The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 86

86 The Sweetness Before the Storm

Steam curled lazily around Eve as she sank deeper into the warm bath, her skin tingling pleasantly from the scented oils she had poured in. The water lapped against her shoulders with a soothing rhythm, but nothing compared to the soft ache settling deep inside her body, a reminder of Ryan’s hands, Ryan’s mouth, Ryan’s voice whispering her name like a man starved and finally fed.

She closed her eyes and let the memories drift through her like slow-moving honey.

Last night had been….

Intense.

Raw.

Impossible.

She still wasn’t sure how she survived the way he touched her, possessive but careful, rough but reverent. His love had been a storm, one she stepped into willingly, and it had left her entire body buzzing. She’d woken up sore in all the right places, her breath hitching when she moved too quickly, her cheeks warming whenever she remembered the sound of his voice breaking against her ear.

He loved her.

He said it.

He meant it.

He claimed her, not with violence or dominance, but with truth.

Eve giggled softly in the bath, sinking deeper until the water kissed her jawline. She lifted her hand, watching droplets slide down her fingers like tiny crystals. How was this her life now? How had she gone from living in a cramped room behind the Rodrigos’ restaurant to the wife of a billionaire who couldn’t keep his hands off her?

It felt unreal.

Dangerously unreal.

But she didn’t care.

She traced a hand down her abdomen, where the faintest swell of their child had begun to show. The warm ache from last night mingled with a tenderness she didn’t have words for.

Was she in a dream?

Was this real?

Could a life like hers, broken, bruised, stitched together with pain, truly be allowed something so sweet?

After a long soak, Eve stepped out of the tub, wrapped herself in a thick towel, and padded into the

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Before the StormTY

+25 Points

bedroom. The large room felt cold without Ryan in it. His shirt still lay draped over the chair, his tie tossed

carelessly beside it. She ran her fingers over the fabric.

He was possessive, yes.

But he was hers.

And for the first time in her life… she wanted to belong to someone.

She slipped into soft jeans and a fitted top, tied her hair into a loose bun, and looked around the silent

house. No staff. No noise. No unnecessary eyes watching her every move.

Just freedom.

Ryan liked it like that, and so did she.

Tonight, she wanted to make something nice for them. Something warm and indulgent that matched the

glow still bubbling in her chest. So she grabbed her bag and headed out.

She had access to all of Ryan’s cars now, every single luxury model that could make a traffic policeman faint. But she didn’t feel like driving. She preferred the cab. It grounded her, reminded her of who she once

was and who she still was beneath the glitter of Ryan’s world.

As the cab wound through the streets of Bexlin, Eve watched the city blur past, tall buildings, street vendors, clusters of people rushing to beat the afternoon sun. She liked the anonymity of the crowd. She liked the feeling of moving among normal people who didn’t know her, didn’t judge her, didn’t care who

she was married to.

She stopped at the grocery store first, grabbing fresh vegetables, asparagus, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, herbs. Cooking always centered her, helped her think. And today, she was thinking plenty.

After paying, she walked to the premium butcher shop at the corner of the plaza, the one Ryan preferred for his steaks. If she was going to spoil him tonight, only Wagyu would do.

Inside, the cool air smelled of smoked meats and polished wood. Eve approached the counter and ordered two thick Wagyu ribeye cuts. The butcher, who recognized her from past visits, wrapped them

carefully.

She was digging through her bag for her wallet when a familiar voice sliced through the room, sharp and

irritating as a mosquito buzz.

“Well, if it isn’t Ryan’s live-in nanny.”

Eve stilled.

Slowly, she turned.

Luan stood at the entrance of the butcher shop wearing a skin-tight designer dress and an expression dripping with venom. Her hair was styled like she had spent three hours in a salon prepping to follow Eve. Her eyes glittered with the kind of hostility only a woman rejected and humiliated could carry.

386 The Sweetness Before the Storm

Eve smiled.

Calm. Soft. Deadly.

Of course Luan was here.

Of course she had found her.

Of course the universe had decided peace was too much of a luxury.

+25 Points

“Seeking attention much, Luan?” Eve asked lightly. “Ryan doesn’t look at you anymore, so you stalk me

now?”

The butcher paused mid-cut.

Two older women near the spice shelf froze.

Heads turned.

Luan’s jaw clenched, exactly the reaction Eve wanted.

“Everyone knows he is only with you because of your father’s blackmail!” Luan snapped, her voice rising

too quickly. “If not for that, you and your bastard would be living on the streets.”

Eve smiled even warmer, because nothing irritated an insecure woman more than a smile.

“Keep telling yourself that, Luan,” she said sweetly. “I’ll keep enjoying all the benefits of being the legitimate wife while you stand outside hoping for scraps.”

Gasps echoed from bystanders.

Luan’s face turned a blotchy red.

“Benefits?” Luan sneered. “Riding a taxi? Picking groceries yourself? You call that benefits? Married to a

billionaire and still living like a,”

Eve chuckled, interrupting her with a raised hand.

“If you knew Ryan at all, you’d know we don’t let domestic staff into our personal business,” she said. “I ride a cab because I want to. And unlike you, Luan, I don’t need to fake a lifestyle for Instagram.”

Luan opened her mouth but Eve stepped closer, lowering her voice just enough for the nearby customers

to lean in.

“Besides…” Eve said, tilting her head with mock innocence, “we just got back from our weekend break. I decided to surprise him with dinner. You know what a weekend break entails, right?”

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