Alice couldn't sleep, her thoughts went far. Could she really commit to another man after the painful heartbreak she had experienced?
Alice left her room for the kitchen and sat at the kitchen counter, her tea growing cold in her hands. The house was quiet, but her heart wasn't. It beat with a strange mixture of longing and dread, and she hated that she couldn't tell which one was winning.
She had told herself she could do this, be the "fake wife," play the role for Sophie's sake, and leave when it was over. But lately, the lines were blurring in ways that scared her.
Cole's laugh.
The way he reached for her coat when they came in from the cold without thinking.
The warm look in his eyes when he saw her and Sophie together.
It was all becoming… too real.
She pressed her palms against the countertop, her knuckles white. She couldn't fall for him not when she knew she was temporary. Not when Eliana's shadow still lingered in every corner of this house. Not when she had no place in his glittering, intimidating world.
Her voice was barely a whisper in the quiet kitchen.
"I'm not sure I can pretend anymore…"
----
Cole woke to go get a drink from the kitchen but he stopped when he saw Alice seated in there, he leaned in the doorway, unseen, his chest tightening at the sound of her words. Pretend. That word had started to feel like a knife in his ribs. Because lately, every smile they shared, every accidental brush of fingers, every late-night conversation, none of it had felt fake to him.
He stepped into the light. "Alice."
She turned quickly, her expression guarded. "Cole, I didn't hear you."
"Clearly," he said with a faint smile, but his voice was deeper than usual, almost rough. He took a seat across from her at the counter, his elbows resting on the cool marble. "What were you thinking about just now?"
She looked away, sipping her cold tea just to avoid his gaze. "Nothing important."
"Alice." His voice was firm but gentle. "You can tell me."
Her throat tightened. "It's not… I just sometimes it feels like I'm… in over my head. This isn't my world, Cole. Your life, your career, the way people look at you, it's so far from mine. I don't belong here."
He let out a low breath, leaning forward. "Don't say that."
"It's true," she said quietly. "You're… you. The brilliant trauma surgeon, the billionaire, the man who lives in a world of board meetings and charity galas. I'm just a temp nurse who happened to be in the right place at the right time. I was supposed to be a stand-in for Sophie's mom, not…"
Her voice broke before she could finish.
Cole's chest tightened, and he reached across the counter, his hand covering hers. "Not what?"
Her eyes flicked to his, vulnerable and unguarded.
"Not someone you actually care about," she whispered.
The silence between them was thick, the air charged. Cole's jaw tensed. "You think I don't care?"
"I think…" She swallowed hard. "I think you care about Sophie. And you're grateful I've been here. But..."
Before she could finish, Cole stood, moving around the counter. "No. That's not it. Alice, I don't want a fake wife anymore."
Her breath caught.
He was closer now, his voice low but unshakable. "I want you. For real. I don't care if you think you don't fit in my world. My world hasn't felt like home in a long time. But you… You and Sophie together… that's home."
Her chest rose and fell, her mind racing. She wanted to believe him, desperately but the ghost of Eliana still lingered in the back of her mind, whispering that she would never be enough. Just like the way someone long time ago made him feel.
"Cole…" She shook her head, her voice trembling. "You don't know what you're saying. This is all because of the situation. When this is over, you'll go back to your real life."
His eyes darkened. "You think this is temporary for me?"
She didn't answer because she didn't trust her voice.
Instead, Cole reached for her hand again, and this time, she didn't pull away. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he leaned down, his lips brushing hers in a kiss so soft, so unhurried, it stole the breath from her lungs.
It was a kiss that spoke of promises he hadn't said out loud yet.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against hers. "Tell me that meant nothing," he murmured.
She froze. Her lips still tingled. Her heart pounded. But self-preservation was louder than her longing. "It… it meant nothing."
His face clenched, but he didn't push. "If you say so."
----
The next day, things felt different.
Not because they admitted anything. If anything, they were both acting like the kiss hadn't happened. But their eyes lingered a bit too long. Their shoulders brushed in the hallways of the hospital. There was an unspoken awareness that hadn't been there before.
There were whispers about them in the hospital and hostile stares and snares from admirers that we're gunning for Cole.
Alice was charting patient notes in pediatrics when she heard his voice behind her. "Hey."
She turned, trying for casual. "Hey. Everything okay in trauma?"
"Busy," he said, stepping closer. "But that's not why I'm here."
Her brows lifted. "Oh?"
He hesitated, glancing at the nurses' station to make sure no one was listening. "I meant to ask if you would have lunch with me tomorrow... "
Alice's stomach dropped. "And?"
"And I meant to ask this tomorrow but asking now would give you time to think and give a reply during our lunch." "What I mean to ask is if you would like to move in fully with us. You know my Lawyer suggested we put up a united front"
Alice looked down at her hands. "You mean I should leave my apartment completely and move in with you?"
"I know how it sounds but think about it and we will discuss tomorrow.
Alice's pulse raced. "Cole, maybe I should..."
"No." His tone was sharp enough to stop her mid-sentence. "Don't say anything now, please."
She stared at him, conflicted. "I don't want to make things more complicated."
His gaze softened, but his voice stayed firm. "You're not. You're making it happier."
She looked away, biting her lip. "I don't know if I'm strong enough for this."
Cole stepped closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "You're stronger than you think. And I'm not letting anyone take away the family we've built, fake or not."
Her heart thudded in her chest. Family. He'd said family.
But as much as she wanted to believe him, she still couldn't shake the fear that she was just a stand-in. That when all of this was over, she'd be left with nothing but memories of a kiss they were both pretending hadn't meant a thing.
And that frightened her more than anything.
"See you tomorrow, yeah? Or should I say see you at home?" he said teasingly.
"No, I will be heading back to my apartment today, so see you tomorrow"
As she said that, thoughts of what to make of his request began to bug her.
Tomorrow is pregnant and she wondered what it would birth.