Chapter 17
Chapter 17
~BLAIR
The car door shut hard.
5 voucher
Grayson didn’t look at me at first. He stared straight ahead as the driver pulled away, jaw locked so tight I could see the muscle jump
When he finally turned his head, his eyes were colder than I had seen them since the night of the wedding.
“You and Chase Holt,” he said. “Six years.”
I blinked, caught completely off guard. Of all the things I thought he might confront me about, my past with Chase had not made the list.
“What about it?” I asked.
His eyes narrowed. “Were you ever planning to mention that you used to date my biggest rival?”
“I didn’t think I had to. It didn’t seem relevant.”
“Not relevant.” He let out a short, humorless breath. “You invited him to our wedding. You attended my game, causing a distraction. And the entire time you had a six-year history with him that you just…forgot to bring up?”
I stared at him. “It was over. He made sure of that. I didn’t realize I needed to submit a full relationship resume before signing the marriage papers your father and mine arranged.”
Grayson turned more fully toward me, suspicion written into every line of his face. “Or maybe you left it out on purpose. Maybe marrying me had less to do with what my family owes yours and more to do with staying close to my world. Reporting back on everything to him.”
I actually laughed.
The sound came out sharp and disbelieving.
“I’m sorry-are you accusing me of marrying you to spy on you for Chase?”
“It would explain a lot.”
“That’s insane.”
“Is it?” His voice stayed low, controlled, but there was real edge underneath it. “You show up in this marriage already knowing how to get under my skin. Knowing how to distract me at my game. You invite him to the reception. You wear my name in public like a performance. And now I find out you spent six years with the one asshole I can’t stand or trust. Forgive me if the timing feels convenient.”
I shook my head, still half laughing because the alternative was getting truly angry. “You are actually
paranoid. Do you hear yourself? I didn’t orchestrate a business arrangement and a forced marriage just so I could send Chase Holt secret updates about your training schedule.”
“Then why hide it?”
“I didn’t hide it. I just didn’t announce it. There’s a difference.”
“Not from where I’m sitting.”
We were both locked in a heated stare.
The car continued down the road, the ocean flashing past the windows in bright, mocking blue.
I could feel my patience thinning with every second he kept looking at me like I was some kind of threat instead of another person trapped in the ser
Successfully unlocked!
“You want the truth?” I said. “Fine. Chase and i were together for six years. I supported him. I cared about him. I sacrificed for him. Helped him get into the team. Helped him become captain. And then he married
Chapter 17
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someone else without a single conversation with me first. I found out from articles and photos like everyone else. That is the entire story. There is nu master plan. There is no spying. There is just a messy, humiliating ending that I didn’t feel obligated to explain to a man who told me on day one that he was going to make tny life miserable.”-
Grayson’s expression didn’t soften. If anything, the suspiciort held. “You expect me to believe it was just a coincidence that you ended up married to Chase’s rival?”
“I expect you to use common sense,” I shot back. “My father arranged this. Your father agreed to it. Neither of us was consulted like we had real choices. You truly think I wanted this marriage? Why would I go through all this trouble to help Chase if he betrayed me in the worst way possible?”
“I think people do strange things when they’re hurt and in love.”
“And I think you’re looking for a reason to distrust me because it’s easier than admitting I’m not to blame for any of this mess between us.”
He leaned in slightly. “You invited him to our wedding even after you claim he betrayed you. Humiliated you. And then you kissed me at that altar knowing he was watching.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
‘Because I wanted him to see,” I said. “Because I needed just one moment where I wasn’t the girl who found out her partner cheated through a press release and then married the person he cheated with. I wanted a moment where I at least pretended not to care, and I wanted him to see. Is there anything else you’d like to know?”
Silence stretched between us.
Grayson studied me like he was still searching for the lie.
‘I didn’t marry you for Chase. I married you because our families decided we didn’t get a say. Everything else has been me surviving it the same way you’ve been surviving it.” I hissed. Not sure why I was even explaining any of this to him.
His jaw worked. For a moment I thought he was going to keep pushing, to dig until he found a version of the story that made me the villain he preferred. But then something switched, like he was finally realizing that i was telling the truth about it all. That I wasn’t in this marriage to get information from him to help my ex- boyfriend beat him at games.
He looked like he was about to say something.
Instead he looked away, out toward the water.
He didn’t apologize.
Not yet.
But he also stopped accusing me.
I noticed his hand clench into a fist by his side, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was he angry? Still doubting me? I bit my lip, questioning why it even mattered if he thought I was a spy for Chase. I should just let it go-let him think whatever he wanted. It wouldn’t change a thing between us.
Chapter 18
Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.