Chapter 27 Sharing beds
Sonia’s POV
The ride back from the beach was quiet, too quiet. The kind of silence that wasn’t peaceful, but loaded. I could feel it pressing on my chest, heavy and strange, as if the ocean hadn’t washed away what just happened but dragged something new to the surface.
Lucian had his usual sharp focus, one hand resting lightly on his hips, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The faint breeze caught his hair, making him look effortlessly undone. It should’ve been illegal for someone to look that calm after the chaos that phone call caused.
I wasn’t stupid. The moment I heard his tone change on that call, the way his knuckles whitened, I knew who was on the other end. Michael.
Even though Lucian said it was “nothing important,” I saw the flicker in his eyes, the same flicker I used to see in my own reflection when Michael would twist the knife with a smile.
The hum of the car filled the silence between us, a low, steady sound that matched the strange rhythm of my heart. I could still feel the warmth of Lucian’s hand from when he’d helped me into the car, his touch lingering like an echo on my skin.
His calm face was darker than before. His jaw was tight, his grip on the steering wheel firm, and his gaze fixed on the road ahead. The date, our fake date, had gone so perfectly, too perfectly, until that phone call. Whatever it was, it drained the color from his face, leaving behind that familiar, icy CEO mask.
I glanced sideways at him, hesitant to speak. “Lucian?”
He didn’t look at me, but his brows twitched slightly, acknowledging that he heard me.
“Are you… okay?” I asked quietly, my voice nearly lost in the sound of the engine.
“I’m fine,” he said plainly. “You don’t need to worry.”
Fine. The universal lie.
I turned to look out the window. The reflection of the city lights danced across the glass, blurring into streaks of gold and blue. I thought back to the beach, the laughter, the teasing, the waves crashing against our feet. For the first time since our contract marriage began, Lucian had seemed human. He’d laughed. Smiled. Even played in the sand with me.
Now he looked like he regretted every second of it. Fuck! Maybe sleeping together at the hotel would have helped him confide in me.
After a long silence, I finally asked, “Was it Michael? The caller?”
Lucian’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel. He didn’t answer immediately, but his silence was enough.
I swallowed. “You don’t have to lie to protect me. I know it was him.”
Lucian finally turned to me for a brief moment, his eyes unreadable. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But I did. I saw the way his entire body tensed when he picked up that call, the way his expression changed, how his eyes darkened. I knew Michael had said something cruel. He always did.
I sighed, leaning back in my seat. “He’s trying to get under your skin, isn’t he?”
Lucian didn’t respond. The silence between us stretched so long that I thought he wouldn’t speak again. But then, his voice came, low, quiet, controlled.
“He called to make a deal. Or at least that’s what he said. But his real goal was to provoke me.” He paused, exhaling sharply. “And it worked.”
There was anger in his voice, but not the explosive kind. This was the kind of fury that brewed deep, cold, calculating, and dangerous.
“What did he say?” I asked carefully.
Lucian shrugged. His knuckles were white now. “Don’t bother, I can handle this.”
I looked down at my hands. Of course he can. Lucian always had a way of turning things in his favor, twisting shame into love.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly.
Lucian frowned. “Why are ‘you’ apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I did,” I whispered. “I let him get to you. To me. I should’ve blocked him long ago. I thought if I ignored him, he’d disappear. But people like Michael… they never disappear.”
Lucian finally looked at me, his expression softer now. “You don’t have to apologize for surviving him.”
His words were like a soothing balm to my broken heart. I turned my face away, blinking back sudden warmth behind my eyes.
We drove in silence again, the city lights fading as the car rolled into the private road that led to his mansion. The iron gates opened automatically, revealing the sprawling estate bathed in moonlight.
Lucian parked the car, then leaned back in his seat. For a long moment, he didn’t move or speak. I could feel his thoughts spinning, his self-control slipping bit by bit.
“Lucian,” I said softly, “like I said earlier, you don’t have to keep everything inside. I know you’re angry. He said something that got to you, didn’t he?”
He looked at me then, really looked at me. His gaze burned, and filled with emotions….? “You don’t understand what it’s like, Sonia. I don’t lose control. Ever. But with you…”
His voice faltered.
“With me?” I repeated with widened eyes, wondering if we both felt the same way.
His hand clenched on the steering wheel before he finally spoke. But he didn't reply, instead, he got out of the car, the cool night air rushing in as he opened my door. I stepped out, my heels crunching softly on the gravel.
As we walked toward the entrance of his mansion, I could still feel the tension radiating off him. But I kept quiet because my mind was in chaos as I thought about what he had said.
He unlocked the front door and gestured for me to enter. “Go get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning.”
I hesitated. “And you?”
“I have calls to make,” he said shortly, though I knew it was an excuse. For the first time, he looked lonely. Truly lonely.
“Is Clara around?” I asked, hoping she'd be able to help his nerves.
“No, she went out,” Lucian replied, and I sighed.
“You’re sure this arrangement won’t be a problem?” I asked with furrowed brows.
“What arrangement?” Lucian asked curiously.
I meant no ill intention, I was simply worried about him. “You know, us sleeping in separate rooms,” I replied quietly.
Lucian’s expression didn’t change, but I caught the flicker of hesitation before he nodded. “We made a rule, remember? No… marital things. Unless both of us consent.”
His tone was firm, but the air between us felt anything but restrained.
“Good,” I said quietly. “Because I don’t want things to get complicated.” I quickly said, my cheeks red in embarrassment.
He stepped closer, and for a terrifying second, I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead, he reached past me and opened the door. His cologne brushed against my skin, and my breath hitched.
“Sleep well, Sonia,” he said softly, his voice lower than usual.
I stepped inside, my pulse hammering, and shut the door behind me before I could say something stupid, like ‘you too, my fake husband.’
I leaned back against the door, closing my eyes.
For the first time, I realized I wasn’t sure if I was scared of Lucian Smithfield… or of the way he made me forget that all of this was just an act. Tomorrow was another day at work. More demons to slay.