Chapter 13
1445 Words
By the time we got back to the house, the quiet didn’t feel comforting anymore.
It felt… deceptive.
Like everything looked calm on the surface, but underneath, something was shifting.
I slipped my heels off the moment we stepped inside, letting out a breath as my feet hit the cool floor.
“I think I’ve officially lost all feeling in my toes,” I muttered.
Max loosened his tie slightly, glancing at me. “You didn’t complain once.”
“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t suffering.”
A faint smile touched his mouth. “Noted.”
I walked further into the house, rolling my shoulders slightly. “Is every day like that?”
“No.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“Some days are worse.”
I stopped mid-step. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
I groaned softly. “I’ve made a terrible life choice.”
“You’ve made a strategic one.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“No,” he agreed. “But it’s more useful.”
I turned to look at him properly.
He looked completely at ease again.
Like stepping into that world—and back out of it—was nothing.
Like he hadn’t just introduced me as his wife to a room full of people who clearly had opinions about it.
“You didn’t tell me people would react like that,” I said.
“How did they react?”
“Surprised,” I replied. “Confused. Judging.”
“That’s expected.”
“By you, maybe.”
He watched me for a moment. “Did it bother you?”
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then—
“You handled it anyway.”
I folded my arms. “That doesn’t mean I liked it.”
“I didn’t say you had to like it.”
“Good.”
Silence settled for a second.
Then—
“That woman,” I said. “Victoria.”
His expression shifted slightly.
“What about her?”
“She didn’t seem like ‘just someone who asks too many questions.’”
“She’s not.”
I waited.
He didn’t elaborate.
“That’s it?” I pressed. “That’s all you’re going to say?”
“For now.”
I frowned. “That’s not helpful.”
“It’s necessary.”
That word again.
Careful.
Controlled.
Like he was holding something back.
And suddenly, I felt it again—
That subtle warning.
The one I’d been ignoring.
“This isn’t just about business events, is it?” I asked quietly.
His gaze met mine.
Sharp.
Assessing.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… there’s more going on here,” I said. “With you. With your world.”
Silence stretched between us.
Longer this time.
Then—
“Yes,” he said.
The honesty of it made my chest tighten.
“And you didn’t think that was something I should know before I agreed to this?” I asked.
“I told you it wouldn’t be simple.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“No,” he admitted. “It isn’t.”
Frustration flared.
“So what am I walking into, Max?”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Something controlled,” he said. “And something I handle.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I’m giving you right now.”
I stared at him.
Anger.
Fear.
Confusion.
All mixing together.
“I’m not just a prop,” I said.
“I know that.”
“Then stop treating me like one.”
His gaze darkened slightly.
“I’m trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
Silence.
Again.
And this time—
It said everything.
A chill ran down my spine.
“This was a mistake,” I muttered, turning away slightly.
“No,” he said firmly.
“Yes,” I snapped. “Because I agreed to something I don’t understand.”
“You agreed to a solution.”
“At what cost?” I shot back.
His voice lowered.
“Less than what you were already facing.”
The words hit hard.
Because they were true.
Joe.
My mum.
The deadline.
I clenched my fists slightly.
“I need honesty,” I said quietly.
“You have it.”
“Not all of it.”
“You have what you need.”
“That’s not good enough.”
His expression didn’t change.
But something in the air between us did.
Tension.
Real this time.
Not subtle.
Not controlled.
Sharp.
“You’re here now,” he said. “And I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“That sounds like there’s something that could.”
“There isn’t,” he said quickly.
Too quickly.
I caught it.
“You hesitated.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
A beat.
Then—
“You’re reading too much into it.”
“I don’t think I am.”
Silence fell again.
Thick.
Uncomfortable.
And suddenly, the house didn’t feel as safe as it had yesterday.
⸻
“I need some air,” I said finally.
I didn’t wait for a response.
I just turned and walked toward the back doors, pushing them open and stepping outside.
The evening air was cool, carrying a faint breeze that brushed against my skin.
I wrapped my arms around myself, pacing slightly across the patio.
What had I done?
This wasn’t just a fake marriage.
This was something else.
Something I didn’t understand.
Something Max wasn’t telling me.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because I had signed a contract.
Moved into his house.
Stepped into his life.
Without knowing what I’d actually agreed to.
“Running already?”
His voice came from behind me.
I didn’t turn.
“I’m not running,” I said. “I’m thinking.”
“Good.”
I let out a breath. “You should have told me more.”
“I told you enough.”
“No, you didn’t.”
I turned now, facing him.
“I trusted you,” I said.
His gaze held mine.
“And I haven’t broken that.”
“Not yet.”
The words hung between us.
Heavy.
Then—
“You’re scared,” he said.
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
“Yes.”
The honesty felt raw.
Exposed.
“I don’t know what this is,” I admitted. “Or what I’ve stepped into. And that makes me feel like I’ve lost control.”
He stepped closer.
Not too close.
But enough.
“You haven’t lost control,” he said.
“It feels like it.”
“That’s because it’s new.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“It’s the truth.”
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
At the calm.
The control.
The way he seemed so sure of everything.
Including me.
“Why are you so sure about this?” I asked.
“Because I don’t make decisions like this lightly.”
“And I’m just… part of that decision?”
“Yes.”
That should have annoyed me.
Instead, it made something in my chest twist.
Because he wasn’t pretending.
He wasn’t lying.
He was being exactly what he said he was—
Careful.
Deliberate.
Serious.
“You don’t regret it,” I said.
“No.”
I swallowed.
“Not even a little?”
His gaze softened—just slightly.
“No.”
Something shifted.
Again.
Subtle.
Dangerous.
Because I realised—
He wasn’t unsure.
Not about this.
Not about me.
And that made everything feel even more real.
⸻
A faint sound broke the moment.
A car.
Pulling up at the front of the house.
Max’s expression changed instantly.
Back to controlled.
Focused.
He glanced toward the house.
Then back at me.
“Stay here,” he said.
“What?”
“I’ll be right back.”
“That doesn’t sound suspicious at all.”
“It’s nothing.”
“That’s the third time you’ve said that,” I pointed out.
He didn’t respond.
Just turned and walked back inside.
I stood there, my heart picking up again.
Something wasn’t right.
I could feel it now.
Clearer than before.
Stronger.
Not imagined.
Not exaggerated.
Real.
I moved slightly closer to the door, just enough to hear voices inside.
Low.
Sharp.
Tense.
I couldn’t make out words.
But I didn’t need to.
Because whatever this was—
It wasn’t nothing.
And for the first time since stepping into this life…
I realised something important.
I hadn’t just married a stranger.
I had stepped into a situation.
One that was already moving.
Already dangerous.
And I was right in the middle of it.
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