Chapter 7
I knew exactly what he meant.
The Zane family was a mess–constant power plays and backstabbing. When we first got married, Xander was still recovering, so he kept it a secret to protect me.
But now? He had the crown. Full control. No more hiding.
I wrapped my arms around him.
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At first, the marriage was just to keep my parents off my back. But Xander? He was soft, patient, totally devoted. He spoiled me like crazy.
And then came the real shock–he’d loved me for years. Quietly. I had a boyfriend back then, so he never said a word. Then that car crash, the coma…
When he woke up and found out we were getting married, he nearly lost it. Said it was fate. Like the God hit pause just so he could wake up in time to marry me.
***
The internet blew up. Everyone wanted the tea.
I dropped all the receipts–proof that I’d dumped Steven two years ago after he cheated. Threw in pics of him and Peggy
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Chapter 7
playing house, plus the court ruling for good measure.
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Xander backed me up, posting our marriage certificate with a caption saying we’d been married for a while–just kept it low–key while he was healing.
Then he dropped the bomb: we were having a full–blown wedding in three months.
Suddenly, everything clicked. The whole vibe online flipped.
[This plot twist is insane. I’m furious.]
[Can we just beat Steven and that mistress to death? Trash.]
I scrolled past the noise, barely reading—until one word popped: “wedding.” I turned to Xander, confused. “We’re having a wedding?”
He smiled, ruffling my hair. “I’m marrying you the right way. No more pain. Ever.”
And just like that, my eyes went glassy.
The doctors said I was too weak to leave, so I had to stay for
observation.
Xander never left my side.
I knew the baby was gone, but every time I thought about how
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they should’ve made it, the tears just came.
Some nights, I’d wake up crying from nightmares.
Xander would pull me close, wiping my face without saying a
word.
“I’m sorry,” I choked. “I couldn’t protect our baby.”
“Don’t,” he said gently. “You didn’t let me down. I love kids, yeah–but I love you more. Just having you is enough.”
“But that was our baby… and now they’re just gone.”
“Babies come when they’re meant to. We can’t force it,” he said, kissing my forehead. “Right now, all that matters is you getting better. We’ll try again. Promise.”
I
knew he meant well. But this baby had taken everything just to exist. I couldn’t pretend we’d get that lucky again.
The more I thought about it, the more I hated Steven and Peggy.
der threw them in a basement.
uys rotated shifts, beating them daily–switching up the methods so it never got dull. But they always stopped short of death.
If either of them blacked out, cold water snapped them back
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and the beatings kept rolling.
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Barely a month in, the bodyguards said Steven and Peggy had snapped. Fully unhinged.
Xander didn’t even blink. “Get a shrink. If they’re nuts, fix them.”
That’s when it hit me–I knew exactly what he was doing.
B
