The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 48

Chapter 48 The House of Ghosts 2

Ryan’s long strides ate the distance between them, and she found herself retreating instinctively until her back hit the wall.

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The air thickened. His presence towered over her, tall, restrained fury wrapped in the scent she’d never forgotten.

“Do you think you can walk in here and set the terms?” His voice was low, dangerous. “You disappear for months, come back pregnant, and think you’ll just leave when you please?”

Her chest rose and fell quickly. “Ryan,”

“Don’t,” he hissed. “Don’t say my name like that.”

She froze.

He braced one hand against the wall beside her head, the other at his side, shaking with the effort it took not to touch her. His proximity was overwhelming, the heat of him, the fury vibrating off his skin, the hurt bleeding through every breath.

“I should hate you,” he whispered, his face inches from hers. “God knows I want to. But I

can’t.”

Her eyes glistened. “Then don’t.”

He laughed bitterly. “You don’t make that easy, Eve. You never did.”

Her heart broke all over again.

He leaned closer until she could feel his breath on her cheek. “You want to know the truth? I never cheated on you. Not once. I never touched another woman.” His voice dropped lower, rough with emotion. “But you, you walked out of this house and straight into another man’s arms.”

She turned her face away, blinking fast. “You don’t know what happened.”

“I know enough,” he snapped, “I know that you came back with his child.”

Her throat burned. “This baby is mine,” she said quietly.

He tilted his head, his voice dropping to a whisper, “And mine now.”

Eve stiffened. “Ryan,”

He pressed closer, not touching her, but his nearness alone felt like a storm breaking against

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<Chapter 48 The House of Ghosts 2

her body.

“You’re not leaving,” he said, his tone flat and final. “Not until I say so.”

Her voice trembled. “You can’t keep me here.”

His lips curved in something dark. “Watch me.”

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For a heartbeat, they just stared at each other, two people now enemies bound by something that neither of them understood anymore.

Eve’s eyes flicked to his hand, the one pressed against the wall beside her. His wedding ring gleamed faintly in the dim light. He hadn’t taken it off.

That realization twisted something deep in her chest.

“You think I want to be here?” she whispered. “You think I came back for you? I came because your family wanted their spotless image back. I came to protect you, Ryan. Because despite everything, I still,”

“Don’t,” he interrupted, his voice a rasp. “Don’t say you still care. Don’t stand there pregnant with another man’s child and tell me that.”

The tears finally spilled down her cheeks. “You don’t even know what you’re saying.”

“Oh, I do,” he said coldly. “I know exactly what I’m saying. I’m saying this,” he moved his hand to her chin, tilting her face up so she had to look at him “, you don’t get to walk out again. You don’t get to vanish and leave me in ruins. Not this time.”

Her breath hitched. “Let me go.”

His eyes darkened. “I can’t.”

“Why?” she whispered.

He swallowed hard, his voice breaking. “Because I still love you, damn it. Even now, even like

this.”

That confession tore through both of them.

Her lips parted, trembling, but before she could speak, he dropped his hand, stepping back just enough to breathe again. The rage had faded from his eyes, replaced by something raw and tormented.

But then he looked at her belly again, and the fire reignited.

“This baby,” he said slowly, his voice trembling with restrained violence. “This baby is mine.”

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Evelyn shook her head. “No,”

“Yes,” he growled. “Mine. Do you understand me?”

She blinked rapidly, the fear clawing up her spine. “Ryan, please, don’t do this.”

He exhaled sharply, his jaw tight. “I can’t let you go back to him. Whoever he is.”

“There is no ‘him,” she whispered desperately. “You’re wrong.”

He stared at her, silent for a long time, searching her face for the lie.

Then, softly, almost tenderly, he said, “Don’t lie to me, Eve. Not anymore.”

Her silence was all the confirmation he needed.

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