All Chapters of married for show : Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

VALERIE​I couldn't breathe.​The dark bedroom felt like it was shrinking, the walls pressing in on my chest as hyperventilation took over. Trembling violently, I stared at my phone screen, my thumb frantically pressing the call button for the fifth time in ten minutes.​Ring... ring... ring...​"Your call has been forwarded to automated voice mail—"​I yanked the phone away, a ragged, terrified sob tearing from my throat. He wasn't picking up. Nathan was furious, convinced I was sleeping with Ben, and now he held the nuclear option right in his hands.​What if he tells everyone? What if he goes straight to Elena? What if he tells my parents?​The raw trauma of last summer rushed back like a tidal wave, drowning me. My parents would look at me with absolute disgust. Elena would hate me for the rest of her life. My world was ending, crumbling into ash right before my eyes.​Driven by pure, unadulterated panic, I stumbled out of my room and down the dark corridor of the guest wing. I di

VALERIE​My parents were leaving for their weekend trip later that evening, which left me with a very small window to execute the sleepover plan. I hadn't told them about it yet—after the chaotic brawl between Ben and Nathan at the beach house, there was no way they'd approve an unsupervised party at the estate if I asked early. My best bet was asking at the very last second, right when their private chauffeur was idling in the driveway and they were too rushed to argue.​I texted the group chat, sending the invite to Maya, Elena, Nathan, and his crew.​While Ben stayed back at the house frantically trying to crack or deduce Nathan’s potential passcodes, I drove over to Maya’s house to plan the setup. Maya was effortlessly brilliant at curating parties; I had zero energy for aesthetics today, so having her help was a lifesaver.​"We need tons of popcorn, those gourmet tortilla chips, and I already grabbed two bottles of sweet red wine from your dad’s liquor cabinet last week," Maya sa

VALERIE​Elena arrived twenty minutes later, slipping into the living room just as the group settled onto the plush sectionals. The ambient lights were dimmed low, throwing soft shadows across the room, while a horror movie played quietly on the massive flat screen.​Ria sat curled up right beside Ben on the couch, casually resting her head against his shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. Every time she laughed or leaned into him, my chest constricted with a sharp, suffocating jealousy. I forced my eyes away, sitting across from them beside Nathan, gripping my glass of sweet red wine until my knuckles turned white.​"Alright, Truth or Dare," Nathan announced, a cruel, cocky smirk playing on his lips as he set a bottle of tequila on the dark glass coffee table. He gave it a hard spin.​The bottle whirred across the glass before slowing down, pointing its neck straight at Maya.​"Maya," Nathan grinned, leaning back. "Truth or Dare?"​Maya rolled her eyes, taking a s

​VALERIE​I sprinted out of the front gates, my lungs burning, the icy rain soaking through my clothes in seconds.​The scene on the dark asphalt made my stomach violently turn over. Ben was lying still on his side in the middle of the flooded road, his face deathly pale, a crimson pool spreading fast from his hairline, washing away in the downpour. Elena was kneeling over him, her hands covered in his blood, sobbing hysterically.​"BEN!" I shrieked, my knees giving out as I threw myself onto the wet pavement beside him. "Ben, open your eyes! Please! Ben!"​"He's not responding, Val!" Elena cried, her voice cracking against the thunder. "A black SUV—it didn't even slow down! It just hit him!"​Nathan and Marcus burst through the gates a second later. Nathan took one look at Ben’s bleeding form and immediately took charge.​"We don't have time to wait for an ambulance in this storm!" Nathan roared over the thunder. "Marcus, help me lift him! We're taking my car!"​They scooped Ben up c

VALERIE​The automatic double doors of the emergency lobby slid open with a sharp, pneumatic hiss.​My heart plunged straight into my stomach.​My parents strode down the hallway, flanked by two private security guards. My dad was already barking orders into his phone, his tailored suit coat unbuttoned, his jaw set in that terrifying, unyielding line he wore whenever he was handling a corporate crisis. My mom hurried beside him, clutching her designer handbag, her face a pale mask of sheer panic.​"Valerie!" my mom gasped, rushing forward the second her eyes landed on me. She threw her arms around me, pulling me into a tight, suffocating embrace. "Oh my God, sweetie! Are you okay? Where is Ben? How is he?!"​"Mom... I'm fine," I choked out, my voice muffled against her coat as my body stiffened. "He's... he's in the ICU. He just came out of surgery."​My mom pulled back slightly, her hands trembling as she smoothed my damp hair away from my face, her eyes frantically searching mine fo