Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 106: Chapter 106

"Lane."

Lane’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Noah’s voice. She looked up and caught his gaze in the rearview mirror, noticing the slight furrow in his brow.

"We’re here," he told her.

She glanced out the window and realized they were already in the parking lot of her condo building. She’d been so lost in thought with her eyes closed that she hadn’t even noticed the car stop.

Lane looked down at Calvin, who was out cold in her lap. He looked exhausted from the day’s activities.

They hadn’t just hit up a fast-food joint. Noah had suggested a trip to the mall, and she’d jumped at the chance. She wasn’t ready to go home yet. She needed to stay busy so she wouldn’t spiral over that photo Olivia sent.

In all honesty, Lane was hesitant to do anything reckless. She knew exactly what Olivia was trying to pull by sending that picture.

She wanted to prove that, no matter what, Ethan would always choose her.

But this time, Lane was determined to keep her cool. She’d learned her lesson the hard way.

She’d acted on impulse before, and look where that got her—years wasted and a heart full of regret.

She wasn’t going to jump to conclusions today. Still, she couldn’t help the sharp pang of jealousy biting at her heart.

Lane shook her head, trying to clear the noise. She was about to wake her son when Noah stopped her.

"Don’t wake him, Lane. I’ll carry him up," he said.

He didn’t wait for her to argue. He was already out of the car and at her door, opening it before she could move.

He helped her unbuckle and then gently lifted the sleeping boy. Calvin stirred for a second before snuggling deeper into Noah’s neck.

She grabbed Calvin’s gear from the seat and followed Noah into the building. They walked in silence all the way to the elevator and up to her floor.

Lane froze the moment she saw who was leaning against the wall outside her door.

It was Ethan. Her heart started racing at the sight of him. He was just leaning there, his eyes fixed on the floor. How long had he been waiting?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Noah look her way, his gaze lingering with concern.

Then, as if sensing them, Ethan looked up.

The second he saw them, he pushed off the wall and started to approach. He stopped short when he realized they weren’t alone, seemingly just noticing Noah. He paused for a beat, but after shaking off the surprise, he kept walking.

Ethan went straight for Noah and reached out to take Calvin. But Noah didn’t budge. He held onto the boy, refusing to hand him over.

Watching Ethan, she saw his jaw set and his brows knit together as he glared at Noah.

"Give me my son," Ethan said, his voice low.

"Son?" Noah shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Ethan’s jaw tightened even more in frustration.

Before the tension could snap, Lane stepped between them. She wasn’t about to let another fight break out.

"Noah, take Calvin inside," she said firmly.

She caught the flash of pain in Ethan’s eyes as his lips parted in surprise.

"Alright," Noah replied. She handed him her keys, and he headed straight into the condo.

"Lane..." Ethan’s voice was strained. "Is there... a problem?"

Lane took a long, deep breath. "Come inside," she told him.

She walked into the condo and he followed right behind her.

"Sit down. Wait for me," she commanded.

He listened without a word, sitting down like a kid who knew he was in trouble.

Once he was settled, she went into the bedroom where Noah was tucking Calvin in.

"Thanks, Noah," she said as he looked up.

"You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, Lane," Noah remarked.

"I know," she replied simply.

He sighed and said his goodbyes. She walked him to the door, noting the sharp look he shot Ethan on the way out. Ethan just sat there on the sofa, taking it.

"Thanks again, Noah," she said at the door.

"Just call me if you need anything, okay?"

She nodded with a smile. He said goodbye one last time and finally left.

The second the door closed, she turned back toward the living room and jumped.

Ethan was standing right in front of her. Before she could even process the surprise, he closed the gap and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I don’t know what I did, or if I did anything at all, but I’m sorry, Lane," he whispered, tightening his hold. "I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad at me."

She took another deep breath to steady herself before gently pushing him away.

His face didn’t change, but the pleading look in his eyes got even more intense.

"There’s something I need to ask you, Ethan," she said.

"Anything," he replied.

Instead of speaking, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She’d turned it off earlier to block out Olivia’s non-stop messages, but she flicked it on now. Once it booted up, she pulled up the photo and held it up for him to see.

She watched his forehead crease as he stared at the screen.

"Can you explain this?" she asked.

Ethan nodded, his gaze moving from the phone back to her face.

"That was taken when I dropped Tyler off at Olivia’s," he began, looking her straight in the eye. "She opened the door in that....

ridiculous outfit. She tried to get me to come inside, but I told her no because I wanted to catch up with you. When I turned to leave, she jumped me from behind and told me she loved me. But I made it clear to her right then. I don’t love her anymore, Lane. You’re the only one I love, and that’s never going to change." He sounded dead serious.

"Please believe me. I’m telling you the truth."

"Thank you... for being honest," she replied.

He stepped closer and took her hand. "Do you believe me?"

She nodded. "I asked because I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice."

Lane didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Ethan pulled her back into a hug.

"Thank you for trusting me," he whispered.

"And if you ever have a doubt, just ask me anything, everything, and I’ll give you the truth. I promise, you’re the only one. You’re the only woman I want for the rest of my life."

Lane nodded, leaning into him. She closed her eyes as he gently patted the top of her head.

"I love you, Lane," he murmured in her ear.

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed back.

____________

Just as Olivia stepped out of the bathroom, her phone started buzzing. She couldn’t help but scowl as she looked at the bedside table where the screen was lighting up.

She froze for a second before stepping closer to check the caller ID. Olivia gritted her teeth in pure frustration when she saw the number. It was an unknown caller, but she had a pretty good idea who was on the other end.

Instead of picking up, she declined the call and blocked the number immediately.

Olivia had lost count of how many times she’d had to block random numbers calling her lately. It was like this person had a never-ending supply of SIM cards, always popping up with a new one the second she blocked the last.

She knew they’d just try again from a different burner soon. She couldn’t even change her own number because she actually needed it for work and life.

Olivia tossed her phone back onto the nightstand and walked out to find her son. She saw him sitting on the living room sofa, totally glued to his phone while watching cartoons.

"Tyler," she said, getting his attention.

He looked up at her. "Yeah, Mommy?"

She sat down next to him. "Your Daddy is taking you to school again tomorrow," she told him.

"You’re not coming?"

"No!" she snapped, then lowered her voice.

"But I want you to do something for me."

"What is it, Mommy?"

"Tomorrow, I want you to cling to your father exactly like you did today. Don’t let Calvin get anywhere near him, okay?" she instructed, coaching the boy on how to act.

"Do you want Calvin to take your Daddy away from you, Tyler? Do you want to lose your Daddy’s love? Do you want to lose him for good?"

He shook his head frantically. "No, Mommy," he said. "My Daddy is mine."

She nodded approvingly. "Exactly. So don’t let Calvin steal him from you," she said, subtly twisting the knife.

"I won’t, Mommy."

Olivia couldn’t help but smirk at his response. Now that she had the answer she wanted, she headed back into her bedroom. Just as she walked in, her phone pinged with a text alert. Her brow furrowed again.

Was it that same person? How many SIM cards were they going to burn through just to harass her? Why wouldn’t they just take the hint? She’d already told them to stop.

Her face remained stony as she walked over to the phone. She picked it up, but her expression softened instantly when she saw the sender. She couldn’t help but smile. It was a text from Ethan.

She opened it immediately.

Let’s meet, Olivia.

Her smile widened. See? she thought. Ethan still loved her.

She could feel it in her bones. He was just blinded by Lane for a second. It was like her cousin had cast some sort of spell on him, but he was finally waking up. And now that he was back to his senses, he realized she was the one he truly loved. She was going to have the last laugh after all.

Did Lane really think she was going to win? Did she think Ethan would actually choose her? She was dead wrong.

Ethan didn’t love her. Olivia was convinced Lane was only in the picture because of the kid Ethan hadn’t seen in years.

Fine, she’d let them have their moment. But once Ethan left Lane for good and married her, she wasn’t going to let those two anywhere near her family.

She had no intention of being a stepmom to Lane’s kid, and she was definitely going to put Lane back in her place.

Olivia let out a smug little laugh.

She tried calling Ethan right away to ask for the time and place, but her smile faltered when he didn’t pick up.

He must be busy, she figured. He used to be like that sometimes back in the day, but he always called her back the second he saw a missed call.

So, she shot him a text instead, asking for the details. She gnawed on her thumbnail for a few seconds until she saw his reply pop up. She read it fast. It was a time and a place for later today.

It was a fancy restaurant, too. It felt like a real date.

She quickly confirmed the plan and didn’t even wait for him to reply before she started getting ready. She wasn’t about to keep Ethan waiting. She knew him. He was a stickler for being on time.

Olivia had already showered earlier, but she decided to hop in again anyway. She wanted to smell perfect for him.

She soaked in the tub for a bit, then scrambled out and dove into her closet. She practically emptied the whole thing before finally settling on a knee-length red dress.

It hugged her curves in all the right places. That was the goal. She wanted to look as sexy as possible. She wanted him to see her and realize exactly why he’d picked her.

Even after having a kid, she still had a killer body, mostly because she was obsessed with the gym.

She worked out constantly because there was no way she was letting Lane outshine her. She had to stay ten steps ahead.

Once she was dressed and her makeup was flawless, she caught her reflection in the mirror and grinned.

"When you see me tonight, Ethan, you’re never going to want to let go. Lane won’t even be a memory."

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