AXEL’S POV:
There was something about Avery that made me want to take her everywhere.
Maybe it was the way she carried herself tonight—poised, effortless. She played the role of my wife so seamlessly that I almost forgot it was a performance. She didn’t just stand beside me like a fragile accessory; she engaged in intelligent conversations, entertained every guest who approached us, and, most importantly, understood when to speak and when to let silence be her strength.
She didn’t pry. She didn’t overdo it.
And for that alone, I planned to reward her.
I despised these gatherings. They were breeding grounds for hypocrisy, a room full of people who smiled with one hand extended in friendship while sharpening their knives with the other. But I couldn’t avoid this one. Not when it
