Married To A Stranger

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Shaina’s Point of View

I stormed upstairs, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

Sofia’s words replayed over and over in my mind.

"Do you really think Cloud married you out of love?"

"Ask him why he really married you."

I hated that she was getting to me. Hated that she could plant even the smallest seed of doubt. But the fear had already taken root.

I needed answers.

Pushing open the door to our bedroom, I found Cloud standing near the window, his back to me, deep in thought.

“Cloud,” I said, my voice tight.

He turned, his sharp blue-gray eyes locking onto mine immediately. He must have sensed something was wrong because his expression darkened.

“What happened?” he asked, stepping toward me.

I took a shaky breath. “Sofia and Lilian were here.”

Cloud’s jaw clenched. “What did they say?”

I swallowed. “They said… that you married me for a reason. And that now that you’ve won, you’ll throw me away.”

A heavy silence filled the room.

Cloud didn’t answer right away. He just stared at me, unreadable.

And that silence terrified me.

“So it’s true?” I whispered.

His brows furrowed. “You think I would throw you away?”

I bit my lip, feeling foolish but still desperate for an answer. “Tell me, Cloud. Why did you really marry me?”

His hands curled into fists. “You think this was all a game to me?”

“I don’t know what to think!” I snapped. “You’re always so composed, so unreadable. You control everything, Cloud. How do I know I’m not just another piece in your game?”

Cloud exhaled sharply and suddenly closed the distance between us.

His fingers tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at him. His eyes were no longer cold—they were burning.

“You want to know why I married you?” he said, voice low and intense. “Fine. I married you because I saw something in you that no one else did. Because you stood in the middle of a storm and never once asked for help.”

My breath caught.

Cloud’s grip tightened slightly. “Because even when your own family turned their backs on you, you never broke.”

His voice dropped even lower.

“And because from the moment I met you, I knew—I wasn’t letting you go.”

A shiver ran down my spine.

I searched his eyes, looking for any sign of a lie.

But there was none.

Only raw, unfiltered truth.

I parted my lips, trying to form words, but nothing came out.

Cloud sighed and rested his forehead against mine.

“Don’t ever doubt me, Shaina,” he murmured. “Not because of them.”

I felt my chest tighten.

How did he do this? How did he always make me feel like the most important person in his world without even trying?

I closed my eyes, letting myself believe him.

Just this once.

Sofia’s Point of View

I paced back and forth in my bedroom, my blood boiling.

Shaina should be breaking right now. She should be doubting Cloud. She should be begging to leave.

Instead, she was still standing by his side.

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms.

Lilian sat nearby, lazily sipping tea. “You look frustrated, dear.”

I glared at her. “That’s because this isn’t working!”

Lilian smirked. “Not yet.”

I scoffed. “You sound confident.”

“I am.” She set her cup down and stood. “Because we still have one more move to play.”

I raised a brow. “What are you talking about?”

Lilian’s smirk deepened.

“If we can’t make Shaina doubt him, then we make Cloud doubt her.”

I stared at her, slowly processing what she meant.

And then, a wicked smile spread across my lips.

Because if Cloud believed that Shaina had betrayed him…

Then everything would finally fall apart.