All Chapters of I was his stand-in wife until he wanted me for real: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The next morning, I didn’t feel any different. Nothing had settled. I got dressed and left my room without thinking too much about it. The hospital was the only place I wanted to be, the only thing that still made sense. I stepped into the hallway and stopped. He was already there. Dressed for work. Calm. Put together as if nothing had happened. For a second, I thought about turning back. I didn’t. I walked past him instead. “Going somewhere?” “I’m heading to the hospital.” I kept walking. “I’ll drop you off.” That made me slow down. “I can manage.” “I’m already leaving.” I stopped, then turned just enough to look at him. “You don’t have to.” “I know.” I held his gaze for a second, then nodded once. “Fine.” The drive was quiet. Not uncomfortable. Just… quiet. I kept my attention on the road ahead. He didn’t try to start a conversation, and I didn’t either. When the car stopped outside the hospital, I reached for the door. “Thanks.” I stepped out without

“You ignored my call.”I didn’t even need to look up to know it was him. The tone gave it away before anything else did. I finished signing the form the nurse had handed me, slid it back across the counter, and only then did I turn. Ethan was standing a few feet away, watching me.“I saw it,” I said.His expression changed because I was sure that wasn’t the answer he was expecting.“Then why didn’t you answer?”I held his gaze. “Because I didn’t want to.”He took a step forward. “So this is how it is now, huh?”“I really don’t give a fuck about whatever this is to you. It’s my phone, and I decide who’s call to answer or ignore”.“Oh, so it’s like this now?” He saidThat almost made me laugh“ I don’t even see why you’re pressed about me not answering the phone, because if I remember correctly, you walked out on me a few hours ago without saying a word. So I don’t see why you should be bothered now”.The words landed exactly where I wanted them to.“Don’t stand here acting like this i

Adrian didn’t repeat the question, and I didn’t give him a better answer. “I’m here,” I said, and left it at that. It wasn’t enough to explain anything, but it was enough for him. He studied me for a second longer, like he was deciding whether to push or let it go, and then he nodded once and reached for his glass instead. “Alright,” he said. That was the end of it. The waiter returned with our food, placing the plates down between us. Adrian said something about the place, something light, easy to respond to. This time I listened. Not because I suddenly cared about what he was saying, but because it felt easier than slipping back into my own head again, where everything was louder than it needed to be. I answered where it made sense, nodded when I needed to, and for a while, that was enough to keep the moment moving without forcing it into something it wasn’t. “Are you always this quiet?” he asked after a while, not in a way that felt like he was calling me out, just noticing

I stepped outside and kept walking until the hospital was behind me.Not because I had somewhere to go.I just wasn’t ready to stop.The noise from inside faded quickly. Out here, everything moved at its own pace. Cars passed. People crossed. Nobody paid attention.That helped.I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone without thinking.The screen lit up.Nothing.No message. No missed call.I stared at it for a second, then locked it and slipped it back inside.It rang almost immediately.Unknown number.I let it ring once. Twice.Then I answered.“Hello?”“Maya?”“Yes.”“It’s Camille.”I didn’t respond right away.“What do you want?” I asked.“I’m guessing he hasn’t told you.”“Told me what?”“I’m moving back into the house.”I let out a quiet breath.“And you thought calling me was necessary?” I said. “That sounds like something you should be discussing with him.”Camille didn’t react to that immediately.“I will,” she said. “But I thought you should hear it from me first.”I s

I didn’t go back inside. I didn’t slow down on the steps, didn’t pause at the door, didn’t give myself the space to reconsider anything that had just happened, because the truth was already sitting too clearly in my chest. I knew if I stood there long enough, I would only be pretending there was still something left to fix when there wasn’t. So I walked out of the house, pushed the gate open, and stepped into the street without looking back. The air outside felt different. Lighter, better. For a second, I stood there, my hand still wrapped around the strap of my bag, and my thoughts were settled. There was no noise in my head, no argument replaying itself, no urge to go back and say one more thing. That was the part that made it real. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. I booked a ride without hesitation, confirmed it, and slipped the phone back into my bag before I could give myself the chance to second-guess it. By the time the car arrived, I was already moving a