How To Lose Your Billionaire Alpha Husband In 365 Days (Or Less)!-Chapter 42: Shopping At Home?

"So this is what being married actually feels like, huh?" I whispered to myself.

It wasn’t what I expected. Not the way it was in the movies or those trashy romance novels Sophia used to hide under her bed.

It wasn’t soft and sweet and wrapped in predictable bows.

It was messy. Full of surprises. There were moments of tension, anger, and challenges, like dealing with wolves and power struggles.

But it also felt... solid. Like even when everything else in my life spun out of control, this—this strange, maddening, impossible connection between Aiden and me—was becoming a centre I didn’t know I needed.

The door creaked open again, and I quickly wiped the look off my face.

Aiden walked back in, shirt sleeves rolled up, carrying a silver tray. Kaiden trailed behind him like a grumpy deliveryman.

"Breakfast, as promised," Aiden announced.

Kaiden arched a brow at me. "You’re still alive. That’s a good sign."

"Debatable," I muttered. "But thanks for the food."

Kaiden gave Aiden a look. "I’ll leave you two alone now before you start feeding each other strawberries or something equally traumatic."

"Jealousy doesn’t suit you," Aiden replied, nudging the door shut with his foot.

Kaiden grumbled on his way out.

Aiden set the tray over my lap like he’d done it a hundred times. "Bon appétit, Mrs. Frost."

I raised a brow at the tray. Pancakes. Eggs. Strawberries. Two mugs of coffee. One had Luna Fuel written on it in gold script. The other just said Alpha Mode: ON.

"You had these mugs made, didn’t you?"

"I plead the fifth."

"You’re so weird."

"Admit it. You love it."

"Unconfirmed."

He settled beside me again, grabbing a strawberry and popping it into his mouth without any shame.

"So," he said around it, "what’s our plan for today?"

I shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe survive another prophecy? Or you can tell me more about what you’re hiding."

He groaned. "I knew that was coming."

"Well?" I challenged, turning toward him.

He didn’t answer right away; he just looked at me like he was weighing something.

"I’ll tell you everything," he said finally. "Just not today. Today... we eat. You rest. And I remind you that this marriage, whether fake or not, still comes with perks."

"Like breakfast in bed?"

He leaned closer, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. "Like me not letting you out of this bed all day if I want."

Chills. Immediate. Everywhere.

I turned, stabbing my fork into the pancakes. "You’re lucky these are good."

"Why do you think I had Kaiden triple-check the syrup ratio?"

I laughed—actually laughed—and felt something strange settle in my chest.

Not fear.

Not guilt.

Just... hope.

Maybe that was the most dangerous thing of all.

—

We stayed in bed a little longer, eating slowly, comfortably. It was the kind of morning I never thought I’d have in this house, with him. I had a fork full of syrup-drizzled pancake halfway to my mouth when Aiden glanced over, a spark of mischief in his eyes.

"So..." he began, brushing imaginary crumbs from his thigh, "any chance you’d be up for shopping today?"

I blinked. "Shopping?"

He nodded. "Clothes. Shoes. Whatever you want. I figured you might need a distraction after last night."

I tilted my head, pretending to consider. "Shopping does sound nice..."

Aiden grinned. "Perfect. I’ll grab my keys."

"But," I added, holding up a finger, "two problems."

His brow arched.

"One, I usually go shopping with Sophia. She’d kill me if I picked out a single pair of heels without her."

"Fair."

"And two..." I stretched and leaned back against the headboard, sighing. "I really don’t feel like leaving the house. My bones still feel like they’ve been cursed and exorcised at the same time."

Aiden chuckled, low and satisfied, then shook his head. "Why do I know you were going to say that?"

I smirked. "Oh, so now you read minds?"

"No," he said, taking my empty plate, "I’m just married to you. Close enough."

"Careful. That sounds dangerously like affection."

He gave me a wink and stood. "Let me take these to the kitchen. Makes my breakfast-in-bed service officially complete."

"I could take them—"

"Nope." He leaned over and kissed my temple again. "Let me spoil you. I have an agenda."

"Oh gods. I’m terrified."

"You should be," he called over his shoulder as he walked out.

I shook my head, still smiling, and reached for my phone.

Jasmine: Calling Sophia. It’s Shopping Emergency Time.

I dialed. It rang. And rang.

No answer.

"Where are you, you fashion goblin?" I muttered, switching to text.

Me: Shopping today? I need your judgmental eyes and sarcastic commentary. Please say yes before I let Aiden dress me.

I hit send, tossed the phone onto the bed, and climbed out.

No way was I lounging around in his shirt all day, well, no way I’d admit to wanting to lounge around in his shirt all day. I padded barefoot across the room, heading to mine, and took a long, hot shower to clear my head.

My scar still tingled, but the ache had faded. The visions, though... that was something I couldn’t rinse away.

I brushed my teeth, towel-dried my hair into a messy bun, and pulled on a soft black tank top and loose grey joggers. Cozy. Functional. And not remotely designed to attract attention.

Good. That was the goal.

I stepped out of my room, adjusting my waistband, only to find Aiden lounging casually against the hallway wall. Waiting.

"For a minute there," he said, glancing up, "I contemplated coming in to check on you. But then I thought, what if she’s naked? Not that I’d mind."

I rolled my eyes. "Naughty. In case you’ve forgotten, let me remind you—you’re taking this husband thing way too seriously."

He grinned, not even a hint of apology in sight. "I am your husband."

"Contractually."

He stepped forward, brushing a knuckle under my chin. "Still counts."

I swatted his hand away, even though the flutter in my chest disagreed. "You’re ridiculous."

"I have a surprise for you."

My brow lifted. "Surprise?"

He nodded and took my hand, gently tugging me toward the stairs. "Come on. Trust me."

I hesitated for half a heartbeat, then followed.

The house was quiet as we moved down the hall, past the grand staircase and toward the living room. But when we got there, I stopped short.

I froze.

Because the living room wasn’t a living room anymore.

It was a boutique.

Racks of clothes—luxurious, elegant, edgy, colourful—stood neatly aligned in the space where the coffee table used to be. Heels, boots, and flats were displayed like a designer’s showroom on white-carpeted platforms.

There was even a table with accessories—jewelry, sunglasses, scarves—and a freaking mirror wall.

"What... what’s going on?" I stammered.

Aiden grinned, folding his arms like a man very proud of himself. "You said you didn’t want to go shopping. So, I brought the boutique to you."

"You—" I blinked. "You turned our living room into a mall."

"Correction," he said. "A private mall. No paparazzi. No sales clerks breathing down your neck. Just you, your closet fantasy, and your opinionated best friend who should be arriving in—"

"—two seconds," came a familiar voice from behind us.

Sophia.

She strode in like a hurricane in heels, phone in one hand, sunglasses perched on her head. "Sorry, I missed your call. My phone was being a drama queen."

"Soph!" I grinned as she crushed me in a hug.

She pulled back, eyes wide. "Did your husband just magic up a designer apocalypse in your living room?"

"He did."

"And you haven’t jumped him yet?"

"I—Sophia!"

Aiden chuckled and retreated to the hallway. "I’ll let you two have your fun. Just yell when you’re ready to model something."

"Oh, she’s modeling everything," Sophia said, already plucking a deep emerald wrap dress off a rack. "Starting with this. You’re welcome."

And just like that, we were off.

I tried on dress after dress, Sophia circling me like a fashion shark, giving sharp nods and sharper critiques.

"Nope. The neckline says ’corporate power,’ but the waist says ’lost in accounting.’"

"Try this one. It screams CEO who doesn’t take sh*t from anyone." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Gods, I want to rob you."

Aiden reappeared every so often to drop compliments and pretend he wasn’t enjoying the show. Each time he did, Sophia threw him a look like go stand in the corner, billionaire husband.

I laughed so hard, I forgot about my scar. Forgot about Marcus and prophecies. Forgot about secrets and curses.

And for a moment, I just felt... alive.

I turned to Aiden mid-spin in a sleek black jumpsuit. "You did all this?"

He shrugged, but the pride in his eyes betrayed him. "Pick anything you want. Or everything."

I stared at him, heart thudding. "You’re dangerous."

He stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair off my cheek. "So are you."

And just like that, my carefully constructed emotional walls?

Started to crack.

Because no matter how fake this marriage began, it was becoming real in all the ways that mattered.

And maybe...

Just maybe...

I didn’t want to stop it.