The Secret Fiancée (The Windsors, #5)

by Catharina Maura

I faintly hear the sound of her voice, only to turn the corner and find Adam handing her a coffee cup from her favorite coffeeshop, a few blocks down. She smiles at him, and something dark twists in my stomach when I notice the way her gorgeous brown eyes light up as she takes a sip.

Oh God. He’s about to lose his shit.😂

He’s her bestfriend crazy pants. Duuhh. 😂 But he’s also right to be a little jealous, Adam definitely gives off “Friends to lovers” vibes. 😬

Why ???? 👀

I FUCKING KNEW ITTTTTTTT ❗️❗️❗️. Called it ☎️☎️. I knew it. I fucking knew it. Damn sis.

Crying ?? Right now ?? I’d be flipping tables, pissed !!! 😂 Matter of fact, I would’ve walked out of the house too stunned to speak. That’s crazzzyyyyy.

Fury rushes through me as I press my gun to Raya’s head. “You fucking bitch,” I whisper. “What the fuck did you do?” I snap, driving my gun into her temple hard. She whimpers and holds her hands up,

🫣 oh noooo. Lex WTF ?!🤦🏾‍♀️ How do y'all even get past this ???!? I mean, once he realizes the truth, how does he make it up to her? How does this get resolved ? WHAT THE HELL LEX ?! How does he… Save his marriage? Damn, the only answer i got is THERAPY. And some serious groveling.

WE LOVE MEN WHO STAND UP FOR WOMEN ❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️🫶🏽 period..

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m sorry, little fairy.”

That’s all you have to say ??? & don’t call her that ! Not after all of that !!! Hell no, not cool. You need to see a therapist ASAP witcho traumatized ass. How does one even begin to rebuild after this experience ???? Or trust your partner again ? Or rebuild ? I don’t even know. Damn. I feel sooo bad for Raya.

“I’m not Jill, Lexington. I don’t deserve to pay for her crimes when all I’ve ever done was love you.”

Ooooooo, that’s a good line. And she’s absolutely right !

Ew. Why tf did you go to his house ?? He’s a hater bro ?! You can’t trust the words of a hater🤦🏾‍♀️

I nod and start at the start,

Lol, huh ? Start at the beginning is more accurate. Never heard “Start at the Start” 😭

“Raya, that man looks at you like you’re a miracle he’s honored to be near. He’s mesmerized by everything you do and say. You don’t see it, because you’ve never experienced the cold boss he is when you’re not around. The difference is jarring, but you bring out something in him that I’m not sure anyone else could, and you always have, from the very start.”

I’m genuinely surprised by the honesty. Proud of you hater. I just don’t understand why we couldn’t have this talk before ??

His eyes widen as he takes in the divorce papers in his hands, and then he barks out a laugh. “Over my dead body, Raya.” I watch in disbelief as he walks to his desk and grabs a lighter, looking me in the eye as the papers go up in flames.

“The day you left is the day I went back to therapy, little fairy.

Fucking FINALLY ! THATS what you should’ve been doing from jump crazy pants !

when I slowly kneel in front of her, both of my knees hitting the floor. “I am sorry, Raya. More than you’ll ever know, more than words can convey.”

We love a man who knows when to get down on his knees and grovel. 💁🏽‍♀️

You know who else puts trackers in wedding rings ?? WALKER ( The Pucking Wrong Date) 😂 Ayoo, that guy is hilarious. I get why she’s upset by that. She should be ! Especially because this just proves that you didn’t really try and that you didn’t trust her. but honestly..personally..I’m not all that bothered by it😭. Don’t get me wrong, Alex is completely wrong for doing this but, I’m just finding this funny due to Walker and his book. Hilarious

🥰👋🏽. Hey.

I can’t believe he did this for me. The fairy lights, the hundreds of flowers everywhere, and the setting sun… this is beyond romantic,

Awwww, that is romantic ! 🥹💖 Oh, he’s really trying to get her back. These are sweet gestures.

“I love you, Raya. More than anything — more than flying, more than breathing. I love you with every fiber of my being, with all I am, all I’ll ever be.”

🥰 it only took him till the end of the book, I’ll accept it. Love is an action as much as it is words.

I rise to my tiptoes and cut him off,

Bitch, let him finish…🙄

BOOM ! & there it is. Thank you. Love is definitely NOT the issue. Good on her for not letting this moment completely sway her into just forgiving and moving on. Oh no baby, we still have loaaaddssss to work through. & I love this moment for her ! For them ! Her strength right now is amazing.

Well that’s sad. I say baby steps. He gave up the security system to Silas. I would compromise and allow him to have maybe 1 or 2 extra security personnel to ease his mind a bit. Not just go cold turkey without any of them. She has to understand that, yes he traumatized her but he is also still traumatized as well. I get he’s groveling and trying to get her back but she can’t be completely selfish w/ his trauma either. That’s not fair. There has to be a balance, compromise.

like he’d do anything for a chance to be near me.

Cute. 🫶🏽

This whole scene. ♥️

“Fuck, you’re so wet for me, baby.” He slides his fingers over me, his eyes on mine as he teases me. I moan when he slips two fingers inside me, my hips moving involuntarily. It’s been so long, and I want him more than I care to admit. “Please,” I whisper.

Shouldn’t this be a “Lex, make love to me” moment ?? W/ obviously Beyoncé “1+1”playing in the background. 💁🏽‍♀️♥️

Aww, baby🥹. That man is scared out his mind that his heart is gonna leave him.

I’m sure he does darling. Lmaoo. ♥️

This.♥️🥺 This is… yeah. Sweet.

Same. But instead of sunsets I prefer the moon and stars.

My thumb brushes over my wedding ring, and I force a smile for her. “Our time is up, little fairy. You gave me four weeks to prove to you that I can be the husband you need, and I tried, baby. But with each attempt, it only became clearer that I’m not the one for you. You deserve real love — a coincidental meeting, a dinner date that doesn’t end up in the papers. You deserve a man without demons that compete with you for his attention… someone that isn’t broken.”

Oh, my darling boy. 🥺 I feel for him. I do. Trauma is such a bitch. Which is why is soo important to heal from it. & Wow. That therapist of his must be doing wonders.. I’m so proud of him in this moment. Realizing that he has to let her go..big of him.

THIS ❗️… now that’s how a marriage works…that’s love. Choosing your partner with flaws, trauma and all. Meeting them where they are and being by their side as they grow and heal and learn.

especially the way you kept your word, the way you tried not just to make amends, but to change for the better, forever. You say I deserve true love, but if that isn’t true love, what is? I love you, but more importantly, I choose you — forever and always. Will you let me? Let me choose you, Lex.”

THHIIIISSSSSSSSSSSS ❗️❗️❗️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹💖💖💖💖💖💖✨✨✨✨✨✨✨💍💍💍💍💍💍 THIS IS WHAT LOVE AND MARRIAGE IS PEOPLE ! This…. I want this….

She wants me? Despite everything? “Just say yes,” she whispers. “Yes,” I reply, my voice breaking. “Choose me, Raya. Please, choose me.” She brushes the back of her fingers over my jaw and nods. “I do. I always will. Every single day, Lex. Forever and always.”

I don’t cry at books…but this is definitely giving me the feels of wanting to do so. Wow.🥺♥️ How beautiful.

Wait, what ??! By hand ?? He did that ?? No waaayyyy. Omgggg.🥹. If he did, that’s really sweet.

every single second with her. “Is that… is that my name?” I draw a shaky breath, trying my best to control my nerves as we continue on our flight path. Raya gasps when we reach the exact vantage point I’d been aiming for, a huge cluster of white flowers spelling five words I’ve been meaning to say, their lighter color making them contrast with the yellow flowers that surround them. Raya gasps and turns to face me, and I smile shakily as I take a step back and drop down to one knee, a ring box in hand. She stares at me in disbelief when I open it to reveal a custom-made Laurier ring, set with a yellow diamond I bought for her at auction. “Raya, my little fairy,” I say, my voice shaking. “I am not a man of many words, and for weeks, I’ve been trying to think of what I’d say to you today. It was an impossible task that left me feeling defeated, because the truth is that no

I’m gonna fucking cry dawg ! 🥺

words could ever be sufficient to explain how I feel about you. I can’t begin to tell you what you’ve done to me, for me. You are my sun, Raya, and everything I am, everything I’ll ever be, revolves around you. It always will. You’ve changed me, healed me, and you continue to inspire me to be a better man. There is nothing in this world I’d want more than to spend the rest of my days with you, doing everything in my power to make you just a little happier than you were the day before. If you let me, I’ll do all I can to fill your days with laughter and sunshine, with joy and home-cooked meals, with your favorite tea and honeycomb coffees. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to put a smile on your face, to make you happy.” I take a deep breath, trying my best to keep my hand from shaking. “Raya Indira Windsor, I love you more than words will ever be able to convey. Will you make me the happiest

I’m gonna cry.. this is giving me ALL THE FEELS ! this is the kind of proposal I want. Something different and creative, full of love and hope for the future. Something beautiful and exclusive to only us. Something that represents the both of us and the relationship we’ve built. Ugh, I’m gonna cry.. I don’t cry at books and stuff.. but this is absolutely beautiful. I love love. This makes me want to watch Twilight (IYKYK) ..ugh, I hope this finds me one day. 🥺💖

man on this earth and marry me? Of your own accord this time?” “Yes,” she says, a tear rolling down her face. “I’d choose you a thousand times over, Lex.” I slip the ring onto her finger, but she barely even glances at it. Her eyes are locked onto mine, pure happiness radiating off her. She looks so shocked, and fuck, the way she smiles makes me feel like I’m on top of the world. It’s better than flying, better than anything I’ve ever known. “I love you,” she says as I rise to my feet, her arms wrapping around my neck. “Forever and always.” “I love you more,” I murmur against her lips, before kissing her and sweeping her off her feet. She laughs, and the last broken fragments of my soul click back into place. Underneath us, the flowers spell: Raya, will you marry me?

*sighs* in happiness.

“We’re ready when you are, sweetheart,” Dion tells me. I nod, and Ares, Dion, Luca, and Zane each hold on to one side of the palanquin, and I gasp when I’m lifted into the air. The boys chuckle, their eyes sparkling with the same pride I just saw in my mother’s eyes, and my heart overflows with happiness.

No cause wait..why am I smiling and giggling ? 🤭

Aria and Grayson, Amara and Noah, Archer and Serenity,