Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands curled into fists at my sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up at me with wide, fake\u2013innocent eyes. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to protect you, Nolan. From someone like her. A vixen pretending to be a victim.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The hallway suddenly felt colder, like the shadows were listening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felicity took my silence as permission. Her smile returned, softer now. Hopeful. She thought she was winning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But something twisted in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because for all her venom, she wasn\u2019t wrong about one thing\u2013something about that reaction didn\u2019t make sense. The overreaction. The questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I opened my office door, I expected discomfort. Maybe awkward silence. At the very least, a bit of tension lingering in the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What I didn\u2019t expect was the sound of Ellie laughing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was leaned back on the office couch, had nowhere else to be, chatting with one of the omega maids like we were old friends catching up at a festival. I had a half\u2013eaten bag of chips in my lap and was crunching through them like this wasn\u2019t the day of my own rejection ceremony.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The maid was gossiping freely, recklessly. \u201cAnd did you hear about Beta Corwin\u2019s daughter sneaking off with one of the guards? Scandalous. She came back with twigs in her hair and claimed she was picking herbs\u2013at midnight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I let out a snort of laughter. \u201cAt least she committed to the bit. Midnight herbalist sounds more noble than \u2018 caught kissing behind a barn.\u201c\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
(\u00a0<\/p>\n
The maid grinned. \u201cOh, and don\u2019t get me started on Elder Myra\u2019s third wedding. They say she made her new mate sign a vow of silence before the ceremony. Can you imagine?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d do the same,\u201d I said, popping a chip into her mouth. \u201cPeace and quiet sounds like the best wedding gift, especially after my last marriage.\u201d My eyes landed on Nolan coldly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The maid laughed, clearly emboldened. \u201cTrue, he never treated you well. Honestly, this whole place is a soap opera. I can\u2019t keep up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan blinked, seems unsure what world he had just walked into. But as soon as the Maid saw him, she shrank.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felicity stopped beside him, stunned for all of two seconds before her lips twisted. \u201cPlease,\u201d she whispered.\u201d She has to be. You were everything to her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up, acknowledging this pathetic couple. Why can\u2019t they just be background noise? I didn\u2019t even stop eating \u201cOh, hey,\u201d I said casually, \u201cYou\u2019re just in time for the part where everyone assumed you two were already a couple. Right?\u201d I looked at the maid for confirmation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
9\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
The maid blanched. \u201cI\u2013um\u2013maybe I should go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I waved her off. \u201cYou\u2019re fine. It\u2019s not like they weren\u2019t thinking it anyway.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felicity bristled. \u201cYou\u2019re only still here because you clung to him like a shadow. Nolan would\u2019ve let you go a long time ago if you hadn\u2019t begged him to stay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood, brushing crumbs from my fingers. \u201cRight. Because staying in a house where no one wants me just screams dream life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always played the poor rogue girl act,\u201d Felicity snapped. \u201cSo fragile. So obedient. Just hoping someone would look your way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tilted my head, I was honestly amused. \u201cYou really think I had to fake being overlooked? Trust me. That part was very real.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felicity turned to Nolan, clearly waiting for backup. \u201cYou\u2019re not seriously going to let her talk like that, are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I beat her to it. \u201cHe is letting me,\u201d I said, flashing a tight smile. \u201cI think that tells you everything about this man.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan still hadn\u2019t said a word. He studied me, as if I was a stranger. But I knew\u2013Nothing about me was the same. Not my posture. Not my tone. Not the way I looked at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He needed to get used to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked back at him now, eyes steady. \u201cSo, did you bring your little lover here to make things official? Is today the big day?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan stared at me. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shrugged, then dropped onto the arm of the couch. \u201cThe divorce. Or the rejection ceremony. Whichever one you\u2019re finally ready for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felicity\u2019s jaw clenched. \u201cGods, I can\u2019t wait till he gets rid of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I ignored her completely. \u201cSeriously,\u201d I said to Nolan, \u201cif we\u2019re going through with this, let\u2019s not drag it out. I\u2019m sick of both of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felicity looked at Nolan with wide eyes, expecting him to finally put me in my place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I waited for him to announce the divorce. After all, I was just his useless Rogue wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched him expectantly. God, I can\u2019t wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not doing it. I\u2019m not divorcing you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 9 Chapter 9\u00a0 My hands curled into fists at my sides.\u00a0 She looked up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-unremembered-mate-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23578\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}