Chapter 18 Why's everyone hung up on a honeymoon?
CHAPTER 18: Why's everyone hung up on a honeymoon?
Silas
I soundlessly eased the balcony door shut behind me. The night air hit my face, cool and steady, a stark contrast to the simmering heat lingering beneath my skin.
Taking a greedy deep breath to fill my lungs with the crisp night air still didn't quench the scorching beneath my skin.
“Why are you calling?” I asked, rubbing my temple where a low pressure was beginning to build.
“Trouble in paradise?” Natalie asked, amusement threaded through her voice. “Shouldn’t you be in honeymoon bliss?”
I exhaled through my nose, irritation rising. “I'm hanging up.”
“How does it feel?”
A beat.
My gaze dropped without permission.
The ring on my finger caught the faint glow of the outdoor lights. The simple golden band shouldn’t have meant anything, or changed a thing, but I could feel that something was not as it should be.
Something about felt… different.
Just like the presence of someone else in my space…my bed.
My gaze shifted to Vera snuggled beneath the sheets.
I remembered the feeling that had run through me at the touch of her lips earlier.
The way my skin had heated up, reacted at the sight of her flushed, tired, vulnerable and dressed in nothing but my shirt earlier.
She thought I was focused on my laptop screen and had not spared her a glance, but I had seen everything.
And I hated that I noticed so much and reacted.
“Silas? Are you there?”
I snapped my eyes shut, dragging my fingers through my hair.
“Feels the same,” I replied evenly. “Nothing has changed. This is just business.”
Another pause. Longer this time.
“There's something we have to be cautious about,” she said quietly.
I frowned. “What is that?”
“She's pregnant,” she replied. “Which means unpredictable. Emotional volatility, physical strain, heightened scrutiny.” She paused to take a breath. “We'll need to be more cautious. And she’ll need to perform better than she did tonight.”
My jaw tightened.
“What do you mean?”
“She hesitated during the vows. Long enough for it to be noticeable.”
“I've already spoken to her. But, I'll handle it.”
“You have to—”
“I said I’d handle it.”
There was a brief pause. I knew Natalie so well that I had no doubt she was weighing whether to push.
“This phase is critical, Silas,” she said finally. “Public image sets precedent. And the board at Luther Corp is watching. There’ll surely be a difference of opinions. Some might be suspicious.” She paused briefly. “One crack is enough to invite suspicion and scrutiny, and scrutiny invites exposure. I don’t need to remind you what’s at stake.”
“I won't allow that to happen.”
She hummed, convinced.
After a brief pause,
“So…you’ve been married before. I was curious if this time felt… familiar.”
My jaw tightened.
My mind betrayed me, conjuring yet again that image I hadn’t asked for: Vera standing in the bedroom earlier, wearing my shirt like it was just right…for her.
I shut it down immediately.
“There’s nothing familiar about it,” I said. “And if there's nothing else, I'm hanging up.”
Natalie chuckled. “Not so fast.” Then, lightly, “What about her? Your new bride?”
My eyes shifted back to the glass door.
Through it, I could see the faint outline of the bed, the soft rise and fall beneath the covers.
“Asleep,” I said.
“Of course she is. The pregnant girl needs her rest.”
“I'm hanging up.”
I ended the call before she could say something else.
The silence that followed was sharp, immediate.
I straightened, sliding the phone into my pocket. For a moment, I didn't feel like I was in control of things, including my thoughts and feelings.
I leaned onto the railing, drawing in a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Had I miscalculated how this arrangement was going to pan out?
Movement caught my attention.
Headlights swept across the driveway below.
Chauncey’s car.
I straightened, and headed back into the bedroom, consciously avoiding looking in the direction of the bed, my steps soundless against the carpeted floor.
I moved down the hall just as voices reached me.
Quiet voices and soft laughter floated from the foyer.
I reached the top of the stairs, to see Lily rise on her toes to press a kiss to Chauncey’s cheek.
She pulled back, her cheeks flushed, her hand hanging limply, awkwardly, at her sides.
Chauncey stared at her, clearly taken about, like she’d just upended his entire understanding of reality.
“I—sorry,” she said quickly, already retreating. “I just—goodnight.”
Just as she spun around to head up the stairs, she saw me. She froze, eyes widened momentarily, before she slipped past me, lowering her eyes, disappearing down the hall.
Chauncey remained where he was, rubbing the side of his face slowly, as though checking whether the kiss had actually happened.
I folded my arms.
He looked up. For a split second, he looked like a deer in the headlights.
Descending the stairs, I pinned him with my gaze, a brow raised.
“Absolutely not,” he said, shaking his head. “No. Never. Not even in my wildest nightmares.”
My expression didn’t change.
He frowned at me. “Why are you giving me that look? I’m not messing with your teenage sister in law?”
I shrugged. “You seemed to be enjoying the attention,” I replied coolly.
“Enjoying?” He scoffed. “Hell no. I was ambushed.”
I didn’t respond.
“She was just showing gratitude because I was nice to her,” he replied. “That's it.”
I walked past him, stopping behind him. “Whatever you say, Chaunce.”
“Chauncey,” he corrected with a tinge of annoyance.
“I don’t care.”
He turned to face me. Suddenly a mischievous glint crept into his eyes, a slow grin stretching his lips.
“Well?” he drawled. “Why aren’t you in there enjoying your honeymoon with your wife?”
Why was everyone so hung up on a honeymoon?
I shot him a look sharp enough to cut glass.
“That’s not funny.”
His grin didn’t disappear, just faded a bit.
“Alright,” he said, holding up his hands. ‘Relax. I was just joking.” He studied me closely now, eyes narrowing. “Though… you don’t look like someone who’s going to appreciate any joke.”
I said nothing.
He tilted his head. “What is it?”
I hesitated, contemplating if I should open up to my brother.
“I think I might have a problem.”