All Chapters of I was his stand-in wife until he wanted me for real: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

77 Chapters

Where it lands

Maya arrived when the house was already alive with voices, the kind that carried without effort because the people speaking were used to being heard. Nothing about the setting felt unfamiliar to her anymore. She had walked into this space before, sat at that table, faced the same quiet attention that came without announcement. Tonight did not change that. What changed was the way she entered it. She stepped inside without waiting to be received, her pace even, her expression composed in a way that did not ask for approval and did not invite judgment. A few people glanced in her direction as she crossed the room, not out of curiosity, but awareness. They knew who she was. That part had already been settled. There was no hesitation in the way they acknowledged her, no pause to place her presence. It was simple, controlled, and immediate. Ethan stood across the room with two men whose posture alone made it clear they were not there for a small conversation. He saw her, not abruptly, no

After Everything Settled

The house didn’t go quiet all at once after the guests left. It happened gradually, voices thinning out, doors closing, footsteps fading until what remained felt like something that had been disturbed and was slowly finding its way back into place. Maya didn’t stay in the center of it. She moved away from the main room when it was clear there was nothing left there for her, not out of discomfort, not out of uncertainty, just because she had no reason to linger. She stepped into the corridor, the air cooler, the noise behind her softening into something distant enough not to matter. For a moment, she stood there, not thinking about what had just happened, not replaying any of it. There was nothing to question. Nothing to fix. She had done what she needed to do, said what she meant, and left it exactly where it belonged. Footsteps approached behind her. She didn’t turn immediately. She knew who it was. Ethan stopped a short distance away. He didn’t speak right away. “You didn’t

THE LEGACY CLAUSE

"You can’t just walk away."Ethan’s voice caught Maya at the foot of the stairs. It wasn't loud, but it had that familiar edge of steel that made the air in the foyer feel heavy. The guests were gone, the house was empty, and the silence that remained was biting.Maya didn't turn around. She kept her hand on the railing, her fingers tightening against the cold surface. "The dinner is over, Ethan. I did what was required. I stood by your side while your family picked apart every word I said. I’m going to bed.""My family didn't come here for small talk, Maya."Ethan stepped into her peripheral vision. He had stripped off his suit jacket, his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal the tension in his forearms. He looked raw, stripped of the polished corporate mask he’d worn all night. "They were here to confirm the one thing they will actually demand. The thing I haven't told you."Maya turned then, her gaze sharp. "What are you talking about? The contract was for a year. That was the deal."

The Trojan horse

The morning air in the mansion was cold enough to bite. Maya hadn’t slept; she had spent the night staring at the ceiling, the weight of Ethan’s demand for an heir pressing down on her like a physical hand. She didn't wait for a formal breakfast. She didn't want to see Ethan’s face across a table, acting like he hadn't just changed the rules of their existence.By noon, she was out the door. She didn’t use the Blake car. She grabbed a taxi at the edge of the estate, her eyes tracking the windows of the second floor. She knew Camille was up there, tucked behind the heavy curtains, watching her leave with that sharp, knowing smile."The Grayson," Maya told the driver.The restaurant was the kind of place where the lighting was dim and the booths were deep. She found Adrian in the back. He looked steady, a stark contrast to the chaos vibrating under Maya’s skin."You look like you’re waiting for an execution," Adrian said as she slid into the seat. He didn't offer a hollow greeting. He r

THE GILDED CAGE

"Get out of the car, Maya." Ethan didn’t look at her as he stepped onto the gravel. The engine ticked in the silence of the driveway, cooling down after the aggressive sprint back from the restaurant. He didn't wait for a response. He didn't offer a hand. He just headed for the front entrance like a man walking toward a firing squad. Maya followed, but she didn’t crawl. She slammed the door hard enough to make the frame rattle and caught up to him in three strides. "You’re not serious. You really think dragging me out of a public place is going to fix your reputation?" Ethan stopped at the threshold, turning so sharply she almost walked into his chest. His face was a mask of jagged, suppressed fury. "Reputation? You were sitting there with a man who looked at you like you were the only thing in the room. In the middle of the city. Two months into a marriage that is already under a microscope." "Maybe if you didn't look through me every time we’re in the same room, I wouldn't have

The biting cold

The dining table felt a mile long. Maya sat at one end, her posture rigid, her eyes fixed on the condensation sliding down her glass. The silence in the room was sharp, broken only by the rhythmic scrape of Camille’s fork against a plate. Ethan sat at the head, his face a mask of iron, though the muscle in his jaw wouldn't stop ticking. "The meal is excellent, Ethan," Camille said, her voice cutting through the tension like a razor. "It’s a shame Maya isn’t enjoying it. But I suppose a secret lunch can really spoil an appetite." Maya didn't look up. "It’s hard to swallow when the air in the room is this toxic, Camille. I’m surprised you haven't choked on it yet." Camille let out a short, melodic laugh. "Defiance doesn't suit a person in your position, darling. It makes you look desperate." "I'm not a permanent fixture here," Maya said, finally meeting Ethan’s gaze. "I'm a guest you've refused to let leave. There’s a word for that, and it isn't 'marriage.'" Ethan pushed his plate

THE WEIGHT OF THE NAME

The walk to Ethan’s bedroom was the quietest part of the night. Maya didn’t look at the walls or the empty spaces of the house. Every step was just a countdown. She pushed the door open and didn't wait for an invitation.The room was dim, the only light coming from a low lamp that turned the air a heavy, thick amber. Ethan was standing by the window. He’d already stripped his shirt, the light catching the hard, jagged lines of his back. He didn't turn around immediately, but the tension in the room grew tight the second she stepped inside."You’re late," Ethan said. His voice wasn't a roar anymore. It was a low, rough sound that seemed to grate against the silence."I didn't realize there was a clock on this," Maya said, her smart mouth cutting through the stillness. She kicked off her heels, the sound of them hitting the floor the only protest she had left. "You’ve got the house on lockdown. You’ve got my phone on your desk. What else are you waiting for, Ethan? A formal announcement

The Daylight Deception

The light hit the floor in a flat, indifferent glare. It didn't feel like a new beginning; it felt like an intrusion. Maya lay perfectly still, her eyes fixed on a thin crack in the ceiling that she hadn’t noticed before. Her body felt heavy. The heat of Ethan’s body was a suffocating weight against her back, his skin radiating a warmth that felt like a brand. His arm was over her waist, his fingers curled into the skin of her stomach, a physical reminder of the night they’d just spent together. She didn’t feel like a wife. She felt like she’d finally hit the hardest part of a very long, very dirty bargain. Ethan stirred, his breath hot against the nape of her neck. He pulled her an inch closer, a possessive hold that made Maya’s jaw tighten until it ached. The silence in the room was undeniable. "The sun is up, Ethan," Maya said. Her voice was steady, more steady than she imagined. "The night is over. You can let go of me now." She felt the immediate change in him. The warmt

The Retainer

The thud of the door closing was final, a heavy sound that swallowed the morning air and left the hall ringing with a pressurized silence. Ethan didn't move. He stood with his back to the wood, his hand still clamped on Maya’s wrist. His heat bled through the silk of her robe, his breathing a jagged, uneven rhythm."You're hurting me," Maya said. Her voice was low, stripped of any weight.Ethan’s fingers loosened, but he didn't pull away. He turned his head, his eyes dark and bloodshot, raking over her face."He isn't coming back here, Maya. Not to this house and not to you.""He's an idiot," Maya whispered, rubbing the skin where his fingers had dug in. "He thinks he’s saving me from a debt that’s already paid. He doesn't understand that the hospital bills are settled.""He understands the price," Ethan said. He stepped closer, forcing her to tilt her head back. He ignored the phone lying on the carpet at the top of the stairs, the screen still glowing with an abandoned call. "But he

THE PRICE OF SILENCE

The silence out on the terrace felt thick. Maya stayed by the railing, her hands gripping the edge so hard her knuckles ached. She didn't look back at the house. She stared at the long, empty drive where Adrian had just been dragged away, her chest tight with a mix of adrenaline and a growing, heavy dread. The glass door slid open behind her. The weight of the house seemed to shift as Ethan walked out. He wasn’t wearing his jacket anymore. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the throat, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing the tension still coiled in his arms. He didn't look like a billionaire; he looked like a man who had just used his bare hands to protect his property and was now coming to check the damage. In his hand, he held her phone. He didn’t hand it over. He walked straight to her, stopping so close she could feel the heat radiating off his body. He held the device out, the screen dark, his eyes boring into hers. "I just authorized the first payment," Ethan said.

1 2 3 4 5 6 8

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP