Chapter 4 Locked in, Breaking out

Paige--

I didn't sign up for this.

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, the one framed in gold, too elegant for someone whose stomach was currently twisted in panic.

My phone had exploded with missed calls, messages from unknown numbers, and photos of me I didn't even know were taken.

"Billionaire's Bride: Who is Paige Whiterspoon?"

They were tearing my life apart-and I hadn't even left the building yet.

My hands trembled as I pulled on a simple black dress and tied my hair back in a loose bun.

My throat burned with unspoken fears, and my chest felt tight-like grief hadn't left, just evolved.

I wasn't a wife.

I was a contract. A well-dressed pawn.

And if I didn't keep it together, Ava would suffer.

When I stepped into the hallway, one of the staff-a woman named Loreen-smiled faintly. "Mr. White asked for you to remain inside today."

I smiled tightly. "Tell Mr. White I'll be back before sunset."

I didn't wait for her response.

------------------

The hospital was swarming with reporters.

It took Anderson's security team to get me through the doors. I hated the way they looked at me, like I was one of them now. Wealthy. Powerful. Fake.

But the only person who mattered was lying in that hospital bed, looking impossibly small in a room full of machines and plastic tubes.

"Ava," I whispered, stepping inside.

Her eyes lit up when she saw me. "You look like you just stepped off a magazine cover.

Is this what marrying a billionaire does to your skin?"

I let out a breathy laugh, sitting beside her. "Don't start."

But her gaze sharpened. "What the hell is going on, Paige? I saw the news.

You married Anderson White? That's not just a random stranger. That's the man who owns half of Manhattan."

Why didn't you tell me?, I got better care and Dr Stephen said I'll survive.. everything got better.

"I know."

"You were gone for weeks. Did you hit your head? Is this some kind of fever dream?"

"It was a business decision."

She blinked. "You married someone for business?"

"For you," I said softly. "For the treatment. For your life."

Her jaw clenched. "At what cost, Paige?"

I didn't answer.

Because I didn't know yet.

She reached out and held my hand. Her fingers were colder than I remembered. "You always protected me.

Always gave up everything to keep me safe. But this? You've given yourself away."

Tears welled in my eyes, but I blinked them back. "I didn't sell myself. I just... rented the pieces."

"Be careful," she whispered. "Sometimes even the pieces don't come back."

I'm so glad you're better and I promise you'll be out of here soon..

"I said holding onto her as I breathed a sigh of relief"

"It was worth it".

.................................................

I returned to the penthouse as the sky darkened, hoping to slide back in unnoticed.

No such luck.

Anderson stood in the foyer, arms folded, dressed in all black like the warning label he should've come with. His expression blank-but his eyes? They burned.

"Where were you?" he asked.

I slipped off my coat. "With my sister."

"You left without informing security. You disappeared."

"I needed space. I needed air."

"You needed permission."

I stiffened. "I'm not your prisoner."

"You're my wife."

"No. I'm your contractual obligation."

"You think I went through all this trouble to have my name splashed across headlines with a wife who doesn't understand the weight of what she's walked into?"

"Oh, I understand perfectly," I shot back. "You needed a woman to smile beside you for inheritance optics.

I'm here. I'm smiling. What more do you want?"

He took a step closer, voice low.

"Obedience".

"Presence".

"Awareness"

That your actions now affect both of us."

"You mean they affect you," I snapped. "Because Anderson White can't have a wife who thinks for herself, right?"

Something flickered in his expression. "You think I married you because I wanted a puppet? I chose you because I thought you had enough fire to survive this world. But clearly I overestimated you."

"Then annul it," I hissed. "Tear up the contract. Go find someone who plays nice and keeps quiet."

We stood there, both breathing hard, too much heat in a room that felt colder by the second.

But then-he did something unexpected.

He looked away.

Not with anger. Not with scorn.

With... something like regret.

"I'm not tearing up the contract," he said quietly. "And you're not leaving."

"Watch me."

His phone buzzed on the table. He snatched it up, read the message.

Then he looked at me. Different now. Harder.

"What?" I asked, throat suddenly dry.

He held the phone out.

A single photo filled the screen: me, stepping into the hospital earlier today taken from across the street.

Below it, a message:

You're not the only one watching her now, Mr. White. You should've chosen better.

Anderson looked up at me, eyes suddenly full of shadows.

"You want freedom, Paige?" he said darkly.

"Then learn this-freedom doesn't come without enemies."

"Get ready early, we have somewhere important to go in the morning".