The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband – Episode 20
Natalie stood between Sebastian and the bedroom, trapped not by his body but by the truth she had delayed since their wedding. The little house had felt safe because each of them respected the other’s locked doors, yet now every boundary seemed built from omissions. His question remained in the room: what did her mother’s treatment have to do with marrying him? Answering might turn his unexpected kindness into the disgust she had feared from the beginning.
“Sebastian, I can explain.” She hated how guilty the words sounded. He waited, his face unreadable.
“Start with the hospital.” His restraint frightened her more than accusation. “How much is overdue?”
“Fifty thousand dollars.” Saying the amount aloud returned her to George’s mansion, kneeling before people who measured love in leverage.
Sebastian’s gaze sharpened. “Your father can afford that.” Natalie gave a hollow laugh. “Affording it was never the issue.”
She sat because her legs no longer felt steady. “Last week, I asked him for a loan. Lauren refused, and Cassie offered a condition.” The memory unfolded in fragments: Lauren’s diamonds, George’s lowered eyes, and Cassie’s delight at discovering that a sister could be used as currency. Natalie had survived the moment by focusing only on her mother. Telling Sebastian forced her to feel the humiliation she had postponed.
Sebastian already suspected the shape of the bargain. He remembered expecting Cassie at the altar and finding an unknown older daughter in borrowed clothes.
“They promised to pay Mom’s bills if I married you in Cassie’s place,” Natalie said. Shame made her look down, though the cruelty belonged to her family, not to her.
Sebastian absorbed the confession in silence. The Quinns had kept their agreement with him only by coercing the daughter they considered expendable. His own negotiations with them had been cold but voluntary; he had never imagined the bride standing at the end of those negotiations had been given a choice between marriage and her mother’s life. Rage gathered beneath his composure, directed as much at himself as at George.
“And they still haven’t paid,” he said. Natalie nodded. “George keeps delaying. I thought once the wedding was over, he would at least keep that promise.” She had called twice and received excuses about transfers, banking limits, and paperwork, each delivered as if her impatience were unreasonable. The Quinns had obtained exactly what they wanted while leaving her to beg again for the price they had named.
“People like him keep promises only when breaking them costs more.” Sebastian’s voice carried experience she did not understand. His thoughts had already moved toward consequences.
“I didn’t tell you because I knew how it would sound.” Natalie forced herself to meet his eyes. “Like I married you for money.”
“Didn’t you?” The question was quiet. It hurt because there was no clean denial.
“I married you for my mother’s life,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to take anything from you. I thought the Quinns would pay, and our deal would remain separate.” She had intended to act as his wife in public, respect his home, and leave without claiming a cent from the trust fund. The fact that he had been gentler than expected made her original silence feel deceptive, even though survival had left her no honest path to the altar.
Sebastian looked at the shoes. Her attempt to pawn them no longer seemed like rejection. She had sacrificed the gift for the same reason she had sacrificed her freedom. Even the loan from Daniel had been structured to preserve Sebastian’s money, as though protecting him from expense mattered more than protecting herself from debt. Anger gave way to an ache he was less prepared to manage.
“Then the interview was your backup plan,” he said. Natalie explained how Serena had sabotaged it and how Sarah was arranging other opportunities.
“It’s okay,” she added from habit. “I’ll find another job.” Sebastian remembered telling her that kindness was not weakness, but now saw the danger in how quickly she transformed betrayal into another burden she must solve alone.
“No, Natalie. It isn’t okay.” He crossed the room and crouched before her so she could not hide her face. In his world, broken contracts triggered penalties, hostile acquisitions, and consequences powerful men understood without explanation. What the Quinns had done was worse because they assumed Natalie possessed no power with which to answer. “Your family used your mother’s illness to trade you, then broke their word.”
“What can we do?” Her voice cracked on the final word. For once, she allowed the fear beneath her determination to show. She was tired of producing solutions from sacrifice, tired of calculating which part of her future could be exchanged for one more week of safety. Asking the question did not make her weak; it revealed how long she had remained strong without help.
Sebastian took her hands. He had promised to conceal himself until his plan was complete, yet the woman before him needed more than another vague reassurance. “Forget what I said about staying out of each other’s affairs,” he told her. “You’re my wife. From now on, you can rely on me.” Natalie searched his eyes, unaware that behind those words stood enough money to clear every debt—and enough power to make the Quinns regret ever placing a price on her life. Trusting him might be the first choice in their marriage that truly belonged to her.
