Feigned Marriage

chapter 13

Sky's POV

I smile at my phone as I type out the message accompanying the wedding photo I'm about to post. This is the one thing I never thought I'd get to have with P'pai, but it's something I've always wanted. Something has changed between us ever since we got married. There used to be an invisible barrier between us, but it disappeared the moment I walked down that aisle.

This version of him is the one I fell for, so many years ago. He finally feels within reach, and there's no way I'm letting this chance pass me by. I love my brother with all my heart, but I won't sacrifice another moment of my own happiness for him - not when he had it all and chose to walk away.

I'm grinning to myself as I post the picture seconds after P'pai's announcement goes live. I picked a photo of P'pai kissing me on our wedding day, and I have no doubt it'll go viral in no time. Perhaps it's playing dirty, a way of increasing the distance between James and him, but I don't care. I'm done putting others above myself.
Seconds later, the door to my dressing room opens with such force that it slams into the wall, and my agent storms in with a distraught expression on his face.

"What the fuck is this?" John asks, his tone panicked. He holds his phone up, showing me the photo I just posted.

"You fucking got married?
Married? To Prapai Patheera ? You got married to the biggest media mogul in the country and you didn't even tell me? What the fuck, ky?" I should've anticipated his reaction, but I've been in a daze in the last couple of weeks, not wanting to step out of the bubble P'pai and I were in, too scared I'd wake up and realize it was all a dream.

"Surprise?" John glares at me, his bright blue eyes flashing with anger and hurt. It hits me straight in the chest, and remorse washes away my nonchalance.

"I'm sorry," I tell him. "It's not that I didn't want to invite you," I promise him. "It's just that the guest list was kept incredibly small. Our families are old friends, and well, my mother curated the guest list on my behalf. I've been so busy with work that I... I'm sorry."

He looks away and shakes his head. "I get it." His tone is in contrast with his words.
How am I supposed to explain that I would have invited him if it had been my wedding? "But I didn't even know you were dating him, sky. How did that happen? How and why did you hide a relationship with prapai, of all people?"

This is exactly what I was afraid of. Those that know me well enough to know I've been single for a long time. I'm spared from having to answer when the door to my dressing room opens. A soft gasp escapes my lips when P'pai walks in, surrounded by six bodyguards.

"Sky," he says, walking up to me. His hands wrap around my waist, and he pulls me into him, his lips finding mine. He kisses me as though it's just me and him in this room, taking his time, teasing me until I'm breathless. Then he drops his forehead to mine and inhales deeply.

"I love the photo you posted," he murmurs. "I thought you'd pick a general photo of us, or perhaps something from recent years, but there was no ambiguity."
I lean back in his arms to look at him, pure love spreading from my heart.

"I'm proud to be your husband," I whisper. "Why wouldn't I want to show you off?"

He leans in, his lips brushing over my ear. "You made my day," he murmurs. "I'll have to reward you later." Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I pull away from him a little, suddenly self-conscious. It takes me a moment to realize that P'pai's bodyguards have their backs turned to us, but John is staring at us with an expression I can't quite decipher.

P'pai takes a step away from me and wraps his hand around my shoulder as he extends his free hand toward John. "I've seen you around, but we've never formally met. I'm Prapai Patheera , sky's husband."