Jealousy Alpha's Regret novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Sebastien remained silent, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly. I

stared at the ring, feeling as though it would burn me if I put it on.

We were almost at the end of our farce of a marriage, and now he

wanted to play happy couple?

“Just for tonight,” he finally said, his voice softer than I expected.

I closed the box without taking out the ring. “We’re pretending to be

fine for one night. I don’t need jewelry to play my part.”

The car pulled into the Lowell estate’s parking area, and I made no

move to put on the ring. Sebastien’s eyes darkened as he noticed, his

lips pressing into a thin line. Without warning, he snatched the box

from my hands and grabbed my left hand.

“What are you doing?” I demanded, trying to pull away.

His grip was firm but not painful as he removed the ring and slid it

onto my finger. The gesture was surprisingly gentle, his thumb

brushing across my knuckles as he adjusted the ring. I stared at him,

caught off guard by the tenderness in his touch that contradicted his

rigid expression.

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Chapter 71

My heart skipped a beat as our eyes met. With his head tilted down,

his lashes cast shadows on his cheeks, and for a moment, he looked

almost vulnerable. A dangerous thought crossed my mind–if this had happened two months ago, I would have melted at this small act of

consideration.

I pulled my hand away, reminding myself not to fall for whatever game he was playing. Was this about the babies? His face revealed nothing. “Let’s be clear, Grey. This is just a show. Nothing more.”

His expression closed off immediately. “That’s exactly what I said.”

I exited the car first, one hand holding my small clutch, the other gathering the fabric of my dress to keep it from dragging. Sebastien caught up quickly, taking my clutch from my hand and placing his other hand on the small of my back.

The warmth of his palm seeped through the thin fabric of my dress. I tensed, unprepared for the physical contact. Looking up, I saw Sebastien’s face transformed–his eyes were warm, his lips curved into a smile that made him almost unrecognizable. This was his public face, the charming Alpha heir everyone else got to see.

“My God, they look amazing together,” I heard someone whisper as we

passed.

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Chapter 71

“True mates if I ever saw them,” another voice added.

I nearly snorted. If they only knew the truth. Sebastien’s mask was

perfect–if I hadn’t spent two years with him, even I might have

believed this charming persona was real.

“Stop looking so stiff,” Sebastien murmured against my ear, his breath warm against my skin. “No one will believe we’re happy if you look like you’re walking to your execution.”

“Sorry if I’m not as good an actor as you are,” I whispered back, forcing a smile. “Some of us haven’t had years of practice pretending

to be something we’re not.”

His fingers dug slightly into my waist, a warning. As we approached the entrance, I saw Noah Phillips standing near the doorway, watching us. His expression shifted to something pained when our

eyes met.

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Suddenly, Sebastien pulled me closer, his smile deepening as he

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