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12: Under His Skin
Last Updated:
2025-02-06 18:32:05
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Married To The Billionaire I Hate 13: The Perfect Lie
Cole's POV.I could feel the nerves creeping up, even though I was doing everything in my power to act like I was fine. The situation had me on edge as the PR team ushered us to the waiting cars. The cameras would be rolling soon. The journalists would be eager, asking about our “fast” romance, how we managed to fall in love and marry in such a short time. The bullshit we'd have to sell tonight would be the final act in this ridiculous drama.Emily was standing beside me, her arms crossed, giving off the vibe that she was barely holding it together. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, the kind of line I’d seen a hundred times when she was pretending to be happy. If she only knew how little I cared about her discomfort. We both had a job to do, and I was about to make sure she remembered hers.I could tell she was putting on the perfect mask though. Her makeup was flawless, every inch of her looked like she was ready for a magazine cover, and I hated that she could pull it off s
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Emily’s POV.The second the elevator doors shut, I felt the walls closing in. Not because of the tight space…but because of him. Cole Greyson. The one man I never wanted to be alone with.I folded my arms, letting out a sharp breath. “Perfect. Just perfect.”Cole leaned against the wall, adjusting his cufflinks like he hadn’t just ruined my entire night. “You’re welcome.”My head snapped toward him. “Excuse me?”“You said ‘perfect.’ I assumed you were thanking me.” His smirk was lazy, smug, infuriating.My hands curled into fists. “You seriously have zero self-awareness.”His eyes flicked toward me, cool and disinterested. “And you have zero gratitude.”A bitter laugh left my lips. “Gratitude? For what? For having to fake a marriage with the one person I hate most in this world? Yeah, thanks a lot, Cole.”He shrugged. “You didn’t have to say yes.”I stepped closer, fire burning through my veins. “You think I wanted this?”He tilted his head. “No. But you agreed. That’s on you.”I wan
Last Updated : 2025-02-07Married To The Billionaire I Hate 15: The Panic Sets In
Cole’s POV"Emily."No response.I shook her slightly, my heart hammering."Emily, wake up. Come on."Still nothing.Her breathing was shallow, her skin too warm. The terror, the shock…it had all been too much for her."Damn it," I muttered, running a hand through my hair.The elevator was still moving up, but I barely noticed. All I could see was Emily, lying there, her face pale, her lips slightly parted.For years, I told myself I didn’t care about her. That what happened between us was in the past. But seeing her like this? Completely defenseless?It did something to me.I clenched my jaw, reaching forward. Without thinking, I slid my arms under her and lifted her against my chest.She was too still. Too quiet."Just hold on, okay?" I muttered under my breath.The elevator dinged. The doors slid open.And suddenly, we were met with chaos.A cluster of hotel staff and security stood outside, their faces twisted in panic. Some gasped. Others immediately rushed forward."Sir! Mr. Gre
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Emily's POV.A groan slipped out before I could stop it. My head felt like it had been used as a punching bag, and my body ached in places I didn’t even know could ache. My throat was dry, my limbs stiff, and an odd tingling sensation ran through my arms.I blinked against the harsh sunlight streaming through the large windows, trying to remember where the hell I was. My vision blurred for a moment, then cleared just enough to make out the luxurious hotel room…the honeymoon suite, to be exact.And then I saw him.Cole.Sitting in a chair near the bed, legs stretched out lazily, arms crossed over his chest, watching me like he had all the time in the world. His expression was unreadable, but there was something about the way his lips curled at the corners, like he was amused.My stomach twisted. Why was he here?"You’ve got to be kidding me," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut as if I could make him disappear by sheer willpower."Good morning to you too, sweetheart." His voice was deep
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Emily's POV.Cole, to his credit, didn’t react immediately. He stood by the window, shoulders tensing just slightly, before he turned around with the calmness of a man who had dealt with this kind of chaos before.He exhaled through his nose, then walked toward Vanessa, completely unbothered. "It’s fine," he said, addressing the staff. "You can go.""But, sir, we tried to stop her…""I said it’s fine," Cole repeated, giving them a pointed look.The staff exchanged hesitant glances before bowing slightly and retreating out of the room, closing the door behind them.Now, it was just the three of us.Vanessa looked like she was about to explode. Her hands were shaking, her breaths coming in short gasps, and her perfectly manicured nails dug into her palms.Cole reached for her, his voice lowering. "Vanessa, calm down."She smacked his hand away. "Don’t you dare tell me to calm down!" Her voice cracked with emotion. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"Cole sighed and ran a hand th
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Emily's POV.The car ride was silent except for the soft hum of the engine. I stared out the window, watching the city come alive under the morning sun. Skyscrapers, pedestrians, coffee shops, life was moving forward, and so was I.Cole and his pathetic little girlfriend were behind me now, exactly where they belonged.I leaned back against the seat, rubbing my temple. My dress still clung to my body, wrinkled and ruined from last night. The expensive fabric felt suffocating. My makeup…God, I didn’t even want to look at my face. I probably looked like something out of a horror movie.“Straight home, Miss Hart?” my driver, Leo, asked from the front seat.I thought about it. Home. What was that even supposed to mean? The mansion I grew up in? The penthouse I bought to escape that mansion? Or the prison of a hotel Cole trapped me in?“No,” I said. “Take me to the Ritz. I need a suite.”Leo nodded, no questions asked. That’s why I liked him. He did his job without treating me like a fragi
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Cole's POV.The world was burning, and I was standing in the middle of it, phone in hand, watching my life collapse in real-time.Every major news outlet, every gossip blog, every social media platform was eating up the scandal like it was the juiciest story of the year."Emily Hart Walks Out on Cole Greyson Just 2 Days After Their Wedding!" "Hart Heiress Flees Honeymoon Suite – Trouble in Billionaire Paradise?" "Cole Greyson Left Behind as His Bride Vanishes!"The photos were everywhere—Emily walking out of the hotel, her posture elegant despite her ruined dress, make-up and birdnest of a hair. Even her expression was unreadable. The press had caught her getting into a black car. And her wedding ring nowhere in sight.Meanwhile, I was stuck here, trapped in this disaster of my own making.I exhaled sharply, gripping my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white.This was bad.The internet was a wildfire, and I was at the center of it. People were talking…laughing, judging, feasting
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Cole's POV.I had always been a man who got what he wanted. Connections, wealth, influence…I had them all. But none of that mattered now if I couldn’t find Emily.The moment she walked out on me, my entire world had gone to hell. The media had gotten wind of the story. My father had called, yelling through the phone, making it clear that if Emily wasn’t back as my wife within 24 hours, Greyson Corps would be handed over to my cousin.I wasn’t about to let that happen.I had spent the entire day making calls, pulling every string I could. The best private investigators, cybersecurity experts, and even a few underground contacts…I spared no expense. I needed to find her before it was too late.By evening, I got a lead.She had checked into one of the most expensive hotels in the city. The irony wasn’t lost on me. She wasn’t hiding. She wasn’t running. She was waiting.For what?To watch me crumble? To see how far I would go?Whatever it was, I didn’t care.By 9 PM, I was standing outsid
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Married To The Billionaire I Hate 129: The Cost Of Detachment
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Married To The Billionaire I Hate 128: Deadlines And Dead Men
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Married To The Billionaire I Hate 127: Part 2
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Married To The Billionaire I Hate 126: Epilogue
Emily's POV.Six years later.I couldn't believe how much everything had changedm..and how much I had changed. I used to be a woman who could take on anything with a smile, fighting tooth and nail for what I wanted, getting my way, keeping my guard up. Now, I was a wife, a mother to two wild kids who were way too much like me for comfort, and I was somehow still trying to find the balance. Cole and I had two little monsters. I meant that in the most loving way, of course. A five-year-old girl who thought she knew everything, and a three-year-old boy who was already calm enough to be mistaken for a mini version of his father.I looked over at Mia, our daughter, as she flipped through her book on the couch, muttering to herself. “Mom, you know you can’t just say things like that. The truth is like…” She paused, squinting up at me, “...it’s like a key. It opens doors. And if you don’t have the key, well, you’re locked out. Simple logic. Honestly.”I blinked, my fork halfway to my mouth
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 125: The Endgame
Emily's POV.I could feel the tightness in my chest as I walked into the hospital room. The usual weird smell of the hospital hit me instantly, but it didn’t matter. My feet were heavy, like each step took more out of me than it should. I didn’t know what I expected walking in here, but seeing him like this…injured, bruised, bandaged…was almost too much.Cole was sitting upright in the bed, his broad shoulders hunched slightly as he adjusted the position of the IV that was attached to his arm. His face, though familiar, looked a little different. His skin was pale, almost sickly, and his hair was messy, falling loosely across his forehead. His eyes…those eyes that could melt anyone with a single glance…were narrowed at the screen in front of him. His left hand was holding a small tablet, and I saw the footage of the trial. It was the video of what happened in court …Vanessa, shackled, dragged in like she was nothing. I saw the shot of her standing in the courtroom, struggling to keep
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 124: Five Life Sentences
Vanessa's POV.They brought me in through the back. Shackled. Dressed in orange. I could feel every damn eye in that courtroom the moment the doors opened.Phones were out. Cameras. People whispering. Judging. Hating.I used to walk through halls with power in my step, people hanging onto my words, afraid to cross me. Now, the guards shoved me forward like I was nothing. Like I wasn’t the Vanessa Monroe.The courtroom was colder than I remembered. The lights too bright. Too many people. Too many eyes. My throat was dry, and not a soul here gave a damn.The judge didn’t look up as I was led to the defendant’s table. He was flipping through a file…my file…thicker than a Bible.I sat. Hands cuffed. Ankles chained. Heart racing. Face burning.And then I saw her.Emily.Sitting there in the front row like she owned the damn place. Like she wasn’t two months pregnant with the child I tried to erase along with her.Her head was high. Shoulders back. Lips painted blood red. Her arms crossed l
Married To The Billionaire I Hate 123: A Good Sign
Emily's POV.Hours passed. Again.The ICU lights didn’t dim. Nurses kept coming in and out. Adjusting tubes. Checking monitors. Writing things down without saying a word to me. One of them offered me a blanket. Another brought me water I didn’t touch. I couldn’t drink. Couldn’t eat. My stomach was twisted into a hundred knots.Cole hadn’t moved.Not even a twitch.I kept waiting for something. A flick of his fingers. A twitch of an eyelid. A miracle.But the machines kept beeping the same way. Monotonous. Cold. Consistent.My fingers stayed laced with his. Even though he couldn’t squeeze back.The door creaked open again.Footsteps. Not rushed. Not hesitant. Just... steady.I turned, and there she was.Lena.Smith's mom.She looked like she’d driven straight from hell to get here. Hair in a bun that had long since given up. Dark circles under her eyes. Clothes wrinkled, boots dusty. Her eyes locked on me, then flicked to Cole. Her jaw clenched."Is he…?" she didn’t finish the question
