Chapter 11 He’s Not Really Her Husband #3
“As for his marriage to Stella… It’s nothing but a forgery.
” Xavier leaned back in his chair, studying Lucius’s reaction before continuing.
“Whoever forged those documents did one hell of a job. They made them look so legitimate that even someone with considerable power would have struggled to discover the truth. It took me a hell of a lot of time, digging, and some seriously powerful connections to uncover what was really going on.”
Lucius stared at him.
For a moment, he simply sat there, unable to process what he had just heard. Then the meaning slowly settled in, and something inside him shifted.
Stella had never married Shane.
The woman he had spent an entire year believing had chosen another man had never been his wife. All this time, the marriage he had forced himself to accept as a fact had been nothing more than a lie.
A powerful wave of relief swept through him, so sudden and intense that his chest tightened.
The anger that had been weighing on him for years seemed to loosen its grip, replaced by a warmth he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a very long time.
His lips parted as he drew in a slow breath, and despite his efforts to control it, a faint smile appeared.
He lowered his gaze, his fingers curling against his thigh as he tried to contain the happiness rising inside him.
Stella had never belonged to Shane.
She had never stood beside another man and promised him forever.
Lucius had believed he had lost her to someone else. He had carried that bitterness with him, convinced that no matter how much he still loved her, she had already chosen another life.
But now he knew that wasn't true.
The realization filled him with a deep, almost overwhelming happiness. It was more than relief. It was the sudden return of a hope he had buried so completely that he had forgotten what it felt like to have one.
“Fuck,” he murmured.
Yet there was no anger in his voice this time. Only disbelief and a happiness he could barely contain.
Maverick glanced at Cassian before looking back at Lucius.
“Silas has already crossed paths with Cassian once.” A faint smirk touched his mouth. “Before Cassian and Juliet got married, Juliet forged some deal papers just to piss him off. Silas saw them, assumed Cassian was making a move against him, and the two of them nearly tore the place apart.”
Cassian's expression tightened.
Maverick gave him an unapologetic look before continuing. “Cassian walked away with a broken shoulder.”
He leaned back, shaking his head.
“Silas Black isn't the kind of man you fuck with unless you're prepared for the consequences. And now he's mixed up with Shane?” His gaze sharpened. “Whatever the hell is going on, it's bigger than it looks.”
Xavier nodded slowly. “That's what I'm trying to figure out. Give me some time. I'll find out what Silas is doing with Shane, why his men are following him, and what the hell they're after.”
Lucius said nothing.
His thoughts had already returned to Stella.
He remembered the fury in her eyes whenever he interfered in her life, the way she had made it clear that she didn't want him making decisions for her.
She had been angry enough when he stepped into her business and started helping her.
If he now went behind her back and started investigating Shane, she would see it as another attempt to control her.
And Lucius refused to give her another reason to push him away.
For four years, he had believed Stella had chosen another man. Now he knew that wasn't true. For the first time, there was a chance that he hadn't lost her after all.
He wasn't going to destroy that chance by forcing his way into her life.
His gaze lifted to Xavier.
“No. Drop it.”
Xavier's brows drew together. “What?”
“I said drop it.”
“Why?” Xavier stared at him. “You finally find out Stella was never married to Shane, and now you don't want to know what the hell is going on?”
Maverick's brows lifted slightly, while Cassian remained silent, watching Lucius with a knowing look.
Lucius brought the glass to his lips and took another slow drink. He held it there for a moment, his gaze lowered, as though weighing the decision in his mind. When he finally looked up, the amusement that had briefly appeared on his face was gone.
“If Stella wants me to know what happened, she’ll tell me herself. She isn’t married to Shane, and Silas isn’t trying to hurt her. That’s all I needed to know.”
He lowered the glass to the table and rested his fingers against it, his thumb moving absently along the rim.
“I’ll give her time to tell me the rest when she’s ready. Until then, I don’t want you digging into her life anymore. She wouldn’t like it.”
His gaze dropped for a moment, and his jaw tightened.
“I've already given her enough reasons to be angry with me.”
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
Xavier stared at him as if he were waiting for the punchline.
“Are you fucking serious?”
Lucius's eyes lifted to meet his.
There was no hesitation in them.
He rose from his chair, straightening the front of his jacket before slipping one hand into his pocket. He looked around the table, his expression calm.
“I'm serious. Leave it alone.”
Xavier opened his mouth, but Lucius cut him off with a look.
“I don't want you digging into Stella's life anymore.”
He turned and started toward the entrance.
“Where the hell are you going?” Xavier called after him.
Lucius slowed and glanced over his shoulder. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“To pick up my girlfriend,” he said casually. “She’s angry with me, so I have some making up to do. She’s been threatening to take my weekends away ever since she gave them to me.”
Elias chuckled, shaking his head as Lucius turned away again. Lucius moved through the club, disappearing into the crowd until he was completely out of sight.
Elias glanced at Xavier, one eyebrow raised.
“Are you really going to stop?”
Xavier leaned back in his chair, a smug smile spreading across his face as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
“Of course not.”
Elias shook his head, already knowing what was going through his mind.
Xavier took a leisurely drag from his cigarette. “That man has spent the last year being miserable over Stella. Now we finally have something interesting to investigate.”
Elias let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Something interesting? Silas is involved. His men are following Shane, and they seem to be protecting him from some kind of dangerous situation. This could turn into something deadly.”
Xavier waved a hand dismissively, smoke curling between his fingers.
“Yeah, yeah. That too.”
Elias stared at him.
Xavier took another drag, entirely unbothered by his expression.
“What?” he asked. “I can be concerned about the danger and still want to know what the fuck is going on.”
Elias dragged a hand down his face, then burst out laughing.
“For fuck’s sake, Xavier.”