Dashiell was still asleep.
Thea slipped away from him, wanting to call her mother.
After Dashiell had agreed to lend her the money, they had, of course, ended up doing what they always did together.
There was no way she could refuse Dashiell’s desire to enjoy her body, and truthfully, she had no intention of refusing him either.
It was already seven in the morning.
Today they needed to get everything ready, since tomorrow they would be leaving for Paris.
As reluctant as she was to go, she couldn’t refuse Dashiell’s request.
Thea stepped out onto the balcony, closing the door behind her as quietly as she could so her fake husband wouldn’t wake up.
She breathed in the morning air; it felt so refreshing, though she hadn’t come out here just to enjoy the fresh air.
Thea called her mother, wanting to share the news that she’d gotten the money.
She wanted her father to have his surgery as soon as possible so his illness could finally be treated.
“Thea,” her mother’s voice sounded exhausted.
It made Thea want to go home just to see how her parents were doing.
“Mom, how’s Dad doing?”
“You know, his condition just keeps getting worse, and you know he needs to have surgery soon,” there was no energy left in her mother’s voice at all.
Thea felt a wave of sympathy; her mother must be so worn down facing all of this.
“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll send the money soon, so please take Dad to the hospital.”
“What?” Her mother sounded like she couldn’t quite believe it.
Where would Thea have gotten money from?
“Mom, don’t worry about the cost. I’ll cover all of Dad’s hospital expenses.” Right now she felt genuinely grateful for having taken Saphira’s place and married Dashiell.
If she hadn’t done it, where else would she have found help in a situation like this?
As unpleasant as Dashiell Marlowe’s treatment of her could be, at least the man was able to help her now.
“Don’t joke around like that, Thea. Surgery isn’t cheap. Where would you get the money to pay for it?”
“Mom, I already talked to Saphira. She agreed to help me, so you don’t need to worry,” she had to lie so her mother would believe her.
Her mother knew she and Saphira were close friends.
“Really?” A small glimmer of hope appeared in her mother’s voice.
“Trust me, she agreed to help, so please, take Dad in for the surgery right away.”
“Alright, alright. Mommy is so relieved to hear that,” her mother began to cry, unable to hold back her tears any longer.
She had thought they had no hope left, but fortunately Thea had a good friend willing to help.
Thea did her best to comfort her mother.
She had no idea Dashiell was quietly listening in on the conversation.
He’d assumed she had already gone out, but instead he heard her voice coming from the balcony.
Curious about what she was doing, Dashiell approached slowly.
He heard Thea talking to someone, though the words weren’t entirely clear.
Still, he caught her mentioning the name Saphira.
What was this conversation about, and who exactly was his wife talking to?
Curiosity overtook him, and he strained to listen more closely, but unfortunately, Thea had already finished her call with her mother.
Dashiell watched her from where he stood, studying her.
The more he observed, the more it seemed this woman truly wasn’t Saphira.
Thea didn’t go back inside.
She chose to stay out there instead, lost in thought, thinking about her future.
Once her role here was over, would she even be able to go back to living the way she used to?
She was sinking into her own thoughts, unaware Dashiell had come up behind her.
He approached and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
Thea was startled for a moment, but a smile lit up her face when Dashiell pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.
If the woman in his arms right now truly wasn’t Saphira, then he considered himself lucky, because it meant he hadn’t married that cheap woman after all.
“What are you doing out here, and why didn’t you wake me?”
“I didn’t want to disturb you, Dashiell. I didn’t want you to get angry,” it wasn’t just an excuse; she genuinely didn’t want to be scolded by him.
“Next time, just wake me. I won’t be angry.”
“Really?”
“Mm.” Dashiell kissed her cheek again.
Thea closed her eyes, savoring the tender treatment he was giving her.
She didn’t want to question why Dashiell was suddenly treating her this way; she simply wanted to enjoy it without needing a reason.
To her, she was only the fake wife, and she would remain fake forever.
“Aren’t you going to the office today?”
“Of course. Do you want to come with me?”
“I don’t think I can, I need to go to campus to ask for permission,” she also needed to go to the bank to send the money.
“When you’re done, I’ll have someone sent to pick you up.”
“I don’t know, I’m not sure,” Thea turned around, and the two of them found themselves face to face.
A sweet smile lit up her face as Dashiell studied her.
He examined her expression carefully.
Nothing seemed off; even her face looked completely genuine.
Slowly, Dashiell brushed his hand across her face.
He knew Saphira had no twin sister.
It seemed impossible for someone to resemble her this closely without being related by blood.
Even siblings wouldn’t share identical faces unless they were twins.
“What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?” Thea felt unsettled by the intensity of his gaze.
She was afraid Dashiell might recognize who she really was.
“Nothing, it’s nothing.” Dashiell pulled her close by the waist and held her.
He found himself confused by his own thoughts.
If this woman wasn’t Saphira, then who was she?
The thought kept circling back to him.
“What’s going on? Why aren’t you acting like yourself this morning?” Thea gently stroked his head.
“Shower with me.” He wouldn’t answer her question, not yet, because he wanted to figure out what was really going on first.
Until he had proof, he would pretend not to notice anything strange at all.
“Hey. Why won’t you answer me, ah!” Thea gasped, startled when Dashiell suddenly swept her up into his arms.
“You talk too much.” Before Thea could say another word, Dashiell had already sealed her lips with a kiss.
For some reason, he found himself reluctant to call the woman by the name Saphira anymore.
Thea closed her eyes, gripping his shoulders tightly as he kissed her with unrestrained hunger.
They both lost themselves in the kiss, and afterward, they looked at each other, breathing hard.
“We did it so many times last night. Wasn’t that enough?”
“There’s no such thing as enough, so get ready, because I want you all the time.”
“What did you—” Her words were cut off as Dashiell sealed her mouth with his again, kissing her with the same fierce hunger as before.
He didn’t care who this woman really was, and he found himself hoping, quite fervently, that she wasn’t Saphira at all.
Perhaps this was actually a good thing for him, since it meant he wouldn’t have to marry that cheap woman, even though he had no idea how something like this could have happened.
Dashiell carried her toward the bedroom and laid Thea down gently.
They gazed at each other before their lips met once more.
This time it felt different.
Even though Dashiell’s treatment of her had already been fairly gentle since last night, this morning he was treating her even more tenderly still.
The intimacy she usually didn’t enjoy all that much, she now found herself truly savoring.
Dashiell wasn’t just giving her pleasure; his touch felt entirely different somehow.
What was happening to him?
Honestly, it frightened her.
The different way he was treating her seemed to signal something she wasn’t sure she wanted at all.