Chapter 5 Five

Mary's POV

The silence of the Randolph house was suffocating.

Mary lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. The events of the day replayed in her mind-the rushed courthouse wedding, the humiliating encounter with Florence, and the way Thomas had done nothing to defend her.

She turned onto her side, feeling out of place. This wasn't her home. It was his. She was just a temporary guest, here to play a role in his legal battle.

A cold realization settled over her.

She had sold herself to a man who barely looked at her twice.

Sighing, she sat up and pulled a blanket over her shoulders. The room was grand, more luxurious than anything she'd ever had, but it felt hollow. She thought about Amanda, about her father. Were they safe? Was Jason still looking for her?

A soft sound broke through her thoughts.

Tiny footsteps.

Mary turned toward the doorway, just as Nathan appeared in his spaceship pajamas, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Mommy?" His voice was groggy.

She softened immediately. "Hey, buddy. What's wrong?"

Nathan hesitated, moving between feet as he quietly said, "I had a bad dream."

Mary felt a tightness in her chest. He appeared so tiny standing there, his dark hair tousled from sleep.

Without hesitation, she slid over and patted the bed. "Would you like to join me and sit for a while?"

Nathan didn't need to be told twice. He got into the bed and nestled up next to her.

"My Dad would sing to me when I had nightmares," he murmured.

Mary paused. She was not his mother. She really wasn't meant to be here at all. However, the manner in which he held onto her, the way his small fingers gripped the blanket, made her forget everything else.

She softly swept his hair away. "Do you want me to sing?"

Nathan nodded.

Mary thought for a moment before softly humming a lullaby that her mother used to sing to both her and Amanda.

Nathan grinned happily, his breathing steadying as he relaxed against her.

And just like that, he fell asleep again.

Mary observed him for a long time, a strange warmth emerging in her heart

She had made a deal with Thomas but maybe...she had found a reason to stay.

Thomas' POV

Thomas sat in his office, swirling the whiskey in his glass.

He hadn't been able to focus all night. His mind kept drifting back to Mary, to the way Nathan had clung to her like she was some kind of lifeline.

It unsettled him.

This wasn't real. It was a contract. She was here because he needed her to win custody, not because she wanted to be.

So why did he keep remembering the way she had looked at Nathan? The softness in her eyes, the way she had held him like he was the most important thing in the world?

He took another sip of whiskey, irritated at himself.

This was dangerous.

He couldn't afford to get attached and neither could she.

The Next Morning

Mary's POV

Mary woke up to the sound of giggles.

For a moment, she was disoriented, but then she saw Nathan sitting beside her, playing with a small toy car on the blanket.

"Morning!" he chirped, grinning up at her.

Mary sat up, stretching. "Morning, buddy. Did you sleep okay?"

Nathan nodded enthusiastically. "You didn't have bad dreams, right?"

Mary smiled. "Nope. You scared them all away."

Nathan beamed, clearly pleased with himself.

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation.

Before Mary could respond, Thomas stepped inside.

His gaze flickered to Nathan in bed beside her, then to Mary. His expression was unreadable.

"Nathan," Thomas said evenly. "Go get dressed for breakfast."

Nathan pouted but obeyed, hopping off the bed and running down the hall.

Once he was gone, silence settled between them.

Mary shifted, suddenly aware of how intimate the situation must have looked.

"I-he had a nightmare," she explained, brushing her hair back. "I didn't want him to be alone."

Thomas studied her for a long moment, then exhaled. "Nathan gets attached easily."

Mary frowned. "Is that a bad thing?"

Thomas leaned against the doorframe. "It is when people don't stick around."

His words were heavy, filled with a hidden warning.

Mary's throat tightened. Was he warning her?

"I didn't plan for this," she admitted. "But I don't want to hurt him either."

Thomas nodded slightly. Then, without another word, he left.

Nathan was a ball of energy at breakfast, chattering about everything from his favorite cartoons to how he wanted to be an astronaut.

Mary listened intently, asking questions, making him laugh.

Thomas, on the other hand, was silent. He observed them, sipping his coffee.

At one point, Nathan turned to Mary with wide eyes. "Can we go to the park today?"

Mary glanced at Thomas.

He raised a brow. "Do you want to?"

Mary hesitated, but then she saw Nathan's eager face and nodded. "Yeah. I think we could all use some fresh air."

Nathan cheered.

And for the first time since she stepped into this house, Mary felt like she belonged.

Later That Evening

Mary was still smiling as she was going to her room after putting Nathan to bed.

She hadn't expected to enjoy today so much.

But the warmth was short-lived.

As she entered the hallway to his office, she overheard Thomas talking with Bernard, his close friend.

"She's getting too comfortable," Thomas muttered.

Mary froze.

Bernard's voice was low. "She's good with Nathan. That helps your case."

"It's not real," Thomas replied. "I don't need her acting like this is something it's not."

Mary's stomach twisted.

She should have known.

This wasn't a home. She wasn't a wife.

She was just a pawn in Thomas Randolph's game of winning his custody battle but if he thought she would let him treat her like she was disposable, he had another thing coming.

That night, Mary knocked on Thomas' office door.

He glanced up from his desk, surprised. "Something wrong?"

Mary stepped inside, folding her arms. "I heard you talking to Bernard."

Thomas set his pen down slowly. "And?"

"And I'm not playing house," she snapped. "I know what this is. I know why I'm here. But Nathan isn't part of our deal-he's a kid who needs love. If that's a problem, maybe you should rethink your priorities."

A muscle in Thomas' forehead ticked.

"You don't understand-"

"No, I do," Mary cut in. "You're scared of him getting attached to me. You're scared that if I leave, it'll hurt him badly."

Thomas stood, closing the distance between them.

"You think you know me?" His voice was low, dangerous. "You don't. And if you think I'm going to let you waltz in and-"

"Then why did you tell me to stay? When I could have been in another house waiting till I was needed in court."

Silence.

They were inches apart now, the air between them tense.

Mary's heart pounded, but she refused to back down.

Thomas' gaze flickered to her lips for half a second-then he exhaled sharply and stepped back.

"This conversation is over," he said coldly.

Mary swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Fine!"

She turned and walked away, her pulse still racing.

But as she closed the door behind her, she couldn't shake the feeling that something between them had shifted.

And she wasn't sure if it was for better or worse.