All Chapters of 100 Days With My Nemesis: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

115 Chapters

~040~ DESPERATE TIMES

NORA I shouldn't have come out. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have to see Sebastian waiting just outside the hotel.The thought loops endlessly in my mind as my ex walks quietly beside me. Neither of us speaks for a long minute. Finally, I stop."This was a mistake."Sebastian turns to me immediately. "Nora...""No." I shake my head, tired to my bones. "I’m not doing this with you."I rub my temple beneath the sunglasses. "My head already hurts enough."I turn to leave, but his fingers wrap gently around my wrist."Nora, please."I close my eyes. "...Sebastian.""I don't understand." His voice cracks. "When did I lose you?"Shit."I keep replaying everything," he says with a small, helpless laugh. "Every conversation. Every date. Every fight."His grip loosens until he's simply holding my hand. "I don't know what I did wrong."I stare at our joined hands."I don't know why you suddenly ended things." His thumb brushes softly across my knuckles. "But whatever it was... I'm sorry."The w

~041~ DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

NORA One hundred days. The words are strangely fragile against the constant roar of the Vegas Strip. For a little while, I simply stare at him."...You're serious."Marcellus nods, the breeze tossing his hair into his face. "I've never been more serious about anything."I study his face, searching for the familiar smirk. The smug confidence. The arrogant certainty that usually lives in those ridiculously handsome features.I find none of it.My God, he's terrified. The realization actually scares me. This isn't what I'm used to. Not at all."You really think one hundred days can fix..." I gesture weakly between us. "...this?""No." The answer catches me off guard. "I don't think it'll fix it." His voice is so gentle. "I think it'll tell you whether it's worth fixing."Silence settles again.Why does he suddenly know exactly what to say?I hate it."...And what happens if I still hate you?"A tiny smile ghosts across his lips. "Then you'll have had one hundred days of making my

~042~ THE PERFECT DOUBLE

MARCELLUS I swipe my keycard against the suite door.The moment I stroll inside, I know something is wrong. Nora is pacing. It's not her usual irritated pacing either. She doesn't even notice me at first. "...Little wolf?"She whirls around at the sound of my voice. Those beautiful green eyes are wide and full of something I don't like. Fear."What's going on outside?" I ask, keeping my voice calm. "There were crime tapes everywhere when I came up."She stares at me for a long second. Then her words tumble out."Did you meet up with Josh?"I don't blink. "Yes."Her expression hardens. "Where?"I tilt my head, watching her carefully. "Did something happen to Josh?"She lets out a bitter laugh that sounds more like a sob. "He was pushed off a second-floor balcony, Mars. Tiffany thinks you did it."Well. That explains a lot.Before I can respond, a loud, frantic banging erupts at the door."Nora! Open up!" Tiffany's voice.She's definitely pissed.Nora looks at me, her brows

~043~ FIRST CRACK

NORA The director merely folds his hands, his expression calm."Mr. Gregory has not been charged with a crime," he says. "As of this morning, the police have confirmed that there is insufficient evidence to detain him."A murmur sweeps through the room. I don't join in.I just keep my eyes fixed on the stack of papers in front of me, tracing the sharp edge of the confidentiality agreement with my thumb over and over.Insufficient evidence. Not innocent. There's a difference. A cruel, technical one."...Mrs. Gregory?"My head shoots up. The director is looking directly at me."Will you and your husband be continuing on the program?"Several pairs of eyes swing towards me. My throat tightens.I don't even know if we're still pretending to be a married couple. I don't know what we are anymore.Before I can find an answer—"Yes."The voice comes from behind me. I don't have to turn around to know it's him.Marcellus walks deeper into the room. He's freshly showered, wearing a cris

~044~ RED-HERRING

NORA Marcellus doesn't hesitate."No," he replies calmly. "I don't have a twin."I stare at him, waiting for the usual arrogance. It doesn’t come. He just looks back at me with an unshakable certainty."How are you so sure?" I ask, narrowing my eyes. "People lie about family all the time. Especially in your world."He shrugs. "Because I spent years making sure I knew every single person connected to me. I dug into every record, every rumor, and every ghost from my past. There was no twin."His eyes stay locked on mine. "If there was another version of me walking around... I would have found him."Weird. Then... who the hell was that guy?We head to the diner attached to the resort and get our food. I pick something simple for both of us. Plain rice, grilled chicken, and clear broth. Nothing that could upset his stomach.When the plates arrive, Marcellus stares at his food with a slight crease in his brows. He takes one bite, then another, but his movements are slow.I watch him

~045~ COLD RESOLVE

NORA Marcellus falls asleep first. It happens relatively fast. His heavy arm stays draped over my waist, holding me tucked tight against his chest.For a while, I just lie there, drowning. My cowardice has kept me here.Carefully, I lift his arm, inch by careful inch, until I can sneak away. He stirs once, then settles again with a sigh.I slip out of bed, head to the bathroom, and lock the door. Only then do I let myself breathe. My face is ghostly pale under the harsh light.After receiving Val's message, my curiosity had led me down a rabbit hole on the internet.Those earlier messages from the unknown number creep back into my mind. The photo and the audio as well.How stupid of me to downplay the possibility that I was entertaining my own doom. But Dad's company is really crumbling. It's all over the news.Cold dread crawls up my spine. What if it's actually worse than I thought?Trembling, I hit Dad's contact. The phone rings three times. And goes into voicemail.So I try

~046~ MUDDY WATER

MARCELLUS I already know I'm in deep shit. It's as clear as daylight.I flip through the pages slowly, pretending to be calm while my heart threatens to explode out of my chest. Most of the clauses are exactly what she threatened earlier. Petty, predictable and ridiculously cute.Then I reach the last page.My eyes narrow.Article 30: Access & TransparencyFor the duration of the 100 days, the Husband shall grant the Wife full access to all business-related documents, emails, and communications upon request. This includes, but is not limited to, financial records, contracts, and meeting notes connected to any company in which the Husband holds a controlling interest.I read it twice.No timelines. No restrictions. No confidentiality carve-outs. Just "upon request."It looks... reasonable. Almost boring. Like she's just being a concerned wife who wants to understand my world. On paper, it's the kind of clause any normal person might agree to.But this is Nora.I look up to meet

~047~ ON MY KNEES

MARCELLUS I don't answer immediately. Instead, I look at Nora. She's staring at the chocolate spilling across the plate, refusing to look at me."...I do."No one utters a word. Even Sebastian has his narrowed gaze on me."She's right." My voice is calm. "Obsession doesn't announce itself. One day you're simply... rearranging your entire life around another person without realizing you've already lost."A few contestants exchange glances."And lies?" I continue. "They sometimes don't begin with bad intentions."Now Nora looks at me."They begin with someone convincing themselves they're protecting the person they love." I clench my fist. "Eventually... you forget the difference between protecting them and hurting them."I keep my eyes on Nora. "So yes. I agree with every word my wife said."I pause."The only thing she forgot..." My gaze lingers on hers. "...is that some obsessions don't end when they're exposed. They become love."I don't realize how bad those words got to N

~048~ Why?

NORA I step out of the bathroom feeling like I've been wrung out and left to dry. My body aches from the long day of filming, and all I want is something sweet. My favorite dessert. Those delicate pistachio macarons from the little patisserie near the resort. I've been thinking about them since this morning.I'm halfway to the bed when a sharp knock sounds at the door.My bare feet pad across the floor as I cautiously approach the door. I peek through the peephole first.It's Marcellus.I exhale, some of the tension leaving my shoulders, and open the door.He stands there, looking unfairly handsome even while clearly exhausted. In one hand, he holds a beautiful bouquet of white lilies and soft pink roses. In the other hand, he's holding a small white box from the patisserie.My favorite macarons.The relief hits me so hard that my eyes actually sting. I want to throw myself into his arms and bury my face in his chest.But then I remember that I'm currently at the war front. So

~049~ OPEN-HEARTED

NORA I should've gone back to sleep after searching the closet. But I had found nothing that could have incriminated him. Now, I'm sitting cross-legged beside him, watching. He's asleep on his side, one arm stretched across the mattress where I'd been lying earlier. My fingers hover above his hair before I give in. "...One touch," I whisper to myself. "That's all." I brush a few strands of dark hair away from his forehead. They're so soft, slipping between my fingers like silk. A strange warmth spreads through my chest at the contact. He doesn't wake up. Encouraged, I let my fingers drift through his hair slowly, gently combing it back. My fingertips graze his scalp, and his breathing deepens. His forehead relaxes beneath my fingers. "...You really are exhausting," I mumble. It’s strange indeed. How one man can depend on so many pills for survival. A tiny frown appears between his brows. His lashes flutter weakly. "...Mm..." I freeze. His eyes crack open only hal

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