Chapter 12
After dinner, Cordelia cut up some fruit and brought it over to sit next to Marcus. He had been engrossed in his phone, and curiosity piqued, she leaned over to sneak a glance. Expecting him to be gaming, she was surprised to see he was browsing a foreign language website. The images on the screen depicted well-dressed men in suits and polished leather shoes—people who looked undeniably successful.
Cordelia’s breath caught, but before she could reflect further, Marcus turned suddenly. She was so close that she almost bumped into the tip of his nose. The two of them froze, locking eyes for a brief, charged moment.
Cordelia’s cheeks flushed, her heart pounding wildly as the distance between them seemed to disappear.
“What’s the matter?” Marcus’s voice was deep and casual, though his eyes held a trace of curiosity.
“N-Nothing…” Cordelia stammered, awkwardly shifting away to sit at a distance, her hands clasped together in her lap. She tried to lighten the mood. “Are you reading the news?”
“Mm, the finance news,” he replied, still focused on his screen.
“Do you understand it?” she asked, genuinely curious.
Marcus glanced at her with a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “What do you think someone who’s been in fights and prison should understand?”
Cordelia’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean it like that!” she said quickly, her face turning even redder. “I’m just surprised you know so much.”
The conversation lulled into awkward silence, and Cordelia shifted uncomfortably. Their legal marriage felt distant, as though they were still strangers, and even simple conversations seemed to be fraught with hesitation. The quiet tension was palpable, making her wonder if it was her own awkwardness that created such distance between them.
She reached up to pat her head in an almost self-conscious gesture, not noticing that Marcus had caught the small motion. A brief, unbidden smile tugged at his lips, though he didn’t acknowledge it.
Marcus set his phone down and speared a piece of fruit with his fork, looking at Cordelia with a calm expression. “Do you have something to tell me?” His tone was casual, though his gaze was sharp.
Cordelia blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden question. “No,” she said, shaking her head.
“Mm.” Marcus gave her a long look. “Do you have enough to spend for the household?”
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?” she responded, her brow furrowing in curiosity.
“Just chatting,” Marcus replied with a disinterested shrug. “How do other husbands and wives talk? Don’t they discuss things like this?”
Cordelia bit her lip, a little thrown off by his matter-of-fact response. She stayed quiet, unsure how to continue the conversation.
“Or…” Marcus’s voice dropped an octave, and his gaze flickered toward the bedroom. “We could talk elsewhere?”
There was something suggestive in his tone that sent a shiver through Cordelia. She looked up, meeting his deep eyes, and for a moment, it felt like the room grew warmer. Her heart raced.
Before she could react, Marcus’s arm snaked around her waist, pulling her effortlessly into his embrace. Cordelia froze in place, the sudden closeness overwhelming her senses. His eyes darkened, and his grip on her tightened ever so slightly.
Her heart was hammering in her chest as she squeezed her eyes shut, doing her best to calm herself. The panic was clear in her trembling form; it was her first time in this kind of situation, and she had no idea how to react.
Marcus’s expression softened as he looked down at her, a flash of tenderness in his gaze. His hand on her waist tightened for a moment, but he didn’t move further. He took a deep breath, letting the tension between them dissipate.
“You must be tired,” he murmured in a husky voice, his warm breath grazing her ear. “Go rest early.”
The pressure in the air seemed to cool, and as Cordelia slowly pulled away, she couldn’t quite grasp the whirlwind of emotions that had passed between them. She should have felt comforted, but instead, a strange emptiness lingered, as if a part of her remained unsure of the distance between them.
She couldn’t help but think of her secret—the truth about being a substitute—and the guilt that gnawed at her. She had only known Marcus for a few days, yet she was already keeping such a heavy secret. She wanted to tell him the truth, to come clean, but every time she tried to voice it, fear held her back. What if he found out? What if he was angry?
The thought of him confronting the Jenners over this made her anxious. Marcus had a hot temper, and what if the fight escalated?
Her eyes flicked to the punching bags and boxing gloves in the front of the house, and she quickly dismissed the thought. It wasn’t worth the risk.
Marcus’s voice broke through her internal turmoil. “I told you to turn in early. What are you lost in thought about?”
Cordelia snapped back to reality and hurried to the bedroom. Just as she settled onto the bed, her phone rang. It was Carter.
“Sis, don’t worry anymore. Mom’s medical bills have been taken care of!” Carter’s voice was full of relief.
“What?” Cordelia could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Where did you get the money?”
“Yelena sent it today,” Carter replied with a grin in his voice. “She sent a diamond necklace over, saying it’s your father’s wedding gift to you. It’s worth $40,000!”
Cordelia stood still, her heart racing. Yelena? The necklace? Everything seemed to fall into place, but her mind couldn’t catch up. What was really happening?