Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Lane’s breath caught in her throat as Noah’s hand remained extended in the tense morning air. For a terrifying second, she honestly thought Ethan was going to completely blow off the handshake, leaving Noah humiliated in front of everyone. Even Noah seemed to anticipate the rejection, his smile tightening as he subtly began to lower his hand.

But just as the moment pushed past the point of polite comfort, Ethan stepped forward and gripped Noah’s hand.

The gesture looked normal to an outsider, but Lane was close enough to see the sudden, violent tension that erupted between them.

The handshake lasted far longer than necessary. Neither man backed down; instead, their grips tightened with a silent, ferocious force until Lane could actually see the veins bulging prominently on the backs of their hands and forearms. A suffocating wave of testosterone and unstated rivalry filled the space between them before they finally, abruptly released each other.

Breaking the heavy silence, Aunt Catherine smiled gracefully, entirely oblivious to the silent warfare. "Well, let’s go in. The children are waiting."

They all began walking toward the main building of the orphanage. Lane was so lost in her own racing thoughts that she didn’t notice Noah had suddenly stopped walking ahead of her to let Aunt Catherine pass. With a soft gasp, Lane bumped directly into his broad back.

Losing her balance in her heels, Lane gasped as she started to stumble backward. But before she could fall, a powerful pair of hands wrapped securely around her waist, anchoring her against a solid chest.

It was Ethan. His grip was fiercely tight, his touch sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

Noah spun around instantly, his eyes wide with concern. "Are you okay, Lane?"

He immediately reached out, moving to take her hand to pull her away from Ethan, but Ethan’s grip only tightened. With a possessive, unyielding motion, Ethan pulled Lane even closer against his side, his arm locking her against his waist. Lane looked up and saw Noah’s jaw tense, a dangerous glirt flashing in her friend’s eyes.

"Ma’am Catherine!"

A familiar, warm voice cut through the mounting tension. Lane looked up in relief to see Sister Clara, the kind director who managed the day-to-day operations of the facility. Sister Clara and Aunt Catherine immediately exchanged a warm, familiar hug before the director turned her bright smile toward the rest of the group.

"Lane, Noah, Ava! The kids have really missed you all," Sister Clara said warmly.

Ava stepped forward with an apologetic smile.

"There has been a lot going on lately, Sister, so it took us some time to get back here. We’re so sorry for the delay."

"Oh, don’t worry at all, dear," Sister Clara chuckled before her eyes drifted toward the tall, imposing man still standing protectively close to Lane.

Aunt Catherine smiled proudly, stepping up to introduce him. "Sister Clara, this is my son, Ethan. And he is also the husband to our lovely Lane."

Sister Clara’s eyes widened in absolute delight, and she immediately looked at Lane, her hands clapping together. "Lane! You’re married? Oh my goodness, why didn’t you tell me during your last visit?"

Lane’s heart sank, and she instantly looked down, biting her lower lip in deep embarrassment. How could she explain that her marriage was an arranged forced marriage ?How could she tell them the truth?

Before she could invent a lie, Ethan’s deep voice resonated beside her. "It was a very small gathering, Sister. Entirely private."

Lane’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock. She stared at Ethan’s calm profile, her mind reeling. She knew very well it hadn’t even been a gathering—there had been no celebration, no romance.

He had been completely forced into this marriage with her, yet here he was, smoothly defending her reputation to the director.

Sister Clara’s face softened into a warm, understanding smile.

"Ah, I understand."

Aunt Catherine, however, wasn’t about to let the matter rest. She patted Sister Clara’s arm with a determined look.

"Though, I assure you, immediately after the baby is born, I am going to personally make sure they have a real, grand wedding. I’ll be hand-delivering the invitations myself, and you are all absolutely invited."

Sister Clara froze, her jaw dropping as she looked at Lane in utter shock. Her eyes rapidly scanned Lane’s loose maternity dress, finally landing on the small, distinct curve of her belly.

"Lane... you’re pregnant?"

"Yes, Sister," Lane whispered, a shy, soft flush rising to her cheeks.

Sister Clara’s expression instantly melted into pure, unconditional warmth. She stepped forward, gently taking both of Lane’s hands in her own, her eyes shining with tears of joy.

"Oh, sweetheart... I have seen firsthand how absolutely incredible you are with the children here. They adore you. You have such a gentle, loving soul, Lane. You are going to be an absolutely magnificent mother."

The sincerity in Sister Clara’s voice pierced right through the thick emotional walls Lane had built over the past few weeks. To hear someone validate her, to tell her she would be a good mother when she felt so incredibly alone and broken inside, touched her to the absolute core. Lane bit her lip, desperately trying to fight back the sudden surge of emotions, but she lost the battle.

A few silent, heavy tears spilled over her lashes and rolled down her pale cheeks.

"Oh, I’m so sorry..." Lane whispered,

embarrassed by her sudden vulnerability.

Instantly, two white handkerchiefs appeared simultaneously right in front of her face.

Lane blinked through her blurred vision and looked up. Both Ethan and Noah were standing on either side of her, each holding out a clean handkerchief with identical expressions of intense concern.

The silence in the courtyard turned suffocatingly sharp.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he flicked a dark, warning gaze toward Noah. Without giving the other man a chance to speak, Ethan gently but firmly shifted his body, pulling Lane subtly toward his chest. He raised his own handkerchief and, with an incredibly tender, soft touch that Lane had never experienced from him before, he gently wiped the tears from her face.

Later, while the children were washing up for lunch, Ava managed to pull Lane aside into a quiet corner of the hallway.

"What on earth was that all about?" Ava demanded, crossing her arms and looking at Lane with a fierce, protective squint.

Lane blinked, genuinely confused. "What do you mean, Ava?"

"The whole Ethan stunt!" Ava hissed under her breath, glancing around to ensure they weren’t overheard.

"Pulling you by the waist, staring down Noah, wiping your tears so tenderly... Lane, why is he pretending to be this doting, perfect husband only when people are watching? It makes me sick."

Lane let out a soft, tired sigh, looking down at her hands. "Ethan is a good man, Ava. Really."

Ava scoffed, her expression fierce with loyalty. "Oh, please. He’s good to everyone in the world except you, Lane, and you know it."

Before Lane could find the words to defend the complex, painful reality of her marriage, Sister Clara’s voice called out from the dining hall entrance.

"Girls! Lunch is ready, come on in and eat!"

"We’re coming, Sister!" Ava called back.

The two women moved toward the dining hall, but as they approached the doorway, they saw Ethan standing near the counter, deep in conversation with Sister Clara. Lane instinctively slowed her pace, pulling Ava back just a bit as they inadvertently overheard the conversation.

"Tell me honestly, Sister," Ethan was saying, his tone entirely professional yet genuinely attentive. "What is it that this orphanage lacks the most right now? What do the children need?"

Sister Clara looked down, fidgeting with her apron, a faint flush of embarrassment on her weathered face.

"Well, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit... but we are chronically short on basic necessities. The children desperately need new seasonal clothing, and our educational books are completely falling apart. And... well, the truth is, the very land this orphanage is built on doesn’t even belong to us. We rent it, and the landlord raises the price every year."

Lane looked over at Ava, her heart aching. That land issue was actually one of the primary reasons she and Noah had started funding the orphanage in the first place, trying to save up enough to buy it, though Aunt Catherine had always been their biggest secret donor.

Ava stared at Ethan’s profile, her harsh expression softening just a fraction into pure shock.

"Well... look at that," Ava murmured under her breath. "So the robot actually has a heart."

Ethan didn’t hesitate for a single second. He gave Sister Clara a firm, reassuring nod.

"Don’t worry about any of it, Sister. My personal secretary will be in touch with you by tomorrow morning. We will handle the clothing, the books, and I will have my legal team purchase this land permanently under the orphanage’s name."

Listening to him, a bitter-sweet warmth bloomed in Lane’s chest. She knew—she had always known—that Ethan was fundamentally a good man. His corporate empire actually did an immense amount of charity work behind closed doors, and it was that very same generous, protective heart that had made her fall completely in love with him in the first place. He just didn’t love her.

"Lane! Ava! Come over here," Noah’s voice broke her reverie. He called them over to a long table, handing both women a loaded plate of food. He looked around the bright room, a soft smile on his face as he saw the kids already happily settled and eating.

Lane looked at the beautifully arranged catering stations around the room.

"Aunt Catherine must have actually called in her personal catering service for the day," Lane realized, turning to Sister Clara.

"If we had known she was doing that, Noah and I wouldn’t have bought all that fast food."

Sister Clara laughed warmly, waving her hand.

"Oh, don’t you worry about that for a second, Lane! Look at them—the kids are already devouring the burgers and fries you brought. They love it."

Noah turned to Lane, holding up a fork.

"Alright, what would you like to eat, Lane?"

Lane’s eyes instinctively drifted past the healthy catering platters, landing longingly on the fast food the children were eating. The craving from yesterday was back with a vengeance.

Noah noticed her gaze and immediately shook his head, pulling a plate of greens toward her.

"No. Absolutely not, Lane."

Ava chimed in, pointing a spoon at a different tray.

"She’s right, you should try the steamed broccoli and the grilled chicken instead. It’s absolutely great, and it’s exactly what you need."

"But guys..." Lane protested softly, her stomach churning slightly at the sight of the heavy, plain vegetables.

"No ’buts’, Lane," Ava said playfully but firmly.

Defeated, Lane reluctantly began spooning a small portion of white rice onto her plate, but the healthy catering food simply wasn’t what her pregnant body wanted. She felt a sudden wave of nausea just looking at it.

Before she could sit down, a tall, commanding shadow fell over her. Ethan moved directly beside her, his dark eyes scanning her nearly empty plate.

"That rice is not enough," Ethan stated, his voice a low, disapproving rumble.

" You barely eat anything as it is," Ethan replied, his jaw clenching slightly as he stepped closer. "That small portion is not enough for you."

"I just don’t feel like eating this right now," Lane muttered, her fatigue catching up to her. "I’ll balance it out later tonight with something else."

Lane picked up her plate, and walked over to the long bench to sit down closely between Noah and Ava.

Noah looked at her meager plate of plain rice and frowned gently. "You’re really not feeling the catering food, are you?"

"Yeah," Lane sighed, resting her chin in her hand, watching a little boy across the room happily eat a burger.

"Hey, you need to eat something balanced, Lane. For your own strength," Noah urged softly, looking around the table for something else to offer her.

Before Noah could stand up, a large, strong hand suddenly extended past Lane’s shoulder. With a soft click, Ethan placed a fresh, hot plate filled with a juicy burger and a side of golden fries directly in front of her.

"Eat what you want," Ethan commanded quietly, his eyes fixed on her.

Noah’s expression instantly hardened, and he stood up halfway from his seat, glaring at the billionaire.

"What do you think you’re doing, Ethan? She needs to eat something healthy and nutritious for the baby and herself. That is... if you even care about their health."

The insult hung dangerously in the air.

Ethan slowly turned his head, his dark eyes turning dead, cold, and lethal as he locked eyes with Noah. The entire atmosphere around the table plummeted to absolute zero.

"Do not lecture me on how to feed my own wife," Ethan spoke, his voice dangerously low, vibrating with an unyielding, possessive fury that made everyone at the table freeze.

He took a slow step forward, shielding Lane from Noah’s view. "And for the record... I actually care a damn sight more than you think."

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