You're my wife

"So," Lily said, cutting into what might have been the best pancakes of her life, "about that annulment..."

James paused mid-bite, syrup dripping from his fork. "Right. The annulment."

They'd been dancing around the topic for the past hour, discussing everything from the weather to Lily's marketing job to James's real estate empire—anything except the obvious elephant in the room.

"Although," James continued thoughtfully, "legally speaking, we might want to wait a few days. Rushing into an annulment right after Chloe's dramatic exit might look... suspicious."

"Suspicious how?"

"Like we're caving to family pressure. Better to let things cool down first."

Lily nodded, though she wasn't entirely sure she was buying his reasoning. "That makes sense, I guess."

Before either could continue this delicate negotiation, Louis strolled into the kitchen with the casual confidence of someone who'd clearly made himself at home here many times before.

"Well, well," he said, eyeing their cozy breakfast scene, "look at you two playing house."

"Morning to you too, sunshine," James replied dryly. "Don't you have somewhere else to be? Like your own apartment?"

"And miss this riveting domestic drama? Not a chance." Louis grabbed a mug and helped himself to coffee. "Besides, I come bearing news from the outside world."

"What kind of news?" Lily asked, though she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"The kind where Chloe Adams spent the morning on the phone with half the social elite, spinning this whole situation to make you look like a gold-digging home-wrecker and James like a victim of feminine manipulation."

Lily's fork clattered against her plate. "She what?"

"Don't worry," Louis waved dismissively, "no one believes the victim part. James Watson as a helpless victim? Please. But the gold-digger angle..." He shrugged apologetically.

"That's ridiculous!" Lily protested. "I didn't even know he was rich when I—" She paused, realizing how that sounded.

"When you accosted him in a hotel lobby and demanded he marry you?" Louis finished helpfully.

"It sounds worse when you say it like that."

"It sounds worse because it is worse," Louis grinned. "But don't take it personally. Chloe's just getting warmed up."

James reached over and squeezed Lily's hand. "Louis is right—don't worry about Chloe's theatrics. She'll run out of steam eventually."

"Will she though?" Louis raised an eyebrow. "Because I heard she's already called a meeting with both families for this afternoon. Something about 'rectifying this situation.'"

The protective way James's grip tightened on her hand sent an unexpected flutter through Lily's chest. When had she started finding his presence so reassuring?

"Let her have her meeting," James said calmly. "It doesn't change anything."

"Doesn't it?" Lily looked between them. "I mean, if your families had this whole thing arranged..."

"My family arranged a business merger disguised as a marriage," James corrected. "There's a difference."

"But still—"

Lily's phone buzzing interrupted her mid-sentence. She glanced at the screen and her heart stopped. "Oh no. It's my cousin Maggie."

She answered quickly, stepping away from the table. "Mags? What's wrong?"

"Lily, thank God," Maggie's voice was shaky and strained. "It's your dad. He's had another heart attack. You need to get to the hospital right away."

The world tilted sideways. Lily gripped the counter for support as everything else—the marriage, Chloe, the whole surreal situation—faded to background noise.

"How bad is it?" she whispered.

"Bad. They've got him stable for now, but... just get here, okay? St. Mary's Hospital. ICU."

"I'm on my way."

She hung up and turned to find both James and Louis watching her with concern.

"I have to go," she said numbly. "My dad... he's in the hospital."

"I'll drive you," James said immediately, already moving toward his keys.

"You don't have to—"

"Lily." His voice was gentle but firm. "You're in shock. You're not driving anywhere."

Forty-five minutes later, Lily hurried through the hospital corridors with James beside her, his hand a steady presence at her back. She'd barely registered the ride over, too focused on trying not to panic.

"There she is!" Maggie rushed over, pulling Lily into a fierce hug. "The doctors said he's stable, but they want to monitor him for the next 48 hours."

"Can I see him?"

"Of course. Room 314." Maggie's eyes drifted curiously to James. "And you are?"

"James Watson," he said, extending his hand. "I'm... a friend of Lily's."

Maggie raised an eyebrow at the slight hesitation but shook his hand anyway. "Maggie Chen. Thanks for bringing her."

"It's no problem at all."

As they headed toward the elevator, Lily felt James's presence beside her like an anchor. Which was weird, considering she'd known him for all of thirty-six hours.

"You know," she said quietly as they waited for the elevator, "you really don't have to stay. I'm sure you have important billionaire things to do."

"Nothing more important than this," he replied simply.

The elevator doors opened, and as they stepped inside, Lily found herself studying his profile. "Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, really. I basically railroaded you into marriage, brought drama into your life, and now I'm dragging you to a hospital. Most people would have run screaming by now."

James was quiet for a moment, considering her question. "Maybe I like a little chaos in my life."

"A little? I think I've blown past 'a little' and gone straight into 'complete disaster.'"

"Perhaps. But you're my disaster now."

The casual way he said it—like it was a simple fact rather than a romantic declaration—made Lily's heart skip in a way that had nothing to do with worry about her father.

The elevator dinged, and they stepped out into the ICU wing.

"Room 314 is just down here," Lily said, then paused. "James?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For being here. I know this whole situation is insane, but... thank you."

He smiled, and for the first time since she'd met him, it reached his eyes completely. "You're welcome, Mrs. Watson."

As they walked toward her father's room, Lily couldn't help but think that maybe—just maybe—her drunken mistake was turning into something else entirely.

Even if she had no idea what that something was yet.

Back at the Watson mansion, Louis fielded phone calls from increasingly irate Adams family members, armed with nothing but sarcasm and an impressive collection of creative excuses for why James was "unavailable." It was, he decided, shaping up to be an excellent day.