Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Marriage He Thought Was Fake (The Revenge Affair-Book 2): Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Vance exhaled slowly. For once, his expression gave away a hint of disbelief before he looked toward the restaurant behind us.“I think we need to talk about this. The four of us.”I frowned. “Why?”“Because Adrian didn't just investigate your husband.” His voice remained controlled, but there was a warning underneath it now. “He investigated Sam because of you. And while doing that, he found Maya.”My stomach tightened. I had expected him to investigate Sam out of wounded pride. What I hadn't expected was for his investigation to lead straight into Vance and Nerissa's family.Vance continued, his expression growing harder. “He brought Nerissa's name into the conversation. He brought Maya's identity into it. Now he knows Sam was part of her life before I even knew she existed.”“But Adrian already knows the truth about Maya.”“That isn't the point.” Vance turned toward me fully.“The point is that he started digging because of your marriage. We don't know how far he went, what else he

The drive back to the Blackwood mansion should have been quiet. Instead, Nerissa spent most of the journey staring out the window, one hand resting against the armrest while the city slowly disappeared behind them. Vance drove with one hand on the steering wheel, his attention fixed on the road ahead, but he knew her well enough to recognize the silence.She was thinking about Caleste.He glanced at her briefly. “You're worried.”Nerissa didn't look at him. “Wouldn't you be?”“About the marriage?”“About everything.” She finally turned toward him. “Caleste has spent five years trying not to cross a line she was afraid to cross, and now she's suddenly married to the man she's been trying not to want.”Vance's mouth tightened slightly. He understood exactly what she meant.“I don't think she realizes how complicated this could become.”“She thinks she does.”“That is exactly what worries me.”Vance was quiet for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. “Sam knows.”Nerissa's expr

The coastline appeared beyond the trees as Sam's car turned onto the familiar road leading toward his family's house.I had made this drive every year for the last five years, sometimes alone and sometimes with Sam, and I knew the house well enough that I could probably walk through it with my eyes closed. I knew which window belonged to Anna, which chair Sam's father always took during dinner, and which cabinet his mother kept the good plates in.Nothing about the house had changed. I had. For the first time, I wasn't arriving as Sam's friend. I looked down at my left hand. The gold ring caught the afternoon light.Sam noticed the movement but didn't say anything. He simply slowed the car as we approached the house.His mother was already outside. The moment she saw the car, she smiled and started walking toward us. When Sam stepped out, she opened her arms.Then she saw me getting out from the passenger side. Her face immediately brightened. “Oh, Caleste, you came too.”She walked t

Leo's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Sam. “When did you decide you wanted to marry her?”The question changed the atmosphere at the table in a way I couldn't explain. His mother, who had been smiling only moments earlier, looked between the two men with mild curiosity. Anna seemed almost amused, as though she expected Leo to tease Sam about finally getting married. Even his father lifted his eyes from his plate, waiting for the answer.Sam, however, didn't respond immediately.I noticed it because I had been watching him more closely than I should have since we arrived. His smile remained in place, but something behind it shifted. He pushed his chair back and stood, reaching for the basket of tomatoes Leo had brought in from the garden.“I didn't exactly plan it,” Sam said as he placed the basket on the table. “I only realized I wanted to marry Caleste when I found out she was going to be forced into marrying another man.”He said it lightly, almost as though the decision had

Sam didn't immediately respond.Leo remained silent for several seconds. “You've lost your mind.”Sam gave a quiet laugh. “That's what everyone keeps telling me.”Leo's gaze remained on Sam for another moment before he finally asked, “Who else knows about this?”Sam hesitated briefly. “Vance and Nerissa.”Leo's eyebrows lifted. “They know?”“They found out before we came here.” Sam leaned against the wooden railing, lowering his voice as he glanced toward the house. “They understand why we're doing it, and they're helping us keep it quiet. Nobody else can know. Especially not my family.”Leo followed his gaze toward the dining room. His expression remained thoughtful for a moment before he nodded. “All right. Then I'll keep it between us.”Some of the tension left Sam's shoulders. “Thank you.”Leo gave him a brief look. “Don't thank me yet.”Sam frowned.“You still haven't answered the question I actually care about.” Leo folded his arms, his eyes settling on him again. “Why Caleste?”