robotic reports.[Breakfast finished. Taking medication now.] [Meeting with the board. Will be late.] [Goodnight, Miss Reed.]It is polite. It is distant. It is...normal.Claire sits in her office, staring at her silent phone. She tells herself she is relieved. The "madness period" is over. The stray dog has wandered off, back to his high-rise tower and his trillion-dollar empire.The farce is over. They are returning to their own lanes.But why does the silence feel so loud?She taps her fingernail against the screen. She remembers his feverish eyes. She remembers him barking for her without hesitation. She remembers the weight of his head on her stomach.Now, he has vanished."Good," Claire whispers to the empty room, tossing her phone onto

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

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