Read Online The Billionaire's Secret Wife (The Pryce Family Book 3) (Volume 3) by Nadia Lee - Free Book Online Page B

grand ceremony later after the baby.” He pulled out a dark navy box and took her left hand. Inside the box was a diamond ring. The simple platinum setting showed off the size and superior cut and clarity of the stone surrounded by smaller sapphires the exact color of her eyes. “For the engagement. I wanted to get something custom designed, but there wasn’t enough time.”
    “It’s perfect,” she whispered as a sudden lump formed in her throat.
    He put the ring on her finger and kissed her knuckles. The sparkling gem made it seem so much more real. She was really getting married.
    Her mother had a similar piece in her jewelry box, although the stone types were reversed—a huge sapphire in the center surrounded by small diamonds. It was her engagement ring, which she hadn’t worn in ages. Vanessa knew her father had proposed in the most romantic setting he could manage and professed undying love. She’d seen his letters.
    My love for you will never die . So long as you love me , we’ll be happy and together till death do us part . Ceinlys , I know you’re worried about my mother’s reaction , but it isn’t her life , it’s ours . Will you take a chance? I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world forever and ever .
    “Vanessa?”
    She jerked her chin up and looked at Justin’s frowning face. “Sorry. I sort of zoned out.”
    Justin’s frown melted into an ironically skewed smile. “Is the rock disappointing?”
    She smacked his arm. “No! It’s so big, it’s almost vulgar.”
    “I was going to get a four-carat stone, but I thought it would look wrong on you.” He traced her ring finger. “Your hands are so delicate…you need something simple, elegant and graceful.”
    She licked her lower lip. His words seeped all the way to her bones in syrupy sweetness, and her mind shivered with longing and a sliver of fear.
    “Vanessa… I swear to you, I’ll make you happy…as happy as I know you’re going to make me,” he said.
    His gaze was absolutely steady. He wasn’t just talking, carried by the moment. Cold sweat filmed her palms and the back of her neck. Hadn’t Ceinlys often spoken of the madness of deriving happiness from others, how Salazar had let her down? That could easily be Vanessa’s future too. Justin had all the things that had made Salazar irresistible to women: a charming personality, looks, money and power.
    And all the beauties who used to grace his arms wouldn’t give up just because he was married. Just look at all those women throwing themselves at Salazar. How could Justin’s situation be any different? Vanessa would be one of many stars that orbited around him, while he was the center of her universe. Panic balled in her gut.
    “Vanessa?” Justin prompted.
    “Yes?”
    “You’re zoning out again.”
    “Sorry. I was just wondering…” She took a deep breath, then held the air in her lungs so she wouldn’t start hyperventilating. “How long were you planning to be in Toronto? I need to go back to L.A. on Saturday.”
    “Didn’t block out any time for a honeymoon?”
    Cringing, she shook her head. “It’s not like we can have one. Our marriage is secret, remember?”
    “That sounds so clandestine.” He gave her a meaningful look. “ Secret Wife.”
    She looked away as her heart squeezed. What a ridiculous reaction. She wasn’t thrilled at being called “wife,” secret or otherwise. This was temporary, and she was not going to end up like her mother.
    Because she looked so much like her mother, most people thought she’d marry well and have everything catered to her. Except she knew better. Her grandmother had often lamented about how poisonous and ephemeral her mother’s looks were.
    “If Ceinlys had been just slightly less beautiful she would never have been able to marry Salazar. Mark my words, as she grows older, her hold on him will weaken. Fading youth can never keep a man’s heart. One day he’ll wake up and wonder what he ever saw in her. And