Chapter 165: Contract Marriage

Dorian understood exactly where that particular setting had come from. Naomi expected disappointment before it arrived because then, at least in theory, it hurt less. "We should tell them together,"

"Oh no. No, no, no. I prefer when people talk about me behind my back. I can pretend it isn’t happening."

Dorian threaded his fingers through hers and brought them carefully to his lips. "Come on. If anyone is really going to be mad, I think it will be Lexie."

Naomi’s eyes widened.

That was the wrong person to mention.

"Oh my God. Oh my God... this is killing me!"

"Can we come in?" Eleanor poked her head into the room, clearly having waited exactly as long as she considered polite before checking on her son again.

"Yes, Mum," Dorian said. His hand tightened around Naomi’s fingers before the rest of the family filed back inside. He knew she was nervous.

Eleanor came straight toward the bed. "I called the staff to make you some proper food ahead of when you’re discharged. Would you like anything specific?"

"Anything will do." Dorian glanced around the room. "We need to talk to everyone, Mum."

Eleanor’s eyes widened.

To Naomi’s complete confusion, a huge smile began spreading across her face. What exactly did this woman think was about to happen?

Surely no reasonable person heard we need to talk to everyone and responded like Christmas had arrived early.

"Mum..." Dorian said. "Not that."

"Oh. Oh..."

Naomi looked between them.

What the hell was that? And why had Eleanor looked seconds away from planning a celebration?

"Well," Eleanor said with a small shrug, "one can hope."

"Would you let them speak, El?" Maurice said from where he stood.

"Sorry. Go on."

Naomi swallowed.

This was it.

She closed her eyes. Her fingers tightened around Dorian’s hand. She knew what was coming next.

The cold.

The subtle shift in the room once everyone realized she wasn’t really what they thought she was. Not truly one of them.

"Naomi and I do not plan on having a permanent marriage," Dorian began. "We made a contract. A six-month contract."

There.

It was out.

Naomi braced herself.

Maurice suddenly straightened. "I knew it!" He held out his palm toward the rest of the room. "Everyone pay up!"

There was a collective groan.

Ginny threw her head back. "Oh, come on!"

"I said it from the beginning. I told every single one of you something was off."

"Maurice," Eleanor warned.

Naomi slowly opened one eye wider.

Then the other.

What in the holy Moses was happening?

"You knew?" Dorian asked Maurice.

"I suspected from the beginning," Maurice admitted. "But I started to doubt along the way. It was all so sudden. She went from demanding a divorce to being your live-in wife, and everything looked a little too neat. Then your press statement a few days later confirmed it for me."

Dorian let out a breath. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

Maurice gave a small shrug. "You’d be surprised how many contractual marriages I oversaw while I practiced."

Naomi genuinely did not know what to say anymore.

Ginny still looked offended by the entire revelation, while Eleanor’s earlier excitement had disappeared completely.

"So..." Eleanor began slowly, "you’re going to have a fourth divorce in a few months?"

Dorian looked at Naomi.

Naomi looked at Dorian.

Neither of them spoke. It felt as if everyone was waiting for one of them to laugh and say no. That the contract had changed.

Naomi’s throat tightened. She couldn’t even look at Dorian long enough to find out whether he wanted to.

The silence stretched until Dorian finally cleared his throat.

"Yes."

Naomi lowered her eyes.

He had saved her from having to answer, but somehow that made it hurt more.

"No..." Ginny whined.

Dorian looked around at his family. "I’m sorry." His hand was still wrapped around Naomi’s. "I should have told you all from the beginning."

Eleanor looked genuinely heartbroken.

Dorian continued, "But if it makes anyone feel better, I do not plan on doing this again."

"You mean getting married?"

"Yea."

The silence that followed felt different from the one Naomi had feared. Everyone simply looked disappointed.

Dorian glanced toward the woman standing near Daniel. His immediate younger sister had said nothing since the confession. "Lexie?"

Alexandra looked at him.

Then she said, "Bullshit."

Maurice’s head turned sharply. "Alexandra!"

"Yes, Dad," Lexie replied without even looking at him. "It’s bullshit." She stepped forward. "I haven’t spent as much time with both of them as you all have. But are you seriously going to sit there and tell me this is just some six-month business arrangement?" She looked around everyone waiting for a response.

"It’s not our place," Eleanor said carefully.

Lexie turned toward her mother like she had just heard something completely ridiculous. "He loves her and she loves him. Why is everyone tiptoeing around it?"

Every alarm bell in Dorian’s head went off at once.

Lexie, pull up. Pull up immediately. Tap into that sibling energy everyone swears exists and save me from this disaster.

Someone shut the door before my wife bolts.

Naomi had gone unnaturally still beside him, which was far more concerning than if she had started rambling.

"You don’t know what you’re talking about, Lexie," Dorian said.

Lexie looked straight at him. "And you’re lying."

Dorian’s jaw tightened. "We are not in love. We have mutual respect for each other. We enjoy each other’s company, that’s about it." He glanced at his siblings.

Why didn’t they have that legendary sibling telepathy people were always talking about?

He was practically screaming with his eyes.

Stop helping.

Nobody was receiving the transmission.

"Again, poppycock!"

"Lexie!" Dorian yelled.

The movement immediately pulled at his sore ribs, and he winced.

Lexie bit her lip, finally seeming to realize she had pushed too far.

Without saying anything else, she turned and walked out of the room.

Daniel sighed. "I’ll talk to her." He followed his wife into the corridor. "Lexie!"