Stephanie POv
The past few days blurred together in a mess of lawyers and funeral plans. The hardest part was the prenup William made me sign in that plain hospital room just before he died. Now that piece of paper controlled everything – my family duties, the company, and this awful mess I found myself in.
When Ethan walked into William’s office, I barely recognized him. The last time I’d seen him was years ago at a stiff family dinner where we’d exchanged maybe three words. Now here he was, my supposed fiancé, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. His hair was messy, and that scar above his eyebrow caught the light as he nodded at me. “Stephanie,” he said flatly.
“Ethan.” My voice sounded too tight. The office felt suffocating with its dark wood walls and the too-big desk where William used to sit. Sunlight poured through the windows, making the whole scene feel unreal.
We sat across from each other, the air thick with silence. I couldn’t stop fidgeting with the edge of my jacket. Finally, I started explaining the prenup, the terms, how William had pushed for this even as he got sicker. Ethan just stared out the window, his face blank. When I finished, he let out a bitter laugh. “So we’re stuck with each other.”
A lawyer slipped into the room then, carrying stacks of papers. He droned on about shareholder meetings and public appearances we’d have to make as a “couple.” I nodded along, but my mind kept drifting. None of this felt real. One week ago, I was planning William’s care. Now I was planning a fake wedding.
By the time the lawyer left, my head throbbed. I stood abruptly, needing to escape the smell of old books and leather. “I need air,” I muttered, pushing open the balcony doors. The cold wind hit my face, sharp and clean. Behind me, I heard Ethan’s footsteps.
“You okay?” he asked. His voice was quieter now, almost gentle.
I gripped the railing, staring at the city lights below. “No,” I admitted. “This isn’t… I never wanted this.”
“Neither did I.”
When I turned, I saw real exhaustion on his face – dark circles under his eyes, a slump in his shoulders. For a second, he looked human instead of the cold stranger from the office.
The question slipped out before I could stop it. “Did you ever think we’d end up here? Married?”
He went still. The silence stretched so long I thought he wouldn’t answer. Then, quietly: “No. Never.”
My chest ached. Some stupid part of me had hoped he’d say there’d always been a connection between us, something to make this bearable. But his answer just confirmed the truth – we were strangers bound by a dead man’s wishes.
I forced a smile. “Guess life’s full of surprises.”
Ethan didn’t laugh. He leaned against the railing, staring down at the streets. “There’s something you should know about William,” he said suddenly.
I froze. “What?”
He hesitated, jaw working like the words hurt to say. “He wasn’t always the tough CEO everyone saw. Back in London… there was a woman. And a son he never acknowledged.”
The world tilted. “A son?” My voice came out strangled. “You mean… you have a brother?”
Ethan’s laugh was harsh. “Maybe. Or maybe William had another family none of us knew about.” He met my eyes, and for the first time, I saw real anger there. “He left them. Just like he left everyone.”
The pieces crashed together – William’s sudden move to America, his refusal to talk about his past, the way he’d always pushed people away. All this time, I’d thought I knew him. Now I wondered if anyone really had.
Ethan pushed off the railing. “Whatever happens next,” he said, “we’re both paying for his secrets.”
He walked back inside, leaving me alone with the wind and the glowing city. I replayed every memory of William – his stern advice, the rare smiles, the way he’d squeeze my shoulder when I did well at work. Had any of it been real? Or were we all just pawns in a game he’d set up years ago?
The wedding was in seven days. Seven days to become a bride, a business partner, and a liar. I pressed my hands to my face, trying to breathe. Loyalty to William had brought me here. Now I had to decide if that loyalty was worth losing myself.
Down on the street, taxis honked and people rushed home to their normal lives. I envied them. My life had become a puzzle with missing pieces, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to find the rest.
I quickly gathered my belongs and prepared myself to journey through the traffic that I believe would have been much now because of the stop and search operation by police officers.