All Chapters of Rented Husband : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Chapter TwoIvan’s POVThe door to my office clicks open without a knock.I don't look up. I know who it is by the rhythm of his footsteps, confident, unhurried, the kind of stride that belongs to someone who's known me long enough to ignore all my boundaries. Simon has been walking into my spaces unannounced for years. "Keep it up," he says, settling into the leather chair across from my desk. "When you're done burying yourself in work, we'll have that talk."I keep my eyes fixed on the quarterly reports spread across my screen. Numbers. Projections. Forecasts. Safe, predictable things that follow rules and never ask questions I don't want to answer. The spreadsheet blurs slightly, but I blink it back into focus."What do you want, Simon?"The question comes out flatter than I intended. I hear it land between us, cold, distant, the kind of tone I've perfected over years of boardroom negotiations and difficult conversations. Simon, of course, doesn't flinch."Sylvia is coming into to

Chapter Four Sylvia’s POVMy phone shattered the silence of my bedroom with the kind of urgency that could only mean one person.I groaned, burying my face deeper into my pillow before blindly reaching across the nightstand. My fingers finally found the vibrating device, and without checking the caller ID, I answered."Hello…" The word came out thick with sleep.A deafening squeal erupted through the speaker. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST PERSON IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!"I winced, jerking the phone away from my ear. "Bella!"She burst into laughter, the sound bright and infectious even through the tinny speaker. "Good morning, birthday girl!""It would have been a good morning if you hadn't tried to burst my eardrum.""You'll survive." I could practically hear her grinning. "Now get up. Today is your birthday. You're supposed to scream, dance, cry—something!""I literally just woke up.""Exactly. Wake up faster."I laughed despite myself, sitting upright and stretching lazily. The morning

Chapter SixSylvia’s POV Be My Plus One The mahogany doors of Whitmore & Associates stared back at me like they always had, polished, imposing, utterly indifferent to the chaos swirling in my chest. I'd stood in this exact spot a hundred times before, maybe more. Back when visits meant something simple. Back when Adrian's office was just the place I'd barge into with takeout containers and complaints about my mother, and he'd close his laptop without a second thought, already reaching for the spring rolls.That was years ago.Now the brass nameplate gleamed under the hallway lights, and my reflection in the glass partition looked like a stranger wearing my clothes. Same dark blazer. Same anxious habit of twisting my grandmother's ring around my finger. Different everything else.I pressed my palm flat against the wood. Just for a second. The grain was cool, familiar in a way that made my throat tighten. God, I was being ridiculous. This was just a building. Just an office. Just a ma

Chapter EightSylvia’s POV The reception area buzzed with controlled chaos around me, but I barely noticed. My eyes were fixed on the masterpiece I'd created. Three weeks. Three weeks of her changing her damn mind every five minutes. And yet here it was. Perfect. Exactly as I'd envisioned it. I felt the satisfaction radiating through my chest, warm and triumphant. I was good at my job. I'd always been good at my job. And no amount of Pretzel's cruelty could take that away from me.You know," a familiar voice murmured behind me, "for someone who's about to see her ex get married to her once best friend, you really do seem excited."I turned. Adrian stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, looking absurdly handsome in his tailored suit. His dark hair was perfectly styled, his jaw freshly shaved, and his eyes, those familiar, knowing eyes were fixed on me with an expression I couldn't quite read."Maybe because I'm not bothered about either of them." I smiled, feeling the warmth

Chapter TenSylvia’s POV "I'm sorry," I finally managed, swiping at my cheeks with the back of my hand. "I didn't mean to, this isn't, I'm not usually like this.""You're allowed to cry, Sylvia." His voice was soft, gentle. "You just watched your ex marry someone who's spent years trying to destroy you. You're allowed to have feelings about that.""That's the thing, though. I don't feel sad. I don't feel like I lost anything. I feel..." I searched for the word, my mind scrambling. "Free. I feel free. Like I've been holding my breath for years and I finally get to exhale." I laughed, a broken, watery sound. "Then why are you crying?""Because I don't know what comes next." I looked up at him, my vision blurry with tears. "For three weeks, I've been so focused on surviving this wedding, on proving to Pretzel that she couldn't break me, on making sure everything was perfect. And now it's over. And I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with myself.""You're supposed to live, Sylvia. Yo