The Stand-In Wife Chapter 03

The Stand-In Wife Chapter 03

I stayed in that rental apartment for about a week. Then I called the caregiver to check on my dad.

I wasn’t using the phone Leah had returned to me. I actually had another phone — the one I’d kept using our dad’s old number.

For most of my personal stuff, I still used that number.

Dad was stable. Still no sign of waking up.

Two days later, Leah contacted me.

I drove the white car and waited for her at the usual intersection.

A moment later, the passenger door opened, and she climbed in.

“What’s up?”

She was quiet for a moment. “I forgot to ask you something. How often did you two… you know, have marital relations?”

I hesitated. “Kane travels a lot. It wasn’t regular. I never kept track.”

“So you did, though?”

I nodded.

“Well, that’s something.” She laughed humorlessly. “For a second I thought there might be something wrong with him.”

“What?”

She lit a cigarette and slowly blew out a smoke ring. “It’s been a week. He hasn’t touched me. I thought for sure we would on our anniversary, but nope. Not that night, not any night since.”

I paused. “Maybe he’s still jet-lagged? Probably just exhausted. That’s pretty normal.”

Except it wasn’t normal at all.

Kane almost always took a full week off to spend with me after a business trip — unless something urgent came up at the company.

And he was assertive in bed. But always gentle.

I didn’t feel like sharing any of that with Leah, though.

Maybe because only in those moments — when I was truly in his arms — could I be Ella Winters. I didn’t have to wear Leah’s skin. I could laugh when I wanted, cry when I wanted.

“Maybe,” she said, stubbing out her cigarette and tossing it out the window in frustration. “You don’t think he’s got a side piece overseas, do you? You weren’t exactly a virgin, right? You should know how to keep a guy satisfied. You didn’t let him wander, did you?”

“I just sold drinks at the Darkmoon Tavern,” I said quietly. “I never did that kind of —”

“Fine, fine, same difference.” She cut me off. “It’s so boring in that house. Kane barely talks when he gets home. Either he’s reading or working. And since I just got back, I’m scared of saying too much and making him suspicious.” She glanced at me. “You pretty much cut ties with all my old friends this past year. It would be weird if I suddenly reached out to them. I think I’ll go stay at my parents’ place for a couple of days. Let him miss me a little. And see Mom and Dad while I’m at it.”

She got out of the car in a huff. I sat there for a long time.

A few days later, a new dessert shop opened on the ground floor of my building.

It was called “Clear Creek Desserts” — one of the Nightwalker Group’s brands.

I’d come up with the name with Kane. He’d originally asked if I wanted to call it “Love’s Clear” or something. I’d laughed and said that sounded like something an emperor would call his minister.

He’d nodded. “Yeah, a little.” Then he’d pulled me into his arms. “But I wanted your name in it.”

I’d looked into his beautiful eyes and let myself be just a little selfish.

“Clear,” I’d said, biting my lip. “What about Clear?”

Kane had blinked. “Clear?”

I’d nodded.

“Okay,” he’d said, ruffling my hair. “Whatever name my wife picks is what we’ll use.”

I walked into this “Clear Creek Desserts” place downstairs and ordered a small cake.

No sooner had I sat down than the door opened and a whole group of people filed in.

“Just checking in on the new location. Mr. Kane is here to thank the team for their hard work on opening day.”

My fork clattered onto the table.

I looked up. Kane was standing at the counter, smiling at the staff. “How’s everyone holding up? Getting used to the workload? How’s the customer flow today?”

The cashier, a young woman, answered him in a shy little voice.

“We had a lot of customers this afternoon. It’s slowed down a bit since we’re past dinner hour now. We’ve sold almost all the cakes we made today. That lady by the window just bought the last of our signature dessert.”

Every head turned to look at me.

And just like that, with nowhere to hide, my eyes met Kane’s.

He looked at me. For a few seconds, he just… stared.

“Honey?”

The company executives behind him exchanged glances, then smiled at Kane. “Looks like Mrs. Kane came to do a little undercover quality control. Great minds think alike, huh?”

My heart was pounding, but I was used to these situations. I stood up and gave everyone a polite smile.

“Kane, I was just —”

He walked over quickly, took my hand naturally, and laughed. “Didn’t you say yesterday you were going out with Mom the day after tomorrow? This is pretty far from home. What brought you all the way out here? Actually doing quality control for me?”

“I didn’t have plans tonight,” I said, trying to sound as normal as possible. “I just had a craving for cake and thought I’d check out the new place.”

He touched my hair. But when his hand lifted, he seemed to lose focus for a second.

“Kane?”

“Mr. Kane?”

He snapped back to the present. “Everyone’s worked hard today. Head home and get some rest after closing. The company will send out opening bonuses tomorrow.”

Amid cheers from the staff, he took my hand and led me out of the shop and into the car.

Neither of us said a word the whole way.

Vincent hesitated. “Mr. Kane, should I drop Mrs. Kane off first, and then you head to your meeting, or —”

“Cancel my evening plans. Say I’m not feeling well,” Kane said suddenly.

I immediately tensed up and took his hand. “What’s wrong? Is your stomach bothering you again? Was the food overseas not agreeing with you? Have you been drinking too much lately?”

He looked at me, holding my hand tightly in his. “Nothing. Let’s go home first.”

Vincent pulled up at the gate as usual.

The pack guard saw me from his booth and hurried out. “Sorry, Mrs. Nightwalker, that facial recognition system still isn’t fixed —”

“Recognized.”

“Uh?” The guard blinked. “Man, this machine’s really glitchy.”

I went home with Kane. The moment the door closed behind us, he pushed me up against it.

“Kane —”

Before I could finish, his mouth was on mine.

“Baby,” he said between kisses, “I missed you so much.”

My eyes burned. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him back.

Afterward, deep in the night, he held me in his arms. “I don’t know what got into me today,” he said with a laugh. “When I saw you in that shop, I just couldn’t control myself. It’s only been a few days since I last saw you. Why am I acting like some horny teenager?”

He rubbed his forehead, then kissed mine. “I don’t know what’s been going on with me lately. I just keep having this weird feeling. I can’t explain it. Something just feels… off.” He shook his head and laughed at himself. “Maybe I’m just getting old.”

“But it doesn’t matter.” He pulled me closer. “I’ve probably just been too tired lately.”

After a long moment, I burrowed into his chest and murmured, “Kane…”

My voice trembled. “What if I’m actually —”

Soft snoring. Kane was already asleep.

I closed my eyes. Maybe this was just fate.

After a while, I got out of bed quietly, thought about it, and called Leah.

Two hours later, she arrived.

She pulled me into the study, clearly furious. “What the hell? I’ve only been gone two days, and you’ve already caused a disaster?”

“I didn’t expect to run into him at the dessert shop.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to go out unless you had to? So why did you go out?” She was fuming. “Do you know how weird the guard looked when he opened the gate for me? I had to tell him I’d gone out the side door and come back.”

“Sis,” I said, looking up at her. “I don’t think this is fair to Kane.”

She blinked. “What? You’re not thinking of telling him the truth, are you?”

“Doesn’t he deserve to know? Who are we to treat him like this?”

She let out a cold laugh. “Is this about him? Or about you?”

I stared at her.

“I know what you’re thinking, okay? We’re both women. You spent a year with him. Of course you caught feelings. Are you thinking that if he knew the truth, he’d choose you?”

I didn’t say anything.

“Don’t be stupid, little sister.” She stepped closer and put her hands on my shoulders. “Do you know who that is? Kane Nightwalker. The guy who got the Nightwalker Group’s board wrapped around his finger in a single year. You really think if he finds out the two of us have been playing him this whole time, he’s going to let it slide because he’s lovesick? You lied to him.

“And what about the Nightwalkers and the Greys? You think they’ll just let this go? If Kane decides to make an issue of it, we’re both screwed. Even if you don’t care about me, even if you don’t care about the Greys — what about Dad?

“Do you have any idea how much Dad’s medical care costs every day? Where does that money come from? The Greys. You hurt the Greys — and Marcus is not my biological father. You think he’ll just let that slide? You’re not just thinking about yourself. Think about Dad in that hospital bed.

“Could you handle all of that on your own? What about Dad’s care? You want to go back to slinging drinks at the Darkmoon?”

I bit my lip hard.

“Ella, listen to me.” She sighed. “We don’t have any other choice. The only way everyone comes out of this okay is if we swap back and stay swapped.”

After a long moment, I said, “I’m leaving.”

“Ella.” She paused. “Tomorrow, go back to Ash Creek. Don’t stay in Silvermoon. I’ll call you if I need you.”

“Okay.”

“Wait.” She stopped me. “Give me your clothes. All of them. Including your underwear.”