Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Marriage He Thought Was Fake (The Revenge Affair-Book 2): Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

He laughed softly. “I meant particular.”“You definitely meant difficult.”“I'll let you decide.”Nerissa shook her head, smiling as she watched us. “You two are already starting to sound married.”The comment silenced me for half a second. Sam's expression changed too, though only briefly. Maya, thankfully, didn't notice. She was already busy examining another dress.I looked down at my hands and reminded myself why we were doing this.A staff member approached us a few minutes later, carrying a garment bag I hadn't seen before. “Miss Ashworth?”I looked up. “Yes?”“There is one more dress I would like you to try.”I glanced at the racks. “Another one?”“This one was delivered separately. It was customized, so we didn't put it with the other gowns.”Nerissa sat up a little straighter. “Customized?”The woman nodded. “I believe it may suit Miss Ashworth's taste better.”I wasn't particularly hopeful, but there was something about the woman's confidence that made me curious. I followed

“It doesn't have to be simple.” “You don't know what you're promising.” “I know enough.” The two men looked at each other for several seconds, and I suddenly became exhausted by the entire conversation. They were talking about my inheritance, my family, my future, and the expectations that had followed me long before I had ever met either of them. My mother had spent months telling me what kind of husband I needed, what kind of man could protect my position, and what would happen if I failed to secure my place as the Ashworth heir. Adrian had once seemed like the answer to all of those concerns simply because everyone around me had decided he was. Now I had chosen something completely different. Or at least, I had chosen a different man. I stepped forward and took the garment bag from the staff member before either man could say anything. “Enough.” Both men turned toward me. I looked at Adrian. “I don't want it.” His gaze dropped to the dress in my hands, then returned to my fac

The door opened behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to find Sam standing there. He was already dressed for the ceremony in a dark suit that fit him well without looking as though he'd spent hours trying to impress anyone. His tie was straight, his hair neatly combed, although a few strands had already fallen loose near his forehead. He looked at me for several seconds without saying anything, which eventually became irritating enough that I turned toward him through the mirror.“What?”“Nothing.” His gaze moved over the dress once more before settling on my face. “You look beautiful.”I raised an eyebrow. “That's all?”A faint smile touched his mouth. “I thought you didn't like unnecessary compliments.”“I don't.”“Then we're fine.”I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't stop the smile that pulled at my mouth. That was the problem with Sam. He somehow knew exactly when to say enough and when to leave things alone, which was particularly inconvenient on a morning when I was already tryi

The kiss was brief and gentle, exactly the kind of kiss two people might share for the sake of a wedding photograph, yet my heart still stumbled at the unfamiliarity of his lips against mine. My fingers tightened against his chest before I even realized what I was doing, and almost immediately, his arm drew a little closer around my waist. The response was instinctive, almost imperceptible, but it made something inside me falter.For one suspended moment, I forgot about the guests, the cameras, and even Lucien sitting somewhere among them. There was only Sam, his hand still resting at my waist, his face close enough that I could feel the warmth of his breath when we finally pulled apart. Neither of us spoke. We simply looked at each other for a second too long before the applause around us grew louder, reminding us that an entire garden was watching.We turned toward the guests with matching smiles that probably looked much more natural than either of us felt.It was only a kiss for th

“Ethan. What did I tell you about running near the decorations?”Vance's voice carried across the garden, calm enough that anyone who didn't know him might have missed the warning beneath it. Ethan didn't.He stopped at once, his shoulders drawing in as he looked up at his father. “I forgot.”For a moment, Vance simply looked at him. His jaw tightened, and something flickered across his face before he crouched slightly, bringing himself closer to Ethan's eye level.“You need to remember next time.”Nerissa was watching him. She didn't say anything, not with half the wedding guests already gathering around them, but I noticed the way her gaze lingered on Vance's face before she looked back at Ethan.Leo and Lydia reached them a moment later, followed by Sam's mother and several other guests who had rushed over after hearing the crash. The decorative gate lay across the grass, its flowers scattered around the fallen frame, while Ethan stood between Vance and Lydia looking more embarrasse