Feigned Marriage

chapter 20

Sky's POV

I watch as Kuea jokes around with phayu , my heart full. Ple, plreng Saifah and Phayu have been staying here with me, much to Kuea delight and Lian's annoyance.

Phayu and Kuea have been taking turns sleeping next to me, ensuring I don’t get caught in a downward spiral caused by social media. Though truth be told, there isn’t much being shared anymore. P'pai plea worked, and people massively took down their posts.

It sparked discussions about cyber bullying and the mental health of celebrities, but while that topic is on people’s minds, so are we.

“Sky,” kuea calls. I walk up to him, and he frowns as he pulls their security feed up on the TV. It shows P'pai walking into the building, and my eyes widen.

Lian groans and grits his teeth. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t my least favorite Patheera'.”
Kuea and I stare at him wide-eyed as he calls the police and requests that P'pai' be removed. He turns to me then, his jaw clenched. “You’re not walking out of this house unless you choose to. I won’t let him pressure you. You take all the time you need to make up your mind.”

Saifah walks up to me and throws his arm around me. “Agreed,” he says. I lean into him, my heart overflowing. One of the things I feared most was losing the family I gained when I married P'pai', but they’ve made it clear that they’ll stick with me, no matter what.

“I’m not sure calling the police was warranted,” I say carefully.

Saifah narrows his eyes at me. “Of course it was. There’s no way phai would leave otherwise, and you’d cave.”

We all watch as the police asks him to leave. P'pai walks out, and I tense, tempted to follow him. I’ve done my best to assess whether I should leave or stay, but I’m as confused as ever. We may have been able to get the media off my back, but that only solves one problem. There’s still James.

“Fucking hell,” ple says, pointing at the screen. I glance at it to find P'pai walking back in, the Mayor by his side, and something that looks an awful lot like a pop-up tent in his arms. He seems to be chatting happily with the Mayor, who helps him set up a tent in the middle of Lian's lobby.

“Is he serious right now?” Lian asks.

Kuea bursts out laughing. “Oh, come on, Hia,” he says. “This is exactly the kind of thing you would do. I think it’s cute.”

I start to pace, my heart wavering. More than anything, I want to go to him and throw myself into his arms, but if I do that, I also need to have the courage to deal with everything that comes with it.

“Um, ky?” Saifah says, pointing out the window. I walk onto the balcony and stare at the helicopter approaching us, a banner attached to it. It reads 7 days. 168 hours. Tell me you’re still mine.

Phayu smiles. “I mean, you asked for a week, and he gave it to you. Can’t blame the man for showing up the second your time is up.”

Plreng joins me on the balcony and throws his arm around me. “How do you feel, sky?”

I smile at him. “You know what? I think I’m ready to go home to my husband. Being in the midst of it made it hard to see, but the good still outweighs the bad. It always will. The first few years might be tough, but I think I can bear with it if it means spending the rest of my life with the man of my dreams. I’m terrified, and I’m well aware it won’t be easy, but it’s worth it.
He’s worth it.”

He breathes a sigh of relief and drops his head against mine. “Thank God,” he says.

“I don’t think he’d survive losing you.” The helicopter flies back toward us, until it’s hovering above the balcony. A ladder is thrown out, and my eyes widen when P'pai climbs down it.