The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 281

Claire stared at him in utter bewilderment. "Miles, do you have a fever?"

"We're already married, remember?"

They had signed the papers just three months ago. Technically speaking, the ink was barely dry.

Miles shook his head, his breathing growing slightly heavier.

"I mean a real wedding. A public ceremony to announce it to your mother and the rest of the world."

"Invitations, a reception, walking down the aisle—the whole ordeal. And preferably..."

Preferably inviting her ex-boyfriend and making him sit in the front row. Miles would love nothing more than to give Jefferson a little 'pep talk,' be it through threats or financial ruin.

He simply wanted to ensure that man never showed his face in front of Claire again.

Claire froze, her eyes fluttering as she processed his words. For a second, she genuinely thought she was hallucinating.

Miles was actively suggesting they throw a wedding ceremony?

It was so sudden. Was it because of everything they had just endured at the manor? Had he been moved by her loyalty and simply wanted to compensate her? But she didn't need that kind of obligatory responsibility.

Or... had he finally let go of Lauren Sinclair? Did he genuinely want to build a life with her and see where things could go?

Miles looked down, quietly waiting for her response.

Her eyes were entirely unreadable, swirling with confusion rather than excitement. Was she resisting the idea?

His Adam's apple bobbed as he lowered his voice. "If you're not ready, or if you feel it's too fast, we can hold off."

"No waiting necessary," she replied instantly. "Let's do it. Let's do it right now!"

"I was just thinking about how I need to pick out the perfect dress. And do we need to prepare vows?"

Claire smiled brightly. She decided not to overthink it. Regardless of his reasons, the fact that Miles wanted a public wedding was a massive leap forward for their relationship.

As long as she kept putting in the effort, there was no unattainable ideal she couldn't eventually replace.

"Are you sure?"

[Damn, you guys move fast! A full-blown wedding? Are you two the ultimate marriage-of-convenience success story?!]

Claire stared at the screen. She wasn't entirely sure about the "success" part yet, but she figured that living together inevitably bred affection over time.

She instinctively glanced toward the bathroom. Even if the romance was still brewing, the physical chemistry was certainly top-tier.

[Bestie, I need to help you prep for the wedding night. Click this drive link and study up. These are my absolute hand-picked masterpieces!]

Thoroughly confused but curious, Claire copied the link and opened the cloud drive.

After extracting the massive zip file, she scrolled down. Row after row of incredibly explicit, steamy novel titles filled her screen, making her heart race and her cheeks burn.

What on earth was this?! She had messaged Chloe to share the joyful news of her wedding, and her best friend's brain went straight to pure, unadulterated smut.

Over a thousand files?! And she called this *hand-picked*?

Just as Claire went to lock her screen, Miles walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.

She looked up, locked eyes with him, and instantly panicked, slapping her phone face-down against her chest.