Page 38 of Her Possessive Dominant Fake Husband

His eyes met mine, ice-blue and unreadable. The impact was like a bruise forming, dark and spreading under the surface.

“You stopped for yourself,” I said, needing him to hear it. Needing him to admit it. I took another step. “Not for me.”

Something flickered in his gaze. But then it was gone, swallowed by the same suffocating control. He looked away.

It was that indifference that shattered my resolve. “You’re a coward.” I spat the words at him, angry that he could so effortlessly pretend I didn’t exist, except when it was convenient for him. “You’re afraid of what this could be if you let it.”

His jaw tightened. I wiped my sweaty palms on my thighs. If he would just say something. Anything.

But when he spoke, the words were a slap. “You’re naive if you think this was ever more than a contract.”

I froze. My heart stopped beating. The room, the air, the world—everything stilled, like the moment before impact, before you realized just how hard you’d been hit.

Naive.

He wasn’t wrong. He’d never misled me. He’d never promised more. He’d never been the one reaching. That was me. Always me.

My body moved before my mind could catch up, stepping backward, away from the blow, from him. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold together what felt like falling apart.

“Fine,” I said. I didn’t recognize my own voice, it sounded so raw, so defeated.

He didn’t look at me. Didn’t say another word. Didn’t soften the brutal truth he’d just laid bare. I turned, each step mirroring the agonizing beat of my heart while carrying me out of the room, out of his sight, out of a mistake that was mine alone to own.

I knew he was right, but it didn’t hurt any less.

Alexander’s words repeated in my mind, their coldness branded across every thought, every breath, even as my heart raged against the truth. I wanted to give up. Go home. Quit this stupid game.

But I needed to be strong. Not for me, but for those I loved. My family counted on me. I wouldn’t break. Not yet. That desperation that made me sign my name to his ridiculous contract held firm even now.

However, I was about to demand something. I thought about my plan, alone in his room, in his bed. And when I finally fell asleep, I had a plan.

And he wasn’t going to like it one bit.

Not that I gave a damn.

The next morning, I pushed my way toward his office, ignoring stares and whispers, holding a manilla envelope to my chest. But before I could make it through the doors, a voice pierced my skull like an ice pick.

“Trouble in paradise?”

Allison. I’d recognize her polished, venomous lilt anywhere.

How was she always here? Did she work here on the down low? Was she a stalker? What the heck?

I kept walking like I didn’t even hear her. I didn’t want to face her and make her think I knew she was talking to me. That would prove her words right. My pace quickened, carrying me toward Alexander before I could lose my nerve.

“I already know, Claire. You’re not that hard to read.” She stepped in front of me, and I almost tripped into her.

“You know nothing, Allison.” …did she? Maybe Alexander had confided in her, maybe she knew something I didn’t. She sure seemed to be around Alexander more than I ever thought she’d be.

She leaned in, and I instinctively pulled away. “Are you sure?” She arched a perfect eyebrow at me, before taking in my hair, my makeup, my clothing, before her gaze swept back to mine. It was clear, I’d been judged and found wanting, as always. But I didn’t care what she thought. “So. Are you running to him or from him?”

The question stung. But I wasn’t about to let her in on that. “Toward him, whatever made you think otherwise?” I knitted my brows as if she’d lost her mind. She wasn’t going to get to me. Not now, not ever. I wouldn’t let her.

She let out a tinkling laugh. “He never could resist a charity case,” she said, as if speaking to herself, knowing the impact of her words on me would be all the same.

“No, darling, he’s dating me, not you.” With that, I moved to step around her, but she blocked my path again. “I don’tknow what you think you’re winning, but this is getting boring.” I feigned a yawn.

She paused, her lips curving into a slow, satisfied smirk. Her eyes held mine with a calculated gleam that said she knew exactly what she was doing. “Winning?” she asked, feigning surprise. “Sweetheart, I already won.”

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