All Chapters of I was his stand-in wife until he wanted me for real: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

My phone didn’t stop vibrating. At first, I ignored it. I let it buzz against the table, stop, then start again like whoever was calling had decided they weren’t going to be ignored. I had just gotten used to the quiet, and I wasn’t ready to let anything drag me out of it. But it didn’t stop. So I picked it up, ready to silence it. That was when I saw his face. A picture. For a second, I didn’t react. I just looked at it, trying to place it and understand exactly what it meant before I opened it. His name was right there, bold across the top, and beside him was Camille. Standing next to him, almost intimately. I quickly opened it. The image expanded across the screen. It wasn’t an old photo, nor was it something taken out of context. There were people around them, cameras, attention, and he stood in the middle of it like he always did, calm and composed, completely aware of what was happening. And she stood beside him, all smiles. They were so close that any sensible perso

“Stay in my room tonight.”I held his gaze for a moment, then reached back and dropped my bag on the chair without looking away, because there was nothing to think about anymore and no reason to pretend I didn’t understand what he meant. The silence between us didn’t feel empty; it felt tight, like something had already started, and we were the last to admit it. When he stepped closer, I didn’t move.I stayed where I was.I let him close the distance.And when his hand came up and settled against my face, firm and certain, I didn’t stop him, didn’t question it, didn’t give myself the space to step out of it this time.That was enough.He pulled me into him and kissed me like he had already decided this wasn’t something he was going to hold back anymore, not slow, not careful, not asking, just direct in a way that made it impossible to pretend this was still something either of us could step away from halfway.For a second, I let him.Then I answered.Not cautiously.Not halfway.Fully

Maya got there early, not in a way that made anyone look twice, but enough to give herself time to settle before the day fully took shape. She walked in without hesitation, her steps even, her expression composed in a way that didn’t invite conversation unless it was necessary.The woman from the previous day looked up when she approached.“You came.”Maya gave a small nod. “You told me to.”That was enough. The woman motioned for her to follow, already turning as she spoke.“Come. I’ll show you where you’ll be.”Maya followed quietly, her eyes taking in what mattered without lingering on anything that didn’t. People were already at their desks, voices low, movement steady, the kind of environment that didn’t stop to acknowledge someone new for longer than a passing glance. That worked in her favor. It made it easier to step into it without feeling like she was being measured.“This is where you’ll be,” the woman said, stopping at the front desk. “Calls, scheduling, basic coordination

Maya didn’t bother sitting when she stepped into the office. The woman behind the desk noticed her hand hovering over a file, then slowly placed it down again. She had the look of someone who had already decided what she was going to say and didn’t want to complicate it. “Have a seat.” “I’m fine.” Maya’s voice wasn’t sharp, but it left no space for insistence. The woman nodded, folding her hands together as though she needed them steady before continuing. “We won’t be continuing with you.” Maya held her gaze, quiet, steady, not reacting the way people usually did when something was taken from them without warning. She didn’t interrupt, didn’t question, didn’t try to slow it down. “Alright,” she said. The word landed without weight, but that was what made it heavy. The woman shifted slightly. “It’s not about your work. You handled things well. It’s just that—” Maya shook her head once. “It’s fine.” Not dismissive. Not defensive. Just finished. That was the end of it. Sh

Maya did not rush when she got the message, nor did she sit with it. She read it once, understood what it meant, and moved on with her evening the way she had already decided she would. There was no reason to turn it into something heavier than it was. She had been in that house before, had sat at that table, had already seen how his world arranged itself when it gathered. Nothing about tonight required her to become something else. By the time she arrived, the house was already in motion. Voices carried from inside, steady and controlled, the kind of conversation that didn’t pause for effect because it didn’t need to. She stepped in, closed the door behind her, and let her presence register the way it always did now. Not as an interruption. Not as a surprise. Just something that was already expected. A few people looked up when she walked in, and this time, there was no hesitation in it. No second look, trying to place her. They knew her. That part had already been settled. The ack