Faking It With My Billionaire Husband

Chapter 14

The voices inside were getting louder.

Not shouting.

But sharper.

Controlled tension.

The kind that meant something important was happening.

I stood just outside the open door, my heart beating faster than it should have, every instinct telling me to walk away.

This wasn’t my business.

This wasn’t my world.

But that wasn’t true anymore, was it?

I was in this now.

Whether I liked it or not.

I stepped a little closer.

Just enough.

Max’s voice was low, firm. “You shouldn’t be here.”

A second voice answered.

Female.

Cool. Controlled.

Familiar.

“I go where I need to.”

My stomach tightened.

Victoria.

Of course it was.

“I told you to stay away from this,” Max said.

“And I told you that wasn’t going to happen,” she replied smoothly.

There was a pause.

Then—

“You’ve complicated things,” she added.

My breath caught.

Complicated things.

“With what?” Max asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.

“With her.”

My chest tightened.

Me.

“She’s not part of this,” Max said immediately.

“She’s living in your house,” Victoria replied. “Wearing your name. That makes her very much part of this.”

A chill ran down my spine.

This.

What was this?

“She doesn’t know anything,” Max said.

“Then that’s your first mistake.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Then—

“I’m handling it,” Max said.

“You’re handling it badly,” Victoria shot back. “You were supposed to keep things contained.”

“I am.”

“No,” she said sharply. “You’re reacting.”

The tension in her voice cut through the air.

“She was never part of the plan,” Victoria continued. “And now she’s right in the middle of it.”

My pulse pounded.

Plan.

Middle of it.

“What exactly do you think she’s going to do?” Max asked, his voice colder now.

“I don’t know,” Victoria said. “And that’s the problem.”

Another pause.

Then—

“You’re getting too close,” she added.

My breath hitched.

“I know what I’m doing,” Max said.

“Do you?” she challenged. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve blurred the lines.”

“That’s not your concern.”

“It becomes my concern when it affects the outcome.”

Outcome.

The word echoed in my head.

This wasn’t just business.

This wasn’t just events and appearances.

This was something else.

Something bigger.

Something I didn’t understand.

“You need to fix this,” Victoria said.

“It is fixed.”

“No,” she said, her voice dropping lower. “It isn’t. And if this goes wrong—”

“It won’t.”

“You can’t guarantee that.”

“I can.”

Another pause.

Then, quieter—

“Can you?” she asked.

Silence.

Longer this time.

And in that silence…

Something shifted.

Because for the first time—

Max didn’t answer immediately.

And that scared me more than anything else.

⸻

I stepped back quickly.

Heart racing.

Mind spinning.

I shouldn’t have heard that.

I shouldn’t know any of it.

But I did.

And now I couldn’t ignore it.

This wasn’t just a deal.

This wasn’t just a fake marriage.

This was something else.

Something dangerous.

Something I had walked straight into without understanding.

I turned, moving back toward the patio, trying to look like I hadn’t been standing there listening.

Trying to breathe.

Trying to think.

But my thoughts wouldn’t slow down.

Plan.

Outcome.

Middle of it.

Too close.

None of that sounded safe.

None of that sounded controlled.

And I was in it.

Right in the centre of it.

⸻

A few minutes later, the door opened behind me.

I didn’t turn straight away.

I didn’t trust my face.

“Maya.”

Max’s voice.

Calm.

Careful.

Like nothing had happened.

I turned slowly.

He looked the same.

Composed.

Controlled.

Untouched.

But now—

I knew better.

“That didn’t sound like nothing,” I said.

A pause.

“What did you hear?” he asked.

Not if.

What.

Honest.

At least that.

“Enough,” I said.

His jaw tightened slightly.

“Then you shouldn’t have been listening.”

“I didn’t realise I wasn’t allowed to hear things in my own house.”

His gaze sharpened.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

Silence.

Then—

“It’s complicated,” he said.

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one I’m giving you right now.”

Frustration flared again.

“No,” I said. “That’s not how this works anymore.”

His eyes locked onto mine.

“Excuse me?”

“You said I was part of this,” I said. “That I’m in this now.”

“You are.”

“Then I deserve to know what this actually is.”

“You don’t need to know everything.”

“That’s not your decision to make,” I snapped.

“It is when it involves your safety.”

That stopped me.

My chest tightened.

“My safety,” I repeated.

“You’re not in danger,” he said quickly.

“That’s not what it sounded like.”

“You’re reading into it.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m listening. For once.”

Silence fell again.

Heavy.

Tense.

Then—

“You’re safe here,” he said.

“That’s not the same as telling me the truth.”

His expression hardened slightly.

“I’m telling you what you need to know.”

“And I’m telling you that’s not enough.”

We stood there, facing each other, the space between us charged with something stronger than before.

Not just tension.

Not just frustration.

Something deeper.

Something that felt like the beginning of a crack.

“You trust me enough to marry me,” he said.

“I trusted what you offered,” I corrected. “Not what you’re hiding.”

The words landed.

Sharp.

Accurate.

And for the first time—

He didn’t immediately respond.

Because he couldn’t.

Because I was right.

⸻

“I’m not leaving,” I said quietly.

His gaze flicked back to mine.

“I didn’t say you were.”

“But I’m also not going to pretend I don’t see what’s happening.”

“That would be easier.”

“For who?”

A pause.

Then—

“For you.”

I shook my head. “No. It wouldn’t.”

Silence.

Then, softer—

“What happens if this goes wrong?” I asked.

His expression didn’t change.

“It won’t.”

“That’s not what she said.”

“She doesn’t make decisions for me.”

“But she’s involved,” I said. “In whatever this is.”

“Yes.”

“Then I need to know what I’m dealing with.”

“You’re dealing with me.”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

His eyes darkened slightly.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I don’t know where you end and this situation begins,” I said. “And that’s not something I can ignore.”

Silence.

Long.

Heavy.

Real.

Then—

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said.

Again.

The same words.

The same promise.

But this time—

It didn’t feel as solid.

Not because I didn’t believe him.

But because I didn’t know what he was protecting me from.

⸻

A car door slammed somewhere at the front of the house.

Victoria.

Leaving.

Max glanced toward the sound.

Then back at me.

“This conversation isn’t over,” I said.

“No,” he agreed.

“It’s just starting.”

His gaze held mine.

And for a moment—

Something shifted again.

Not distance.

Not tension.

Something else.

Something quieter.

More dangerous.

Because underneath everything—

There was still that pull.

Still that connection.

Still that reason I’d said yes in the first place.

And now it was tangled up in something bigger.

Something darker.

Something I couldn’t walk away from.

Not anymore.

⸻

As he turned and walked back inside, I stood there for a second longer.

Alone.

But not really.

Because now—

I knew.

This wasn’t just a marriage.

This wasn’t just a deal.

This was something else entirely.

And whatever it was…

It was already in motion.