No Longer The Ones Who Lose のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 61 - チャプター 65

When the driver stopped in front of the gates, I leaned forward and stared. “Wait. Is this the right location?” He checked the address on his phone again. “Yes, ma’am. This is the address for Mr. Sinclaire.” I exhaled slowly and sat back. The house—if it could even be called a house—rose behind black iron gates like something from a magazine I used to flip through in waiting rooms. Wide stone steps, tall windows, manicured hedges lit by soft ground lights. For a second I almost told the driver to turn around. Then I remembered why I was here. Reputation. My mother’s face. The viral video that still lived in every corner of the internet. I had no clean choices left. “Okay,” I said. The gates opened. The moment the car stopped at the entrance, two maids in neat uniforms came down the steps. They greeted me with polite, practiced smiles and reached for my single suitcase before I could protest. “Welcome, ma’am.” I nodded, still half in disbelief, and followed them inside. The liv

When I reached the house, the familiar smell of cooking met me at the door. My mother stood at the stove, wooden spoon in hand. The moment she turned and saw me, her face brightened in a way I had not allowed myself to hope for.“Valerie. My baby.”She set the spoon down and crossed the kitchen, pulling me into a tight hug before I could prepare an expression. For a second I stood rigid, then the warmth of her arms loosened something I had been holding too tightly all day. I let my own arms rise around her back.“How are you holding up there?” she asked, still not letting go.I was glad she had softened, truly glad, but I had no intention of telling her the truth. I was not going to explain that I had been publicly demoted by the same man I was forced to marry, that he was now my boss, or that every day under his roof felt like another quiet humiliation. I forced a small, steady smile.“I’m okay, Mum. I went back to work. I’ll adjust eventually. Don’t worry about me.”She pulled back

The moment I reached his house I paused in the driveway, engine still running. His car was already there. Of course it was. I had gone back to the washing bay for my own vehicle and lost time; he had come straight from the station. By the time I stepped through the front door the sky outside had started to darken.He was sitting on the living-room sofa, one ankle resting over the opposite knee, phone in hand. He looked up when I entered, expression unreadable.I set my bag down harder than necessary.“What do you think of yourself?” The words came out sharp. “What was that performance at the station for? Acting like some kind of protective husband in front of the officers—you and I both know that is not what this is. Have you already forgotten the rules of this arrangement? No one is supposed to know we are even married. And don’t expect me to be moved because you ‘saved’ me. I could have handled that myself.”He stood slowly. The movement was unhurried, almost lazy, but something in