Chapter 18
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Chapter 18
Lottie looked away, as if she hadn’t heard a thing, and went back to her room. She took a long, hot shower.
Later, sitting on the edge of the bed, she was blow-drying her hair when the mattress behind her suddenly dipped.
A large hand reached over and gently took the dryer from her.
Lottic froze.
To outsiders, she and Nigel were the picture of a model couple-polite, respectful, no public fights, no drama.
But no one knew the truth.
There had never been real intimacy between them.
Nigel always kept his distance.
Back then, Lottie had a slow emotional response. She couldn’t tell the difference between being busy and being emo- tionally unavailable. She’d genuinely believed he was simply overworked-too tired to care for a new wife, too ex- hausted to sleep in their bedroom.
Now, those same hands moved through her damp hair with practiced care, drying it gently.
Lottie quickly stood up, stepping out of reach. She turned to face him, unsettled. “Do you have something you want to say to me?”
She couldn’t help the bluntness.
Because this? This wasn’t normal.
“Lottie…”
Nigel turned off the dryer, hesitated for a beat, then finally said, “I need you to make a public statement-to help clear things up online.”
Lottie felt like she was being smothered.
And the worst part? She couldn’t afford to fight back.
She wanted a divorce-but she couldn’t afford to fall out with Nigel.
Her fingertips idly picked at her palm as she met his gaze. “How exactly am I supposed to ‘clarify’ anything? The pho- tos are already out there.”
Nigel looked drained-probably from dealing with Esther’s meltdown. “But they didn’t catch her face.”
Lottie felt like her chest was stuffed with a soaked sponge-heavy, suffocating. Her voice was hoarse. “So… you want
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Chapter 18
me to lie? Tell the internet the woman in the photos is me?”
It was a simple question. Blunt, even.
Because honestly, she hadn’t expected Nigel to make such an absurd request.
She thought, at worst, he’d ask her to post something vague-say it was a misunderstanding, the woman was a friend.
But instead, he gave her the whole script.
His expression remained composed, voice cool and rational. “I can’t think of a better solution. This would settle things quickly. It’s the best outcome-for Mathis Group, for you, for everyone.”
Everyone.
Lottie’s fingers clenched the edge of the blanket.
He meant Esther, of course.
Nigel could always protect her perfectly-no matter the situation.
And Lottie? He never hesitated to throw her under the spotlight when it suited him.
She let out a soft, bitter laugh-dry and sharp around the edges. “Sure.
“I’ll do it.”
She knew better than to think she had a real choice. The moment he brought it up, the decision had already been made.
She wasn’t naive.
Nigel’s tone turned gentle, almost indulgent. “I know this isn’t fair. Think of it as my way of making it up to you.
“Call Nancy tomorrow. Go out, shop a little. Buy whatever you want.”
He handed her a check.
Lottie didn’t reach for it. So he simply placed it on her pillow.
Then he turned and left-calm, decisive. Like staying even a second longer would make things harder to explain to the woman he actually cared about.
Once the door closed behind him, Lottie finally picked up the check.
7 million dollars.
A bargain.
For Nigel, it was a cheap crisis fix. 7 million dollars to clean up a scandal with zero personal cost.
For her? Honestly, also a good deal.
She opened her social media app, switched to a different account, and typed a short caption.
[No need to guess-the woman in the photo is me. Just a bit of harmless flirting between husband and wife.]
Money secured.
Lottie folded the check, tucked it away, turned off the lights, and went to bed.
