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Chapter 2

مؤلف: Zach Bookman
Mason's and my names were printed on the certificate, but it didn't bear the county clerk's official seal.

It wasn't a legal marriage certificate. Just a commemorative keepsake.

I slid the certificate out of its leather holder. A photograph tucked into the sleeve behind it slipped loose and landed at my feet.

In the photo, Mason wore a white shirt, his smile warm and composed. Stella rested her head against his shoulder, her eyes curved with an easy, happy smile.

I looked at it for a long moment before slipping it back into the holder and putting everything away.

Then I went to the closet, pulled out my suitcase, and packed a few changes of clothes. I had just zipped it shut when the doorbell rang.

I walked to the entryway and opened the door.

Stella stood there in a trench coat, a man in a suit and two uniformed workers behind her.

"So you're really here."

She smiled, her eyes already moving past me into the apartment.

"What do you want?" I stayed where I was, blocking the doorway.

The man stepped forward and handed me his card.

"Ms. Sanders, I'm Ms. Wallace's attorney. This property is her marital asset, and she has the right to make changes to the residence. We'd appreciate your cooperation."

Stella sighed softly, looking at me with an almost apologetic expression.

"Don't take it the wrong way. I just think the place feels a little cold, so I want to switch out the furniture for something warmer. After all, this is my and Mason's home."

She stressed the last few words just enough.

"You don't have to move everything out. I don't mind what you've used. Just clear out the master bedroom for me."

I looked at her, and all the fight drained out of me.

"No need." I stepped aside. "I'm leaving."

Her eyes lit up, and she immediately started directing the workers inside.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened.

Mason stepped out, his expression tight.

"Stella, what are you doing here?" He walked over, confusion edging his voice.

Stella's eyes reddened on cue. She caught his sleeve. "I just wanted to see our new place. Paige seems upset. Did I do something wrong?"

He patted her hand, then looked at me, his gaze dropping to the suitcase.

His expression darkened.

"Are you really leaving? I told you, the passcode hasn't changed. You can stay here whenever you want."

I met his eyes. "Your legal wife showed up with a lawyer to take over the place. What does that make me? Your tenant, or your mistress?"

His jaw tightened. He grabbed my wrist, his grip firm, his thumb brushing over the pulse beneath the bone.

"Paige, do you have to talk about yourself like that? I've told you, you're the one I love. Giving her a title doesn't change that. She's been through a lot. I just don't want her to break under all the pressure."

He glanced at Stella, who stood there quietly crying, then back at me.

"I'm not making excuses for her. I just don't want misunderstandings. Stay at a hotel for a few days. Once things are settled here, I'll come get you myself."

I looked down at the hand around my wrist. His long fingers were still as familiar as ever. It was the same hand that had held on to me at the airport, refusing to let go.

I had just gotten my guaranteed admission overseas. He stood there in the crowd, eyes red, and said, "Stay. I'll give you a home."

I stayed.

And now, he was asking me to leave that home and move into a hotel.

I pried his fingers off mine, one at a time.

"Okay."

I picked up my suitcase and walked toward the elevator.

Mason paused, like he hadn't expected that answer, then followed a few steps behind.

"I'll have my assistant book you your usual suite. I'll send something warm up, too. Your stomach's sensitive."

"No need."

I pressed the down button.

"Paige." His voice came from behind me, firmer now. "It's the Hamilton Corporation charity gala in three days. Be ready. You're coming with me."

I turned to look at him and asked, "As what?"

He frowned, as if the question didn't make sense.

"As Mrs. Hamilton, of course. The whole city knows you're my wife. If you don't show up, the media will start writing things about Stella."

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  • Publicly Mine, Legally Hers   Chapter 10

    Before I knew it, summer had arrived.The wind in Dover had taken on a humid vibe. I sat at my desk, reading the email on my screen from a top college. It was an offer for their graduate program, with a full scholarship.I clicked "Accept."After I closed the laptop, I drew in a slow breath. The air felt clearer somehow, like something heavy had finally lifted.Two weeks later, I went back to the city that had once trapped me to finish my visa paperwork. As we drove through the downtown square, the driver eased off the gas."Ms. Sanders, you might want to look."I turned toward the window. The giant screen in the square was lit up. Six months earlier, on Valentine's Day, Mason had filled that same space with my name and made a promise he never intended to keep. This time, there was no proposal, no declaration. Just a single line of white text on a black background.[Paige was never the other woman. I'm the one who failed her. Mason]People had gathered, some taking photos,

  • Publicly Mine, Legally Hers   Chapter 9

    Paige's POVThe Sanders estate was brightly lit.Mason stood in the middle of the living room, drenched from head to toe. Water dripped from his clothes, leaving dark puddles on the hardwood floor despite the rug beneath his feet.John sat in an armchair at the head of the room, a cup of coffee in his hand. He didn't even bother to look up.Mason's voice was raw. He pulled a stack of signed documents from inside his coat and placed them on the coffee table."I'll give up 30% of Hamilton Corporation, and I'll transfer the ownership of the house to Paige."I'll hold a press conference and publicly clear her name. I'll make it known she was never the other woman."I'll divorce Stella immediately. As soon as the divorce is finalized, I'll marry Paige."He looked at John, the desperation in his eyes impossible to hide."Mr. Sanders... If Paige is willing to give me one more chance, I'll give up everything I have."John set his cup down and looked at Mason, his eyes filled with not

  • Publicly Mine, Legally Hers   Chapter 8

    Third-Person POVMason didn't stay at the hospital.He drove straight to the office, headed down to the archives, and began searching through files from five years earlier, the darkest period the company had ever endured. At the back of a locked filing cabinet, he finally found what he had been looking for.The investment agreement had arrived anonymously. The paper had yellowed with age.He turned to the last page and froze. In the bottom right corner was a handwritten note.[Risk level acceptable. Approval recommended.]The handwriting was neat and deliberate, with a stubborn slant he recognized instantly.It was Paige's.Mason's hands began to tremble as he pulled out a copy of the hospital payment receipt from the same period. The signature was little more than a hastily written initial, but the way each stroke began and ended was unmistakable.It was hers.The memories crashed over him.Five years ago, when every option had run out and the company was on the brink of

  • Publicly Mine, Legally Hers   Chapter 7

    Mason didn't take the document.Rain ran down his hair and into his eyes, stinging, but he didn't move. He just stared at the lawyer in the car and said, his voice rough from repeating it too many times, "I'm her husband. That's not up for debate."The lawyer met his gaze without expression and set the papers on the guardhouse windowsill. "The law sees things differently. This filing asks the court to officially declare that no legal marriage exists between you and Ms. Sanders. We'll also be taking legal action over the false representations surrounding the wedding ceremony and the reputational and physical harm caused to Ms. Sanders."Mason went still.The words, "the law sees things differently," landed harder than anything else, stripping away the last piece of certainty he had been holding on to. He had always brushed off Paige's insistence on legal status as nothing more than paperwork. Now, that same piece of paper stood between them, something he couldn't get around.

  • Publicly Mine, Legally Hers   Chapter 6

    After leaving the hospital room, Mason shut himself inside the smoking lounge. The feeling that everything was slipping beyond his control closed in on him. He smoked through an entire pack, chasing the rising panic with nicotine. His assistant called, his voice tight. "Mr. Hamilton, we've managed to contain the fallout from the gala, but it's caused serious damage. And Ms. Wallace has been crying. She says she's scared and wants to see you."Mason's fingers tightened around the cigarette."Keep her at the apartment. She's not going anywhere." He crushed the cigarette into the tray, his voice turning cold. "Pull the ballroom surveillance. I want every angle from that corner."Half an hour later, the footage came through.The image was clear. It looked like Stella simply lost her grip when she fell, but in reality, she gave Paige's arm one last hard pull before letting go.Mason stared at the screen as something cold worked its way up his spine.He had always thought Stella

  • Publicly Mine, Legally Hers   Chapter 5

    Mason shoved Stella aside and rushed toward me. He dropped to his knees on the broken glass as he tried to pull me into his arms, his hands shaking badly.I looked at his face, twisted with panic, and felt my vision start to blur."Mason…" I said, my voice barely a whisper. "It hurts so much…"By the time I came to, the lights in the ER hallway were too bright to look at directly.I lay on the hospital bed, staring up at the fluorescent panel, while the monitors kept a steady rhythm beside me. The anesthesia hadn't fully worn off, leaving my body light and distant. Yet the cold, hollow ache in my lower abdomen was sharp enough to cut through everything else.The door opened, and the doctor walked in with Mason close behind him. His suit was streaked with dust, his hands still marked with dried blood."She's awake," the doctor said, flipping through the chart. His expression hardened as he looked at Mason."Didn't you know she was about eight weeks pregnant? By the time she

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