All Chapters of MARRIED TO MY ENEMY'S FATHER: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Chapter 32HarperMarried life, it turned out, looked remarkably similar to the months leading up to it, except now there was no more waiting attached to any of it. No more careful distance. No more slow.We spent the first week after the wedding back on the same island where everything had shifted, this time without brochures or wedding planning distracting us from simply being together. Damian, to my continued amusement, still couldn’t ride a bicycle properly.“You’re doing it on purpose,” I accused, watching him wobble dangerously close to the same palm tree from months earlier.“I am a grown man being humiliated by a bicycle. I promise you, this is not intentional.”“Sure it isn’t.”He caught up to me eventually, laughing, and we spent the afternoon exploring the same small shops and quiet beaches, married now in every sense that mattered instead of just on paper.“Any regrets?” he asked one evening, both of us tangled together on the balcony, watching the sunset paint the sky in

Chapter 34HarperRichard requested a meeting three days after the dinner party, and this time, he came to us.He arrived at the mansion unannounced, standing in the foyer with the same rigid posture he always carried, though something in his expression seemed different this time. Less certain.“I wasn’t expecting you,” Damian said, meeting him in the hallway.“I wasn’t expecting to come.” Richard glanced past him, finding me near the staircase. “Harper.”“Richard.”An uncomfortable silence stretched between the three of us before Damian finally gestured toward the study. “Say what you came to say.”We settled into the room, Richard choosing a seat near the window rather than his usual position of authority behind a desk. Something about the choice felt deliberate, almost humbling.“Marcus called me,” Richard said finally. “After the dinner.”“I imagine that conversation went well for you.”“It didn’t.” Richard’s jaw tightened. “He said your wife handled herself better than most execu

Chapter 36HarperEthan didn’t show up again for nearly a month, and in that time, life at the mansion settled into something closer to peaceful than I’d ever expected it could become.Lily started first grade that September, and Damian took the morning off work entirely, insisting on walking her to the car himself despite Mason’s raised eyebrows about a rescheduled board call.“You didn’t have to do that,” I said, watching him adjust Lily’s backpack for the third time.“Yes, I did.”“The Peterson call—”“Can wait.” He crouched down to Lily’s height, straightening her collar with more care than I’d ever seen him show a business document. “You have everything?”“Yes, Dad.”“Lunch?”“Yes.”“Extra pencils, in case you break one?”“Dad.” Lily’s exasperation was almost comical. “I’m going to be late.”He laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before letting her climb into the car. I watched the whole exchange from the doorway, something warm settling permanently in my chest. This

Chapter 38HarperChristmas morning arrived with Lily bouncing on our bed at six-fifteen, entirely too early for anyone still recovering from wrapping presents until midnight.“IT’S CHRISTMAS.”“We’re aware,” Damian mumbled into his pillow.“Santa came. I heard the reindeer.”“You heard the wind.”“It was definitely reindeer.”I laughed, pulling myself upright despite my body’s strong protest. “Give us ten minutes, baby.”“Five.”“Seven.”“Deal.”She disappeared in a blur of pajamas and excitement, leaving Damian and me alone for a few precious extra minutes.“Remind me why we agreed to have a child who wakes up at dawn,” he said, still facedown against the pillow.“You didn’t have a choice. She arrived fully formed and opinionated.”“Fair point.”We made our way downstairs eventually, finding Lily already perched beside the tree, practically vibrating with anticipation. The morning unfolded exactly the way Christmas mornings were supposed to — wrapping paper scattered everywhere, Lil

Chapter 40HarperSecond trimester brought energy back in full force, along with an appetite Damian found endlessly amusing.“You ate an entire jar of pickles yesterday,” he said, watching me reach for another snack from the pantry. “An entire jar, Harper.”“The baby wanted pickles.”“The baby’s the size of an avocado. I looked it up.”“An avocado with excellent taste in snacks, apparently.”He laughed, pulling me close despite my mouth still full of crackers. “I love you. Pickle obsession and all.”“Good. Because this obsession isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”We’d settled into a comfortable rhythm since the pregnancy announcement, ordinary domestic routine punctuated by doctor’s appointments and Lily’s increasingly elaborate nursery demands. She’d apparently abandoned the unicorn theme in favor of something she called “space unicorns,” which involved considerably more glitter than either Damian or I felt equipped to handle.“She’s very committed to this vision,” I told my mother