She Hired Him as Her Fake Husband… He Never Expected to Fall in Love
Chapter 10
Their engagement became public.
The media exploded.
The woman who had once hired a fake husband was now marrying him for real.
Everyone had an opinion.
Some said Ethan had manipulated Charlotte.
Others said she had used him.
But Charlotte didn’t care.
She knew the truth.
Eleanor supported them.
Her family slowly accepted them.
Even Daniel eventually apologized.
“I was wrong about you,” he told Ethan.
Ethan smiled.
“You were right to be suspicious.”
Daniel laughed.
“I still don’t like you.”
“I know.”
“But she does.”
“Yes.”
“That’s the problem.”
They shook hands.
It wasn’t friendship.
But it was peace.
The wedding was planned for the following spring.
Then Ethan received a letter.
His mother had been found.
Alive.
Living in another state.
He had spent twenty years believing she had abandoned him.
Now she wanted to meet.
Charlotte told him to go.
“I’m coming with you.”
He shook his head.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
They traveled together.
Ethan met his mother in a small apartment.
She cried when she saw him.
“I thought you hated me.”
“I did.”
She nodded.
“I deserved that.”
She explained that she had suffered a breakdown after his father’s death.
She had believed leaving was the only way to protect him from her instability.
Ethan listened.
He didn’t forgive her immediately.
But he stayed.
Charlotte waited outside.
When he came out, she hugged him.
“You okay?”
“Not yet.”
She held him tighter.
“That’s okay.”
He rested his forehead against hers.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For staying.”
She smiled.
“You’ve taught me something.”
“What?”
“People don’t need perfect families.”
She touched his hand.
“They need honest ones.”
Ethan nodded.
That evening, they drove home together.
And for the first time, the past no longer felt like something chasing him.
