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Chapter 183
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2024-11-16 12:11:12Related chapters
Hired Fiance Chapter 184
Ryan's POV He hugged us both tightly, practically glowing with happiness, and as we said our goodbyes, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. This was what he wanted—a family. But then reality crashed back in, and I pulled away, the awkwardness settling in again like a heavy blanket. I glanced at Emma, and for a moment, our eyes met. There was something in her expression—something raw and vulnerable—and it twisted something inside me. We were both thinking the same thing: this was what James wanted. A family. But could we give it to him? Could we ever get back to that place, after everything that had happened?Maybe... If we both forget everything and try. God help me, I wanted that, though things weren’t that simple. I wanted to have her back in my life, but at the same time, I wanted to punish her for leaving me and taking my son away from me. James was very excited and his eyes went wide with excitement, darting from one ride to the next, barely able to contain himself.
Hired Fiance Chapter185
Ryan's POV We finally got on the ride, and as it shot forward, Emma let out a gasp, her hand instinctively reaching for mine. I tightened my grip on her, holding her close as the roller coaster twisted and turned, sending us plummeting and soaring in quick succession. She hid her face in my chest, and I felt so good as if I had found the oasis in the desert. Hell!! She would be the death of me one day. Despite the tension, despite everything, it felt good to hold her again, to be close to her, even if it was under these circumstances. I wanted the ride to go on and time to stop right there. But it was not possible. When the ride finally came to a stop, Emma backed off, apologizing, getting as embarrassed and awkward as she was when I rescued her from that bank that day, she looked a little pale, but James was beaming. “That was amazing! Can we do it again?”Yes, that was amazing... I wanted that too but I was not sure about her. Emma shot me a look that clearly said, “No way,” an
Hired Fiance Chapter 186
Ryan's POV The day went on like that—ride after ride, James dragging us from one attraction to the next, completely oblivious to the tension between his parents. And for his sake, Emma and I played along. We smiled, we laughed, and we acted like everything was fine. But underneath it all, the anger, the frustration, the desire—it was all still there, simmering beneath the surface.He found a very cute ride for kids, so we went to ride that while we waited. He was waving at us and was laughing with other children. I was mesmerized to see him like that. " I still don't understand, why did you leave so suddenly? Why didn't you tell me about the pregnancy?" I could not contain my anger. But she looked angry, and surprised at my question, as if I was asking something that I should not have. Before she could respond, James came closer and cut in. “Can we go on the swings now?” he asked, tugging on both of our hands.I forced a smile. “Sure, buddy. Let’s go.”The swings were deceptively s
Hired Fiance Chapter 187
Ryan's POV It was, indeed, dinner time, and we were all exhausted. We found a small restaurant inside the park, nothing fancy, but good enough to sit down and unwind. James, still buzzing with excitement, barely touched his food, more interested in telling us about all the rides he wanted to go on again. Emma smiled and listened, though I could tell she was as drained as I was.The laughter of our son rang around us, but it felt distant. My focus was entirely on her—the woman who shattered everything. Emma stood a few feet away, her eyes following James as he ran ahead, oblivious to the war raging inside me.She kept him from me... I swallowed the anger, my jaw tightening. We were supposed to be here for James, but every second felt like a ticking bomb. I couldn’t keep pretending everything was fine. Every time I looked at him—my son—it felt like someone had shoved a knife in my chest and twisted it.Dinner was awkward, to say the least. We found a quiet restaurant inside the park,
Hired Fiance Chapter 188
Ryan's POV "About how you vanished without a word? Or how did you hide my son from me for six years?"" Why are you asking me? Don't you know the reasons?" " What reasons could possibly justify keeping my son from me? I swear, I wanted to make you go through all this. This time, it would be you who will be deprived of his love; I want to make you crave even a glance of him. ” I was furious beyond the limit. “You have no right,” she said, her voice sharp and cold. “No right to take him away from me.”“I have every right,” I snapped back, my anger finally boiling over. “He’s my son too, Emma. You don’t get to make that decision for both of us.”“I was trying to protect him,” she said again and now I wanted to know what she meant by that. “From what? Me?” I asked Her silence was all the answer I needed.“Unbelievable,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “You hid him from me, and now you’re acting like I’m the bad guy?”“I didn’t hide him from you out of malice, Ryan,” Emma
Hired Fiance Chapter 189
Ryan's POV In three long strides, I closed the distance between us, grabbing her arms "Are you out of your mind? I could never think of harming you. Do you really think I wouldn’t have wanted James?" I demanded, my voice rough with emotion. "Do you really think I would’ve just thrown him away like that?"Her eyes met mine, wide with surprise at the force in my words. The air between us crackled with tension, both emotional and physical. We were so close, too close. I could feel the heat of her body, the quickened rise and fall of her chest, the way her breath hitched as she stared up at me.Neither of us moved. Neither of us pulled away.I hated her for what she did, for keeping James from me. But God, I couldn’t deny that I still wanted her. Even after everything, the attraction between us hadn’t faded. If anything, it had grown more intense, fueled by all the anger and frustration.Her lips parted slightly, and I could feel the tension shift from anger to something else. Something
Hired Fiance Chapter 190
Ryan's POV " Emma, we need to calm down and talk, properly." " Then why did you try to..." " I was trying to fix things, and got carried away," I said before she could finish her sentence. "This won’t fix anything. We need to talk," she said, her voice softer now, but still strained. "Just talk."I nodded, stepping back, though every fiber of my being screamed at me to pull her close again. "You’re right. But don’t think for a second I’m letting you go. You still belong to me."Her eyes met mine, and for the first time since all this started, I saw a flicker of something else in her gaze. What was that?? But I knew, somehow, that this wasn’t the end. Not even close."Ryan! We can't talk like this. We will talk later..." She said. " We will talk about it right away, don't you think we should have talked about this years ago? No, we will talk right away. " " I have a severe headache. " She said pressing her head. Enough of her excuses... She used the same one last night as well
Hired Fiance Chapter 191
Ryan's POV I swallowed, glancing at Emma. She was resting now, her face still pale but the lines of pain were slowly easing. "I didn’t know," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "Why didn’t she tell me it was this bad?""People tend to downplay their pain," the doctor said, standing up. "Especially when they don’t want to burden others."His words hit me harder than I expected. Had I made her feel like that? Like she couldn’t tell me? Like her pain didn’t matter? My fists clenched at my sides as I nodded, watching as he packed up his things."Just keep an eye on her," he said before leaving. "Make sure she rests."As the door closed behind him, I stood there for a moment, feeling the weight of everything settle on my shoulders. The anger, the frustration—it was all still there, simmering beneath the surface. But it was tangled up now with guilt, with worry, with the desperate need to make things right.I walked back to the bed, watching her sleep, her chest rising and falling
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Hired Fiance Chapter 200
Emma's POV Suddenly, James tugged at my sleeve, pulling me from my thoughts. “Mummy, are you okay?”I forced a smile, nodding. “I’m fine, sweetheart.”Ryan’s eyes flickered toward me, his expression softening for just a moment before he turned back to James. “Right, let’s finish up and get home. We’ve got a living room to camp in, remember?”As we left the diner, James happily chatted about all the “camping” supplies they’d need; I couldn’t shake the growing unease in my chest. Ryan was laughing and planning with James as if we were a normal family, but things were far from normal. I wasn’t sure if I could let my guard down.One thing was clear, though: James was thrilled. And as long as he was happy, I would go along with their ridiculous plans… even if it meant letting Ryan be a little too close for comfort.We reached my home, and he stopped the car; before he could say Anything, I got out of the car, turned on my heel, and headed for the door. He followed behind me, his footsteps
Hired Fiance Chapter 199
Emma's POV Ryan raised an eyebrow but didn’t press it. Instead, he turned back to James. “So, mate, I’ve been thinking. Once we finish this monstrous milkshake, we should plan something fun. You know, a real adventure. How about we build a fort when we get home? Or…” His eyes twinkled mischievously. “We could camp in the living room tonight. I’ll bring my torch, and we’ll tell scary stories. What do you say?”James gasped, bouncing in his seat. “Can we, Mummy? Please? Can we camp in the living room?”I blinked at them, half-expecting Ryan to burst out laughing at the absurdity of his suggestion. But he was dead serious—and so was James. “I don’t think we have space for that…”Ryan cut in, shaking his head. “Emma, where’s your sense of adventure? We don’t need space. We’ll make it work. Move some furniture, throw down some blankets. It’ll be like we’re out in the wild!”“Camping… in my flat?” I asked, incredulous.“Exactly,” Ryan said, giving me a grin that I both hated and… found a l
Hired Fiance Chapter 198
Ryan's POV Great! Simply great!! Now you see, my love, how I won you back; no matter what happened in the past, I am going to resolve it and have you in my home, in my bed, and my arms, soon, very soon. You are mine!! Emma's POV “Fine,” Ryan said, finally relenting, though his tone was still far too smug for my liking. “If you insist on your flat, we’ll go there. But don’t think this is over, Emma. We’ll talk more about what’s best for James.”I glared at him but said nothing; he drove back toward my flat. I was looking out of the window. Just then James asked from the back seat, “Mummy! Can we stop for lunch? I’m starving!”“Starving?” Ryan scoffed dramatically, quickening his pace to catch up with James. “Didn't you eat breakfast, son?”James giggled. “But that was 3 hours ago! I’m a growing boy.”Ryan smiled at him through the rearview mirror. “Alright, alright. You’re right. A growing boy needs fuel. How about we stop at that diner just up the street? The one with those massive
Hired Fiance Chapter 197
Emma's POV “Are you out of your mind?” I hissed, barely able to keep my voice steady.Ryan’s eyes darkened, his smile fading into something more cold, more calculated. “Yes, I am. I’ve lost all sense of reason after finding out you’ve been hiding our child from me. The best I can do now is ensure he lives with me, where he belongs. You can come along if you like, or I’ll take you to court. And trust me, Emma, I’ll make sure you don’t get to live with him. You deprived me of his love. The choice is yours.”His words struck like a blow, knocking the wind out of me. I knew he wasn’t bluffing. He had the resources, the connections, and the determination to follow through. And James—oh God, James would be caught in the middle of this, pulled apart by our war. My stomach twisted at the thought.I stood there, my pulse thundering in my ears as Ryan’s words sank in. His smile was too calm, too assured as if he already knew how this would play out. As if he’d won. I clenched my fists, resisti
Hired Fiance Chapter 196
Emma’s POVHalf an hour ago…I woke up in the quiet stillness of the hotel room, my head heavy but the sharp edge of the migraine thankfully dulled. Soft morning light filtered through the curtains, and I blinked, adjusting to my surroundings. The space beside me brought a pang of unease. Where was Ryan?My heart quickened as fragments of last night flickered in my mind—Ryan’s warm, steady hands taking care of me, holding me through the worst of the pain. Was it real, or had I dreamt it? And now, he was gone.Then the realization hit me like a cold wave. James. School.Ryan had been insistent about removing James from the hostel, determined to bring him home. My breath caught as dread clawed its way into my chest. He hadn’t waited for me to wake up. He didn’t as he was going to take James away from me.“Oh, God,” I muttered, panic rising. Why hadn’t I realized it sooner? I shouldn’t have agreed to this, I shouldn’t have let him take the reins. I had to stop him.I threw on yesterday’s
Hired Fiance Chapter 195
Ryan's POV I wasn’t going to let our son stay in that hostel any longer. He belonged with us, with me. And I knew Emma. She wouldn’t let me take him away from her. She loved him too much for that. It was the one card I had to play, and I was going to play it carefully and strategically. She’d have no choice but to come back. And once she was here, once we were together again, I’d make sure she never left.I leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, and smiled. “You were born to be with me,” I whispered, my lips brushing against her skin. “And I’ll get you back, my love. By hook or by crook.”She stirred slightly, but I didn’t move. I wanted to hold her longer, to stay like this forever, but I had things to do. I couldn’t afford to waste time, not when the plan was already in motion. I gently untangled myself from her, careful not to wake her, and slipped out of bed. She needed her rest. Last night had taken its toll, and I wasn’t going to rush her recovery. I could wait. I h
Hired Fiance Chapter 194
Ryan's POV I hadn’t planned for things to turn out this way.But this time she shocked me. Not only did she leave me without saying a word, even when we had a baby together. Why did she leave? What was the reason that had torn us apart? My jaw tightened as the memory surfaced. How could she not have told me? Didn’t I deserve to know? Didn’t I have a right to be angry?But then, looking at her now, so pale and fragile, all that anger seemed to dissolve into something else. Something softer, more desperate. I didn’t just want answers. I wanted her. I wanted to hold her, pull her close, and make all of this go away. I wanted her back in my life, in my arms, where she belonged.But I couldn’t do that. Not yet. Not until we talked. Talked.Despite everything, I could never fall out of love with her. For now, I had to be patient. I had to let her rest, let her heal. There would be time for everything else later.But as I sat there, watching her sleep, I knew one thing for certain: I wa
Hired Fiance Chapter 193
Ryan's POV I sat down next to her, not saying anything at first. She didn’t move, didn’t look at me, but I knew she was aware of my presence. After a while, she spoke, her voice, barely a whisper, “I hate it here.”It wasn’t a dramatic statement, just a simple, heartbreaking truth. She wasn’t talking about the river or the house or even her life. She was talking about being stuck in a world that didn’t let her be herself. I didn’t know what to say. I was just a kid too, barely able to handle my own emotions, let alone someone else’s.But I wanted to comfort her, to let her know she wasn’t alone. So, I did the only thing I could think of—I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. It wasn’t much, but it was something. She looked up at me then, and for the first time, I saw her really look at me, not as her older brother, or a family friend, or some orphan boy her parents had taken in, but as someone who mattered to her. It was in that moment that I realized I cared about
Hired Fiance Chapter 192
Ryan's POV Everyone was worried about her, and she was hiding in my room. I had no idea how she’d managed to slip past her mother’s watchful eyes, but there she was, curled up under my bed. At first, I thought she was just playing some game, but then I realized she was sleeping. She must have been so exhausted from constantly having to be someone she wasn’t. I watched her for a while, not sure what to do. Should I wake her? Should I let her sleep? In the end, I just left her there. She looked peaceful, and I wasn’t about to disturb that.When she got up and I felt the moment under the bed I bent to see her. " Hello!! " " H..Hi!! " She said looking a bit scared. " Come out!! " I said and she came out feeling embarrassed for being caught. " What are you doing here?? " I asked. " Hiding." She bit her lip. " But why?" I asked her. " My mom wants me to learn to play music and Dad wants me to take classes to be like him... I..." She told me hesitantly. " And you don't want to do th
