Danelle had never felt this torn in her life. The weight pressing on her chest wasn't just from exhaustion—it was confusion, uncertainty, and an unspoken fear that she couldn't quite place. The reality of what she had done was beginning to settle in.
She was married.
To Ashton Devereux.
And in just a few hours, she was expected to move into his mansion—with her three children, who didn't even know she had gotten married in the first place.
She stood frozen in the center of the living room, barely aware of Victor Camden, Ashton's personal assistant, who waited patiently at the door.
"My children don't know," she finally said, her voice quiet but firm. "I haven't told them anything about the marriage. This is all too fast, Victor. I need time. I need to talk to them first."
Victor gave a respectful nod. "Of course, Mrs. Ashton. I'll return later this evening."
She flinched again at the name—Mrs. Ashton. It sounded foreign. Not wrong exactly, but heavy. Unfamiliar.
