3
Looking back now, all the signs were there.
No wonder she had it out for me the first time we met.
I’d dropped a bracelet at Christian’s office, and she was the one who returned it.
Bianca.
She took one look at me and went full Mean Girl.
“Maybe try not to leave your crap everywhere?”
“Mr. Cole’s got real work to do. He doesn’t have time to chase after your little trinkets.”
I froze–thought maybe I really had been a bother.
Tried to be polite. I smiled and said, “Oh, sorry.”
“Thanks though–you should probably get back to work.”
She rolled her eyes, gave a fake little scoff, and walked off.
That night, Christian brought it up out of nowhere.
“Bianca’s young, she’s blunt. If she said anything rude, you should’ve just told me.”
“Why’d you yell at her?”
I blinked.
“Wait–what? Yell? When did I ever yell at her?”
“She said you did. She cried all afternoon about it. Whole office knows by now.”
I stared at him, stunned.
My voice went flat.
“I didn’t say a word out of line. She’s lying. She made that up.”
He saw I wasn’t playing.
Immediately tried to smooth it over.
“Okay, okay. I believe you. Of course I believe you.”
“Don’t be mad. I’ll clear it up at work tomorrow.”
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Just a Stand In?! My Billionaire Hubby’s OTHER Wife…
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Chapter 3
I laughed–cold.
“Don’t bother. She already trashed my name in front of everyone.”
“If you say something now, it’ll just make it worse.”
So nothing happened.
We never talked about it again.
I never saw her after that.
At the time, I couldn’t figure out why she’d go out of her way to smear me.
But now?
Now I get it.
She wanted him.
Even back then.
I don’t know how long it had been before dawn started creeping in.
Christian came back.
He went straight to the shower, then, like always, slipped into bed and pulled me close.
But whether it was the cold on his skin, or just the dirt of where he’d been, I instinctively pulled away.
He paused, noticed how my eyes were wide open, dark circles under them.
He frowned. “Babe… didn’t I tell you to sleep? Why are you still up?”
He tried to cuddle me again–only to realize I was freezing.
He touched my forehead, suddenly worried.
“Jesus, you’re ice cold. Are you sick? What’s going on?”
My silence only made him more anxious.
“You feeling okay? Why didn’t you call me? Were you trying to scare me to death?”
I finally looked at him.
Maybe it was the rawness in my voice, or just how dead it sounded.
“If I called… would you have come back?”
He froze.
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Just a Stand In?! My Billionaire Hubby’s OTHER Wife…
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Chapter 3
Then rushed to answer like it was obvious.
“Of course. You have no idea how much you mean to me.”
And there he was.
Christian–who’d just finished screwing another woman–looking me in the eye, telling me I was the most important person in his life.
I didn’t know whether to laugh at him… or at myself.
I did laugh, suddenly and bitterly.
“And Bianca? What about her?”
He blinked–definitely didn’t see that one coming.
“What does she have to do with anything?”
Exactly.
That’s Christian.
He does love me, I know he does.
And maybe that’s the most twisted part of it.
Because if he loves me so much…
Why the hell would Bianca settle for being his side piece?
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