My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back
Chapter 84: Your Choice

Chapter 84: Your Choice

"Hello, fellow Mrs. Grantham," Valerie greeted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lunara froze, her breath caught in her throat. The woman standing before her was the same one she’d seen in the headlines, the one Eryx was supposed to be engaged to.

Before Lunara could process the words, Eryx rushed to her side, his hand resting gently on her cheek. He turned to Valerie, his voice low and firm. "Cut the crap. This is not the time for stupid jokes."

Valerie smirked, but Eryx’s gaze was sharp, his tone giving no room for any more nonsense.

Nodding lightly, Valerie’s smile widened as she stepped forward. "I get it now... She’s pretty, and young. No way you’d want a twenty-eight-year-old woman like me as your wife, right?"

Eryx shot her another warning glare. "Valerie. Enough."

She sighed dramatically but lifted her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I’ll behave." Then she turned to Lunara, softening her tone just a little. "No hard feelings?" She extended her hand. "Valerie Sterling. I’m not here to start a fight."

Lunara hesitated, still caught off guard. "Oh—oh, Lunara. Lunara Hayes." She returned the handshake.

"Hayes?" Valerie raised her eyebrows, glancing at Eryx. "Seriously? You’re hiding her so well that even her name’s still Hayes?"

Eryx clenched his jaw slightly. "That’s enough, Valerie."

But Valerie only shrugged, unfazed. "Hey, I’m just saying. If you’re going to blow up the media with a scandal, at least make it worth it. Give them a real Mrs. Grantham to write about."

Lunara’s eyes darted between the two, uncertainty flickering across her face.

Eryx sighed, but the moment his gaze landed on Lunara, his expression softened instantly. "Go and get dressed first," he said gently, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Woah," Valerie muttered with a smirk. "This should make a headline."

Eryx shot her a sharp look over his shoulder. "Valerie."

She held up her hands again. "Fine, fine. I’ll zip it." Then she added under her breath, "Still, would’ve made a great cover photo."

Lunara turned quietly, slipping back into the bathroom, but not before sneaking one last glance at the two of them.

"So, what’s the plan?" Eryx asked, shifting his eyes back to Valerie.

"I invited the major press and planned to tell them the truth, that we’re not actually engaged," she said, crossing her arms. "That the story was blown out of proportion, and neither of us agreed to it."

Eryx narrowed his eyes. "You’re walking away from a deal your family’s been pushing for years, and getting almost nothing in return. That doesn’t sound like you."

Valerie gave a careless shrug. "Maybe I’m just tired of being paraded around like some bargaining chip."

He didn’t respond, but the way his jaw flexed said enough. Valerie Sterling was many things but self-sacrificing wasn’t one of them.

"You don’t make moves like this without a cushion," he said. "So what’s really going on?"

Her smile was calm, but her eyes were sharp. "Does it matter? You want out, I want out. Let’s not overcomplicate it."

"It’s already complicated," he muttered, glancing toward the closed bathroom door.

Valerie followed his gaze, her smirk returning. "Right. Well, consider this my peace offering. I clean up the press mess, I take the fall for calling it off. You owe me one."

Eryx’s eyes narrowed, already sensing there was more to this than she let on. "I don’t like being indebted to people. And Valerie, it’s not like I just met you, I know you’re not that simple."

Valerie laughed it off with a shake of her head. "It is that simple. I’m twenty-eight, Eryx. I’m tired of dealing with these kinds of arrangements, tired of forcing someone to be with me just to make our families happy. I’d rather be single than stuck."

He didn’t say anything for a moment, just kept studying her face like he was trying to figure out what she wasn’t saying.

Valerie turned back to Eryx, slipping her phone from her clutch and checking the time. "I’ve arranged for the press conference to be held in the hotel lobby. Two hours from now." Her tone was smooth, businesslike now. "It’s short notice, but I figured it’s better to get ahead of the narrative before it turns into something messier."

Eryx’s expression remained unreadable, but she didn’t wait for his approval.

"I expect you to be there," she added, walking toward the door. "Just smile, nod, and let me handle the rest. I’m good at putting on a show when I have to."

She glanced back at him one last time. "Let’s cooperate for one more time." She winked before closing the door.

Eryx frowned, his head unconsciously tilted, "I don’t have a good feeling about this."

"She seems... confident," Lunara said softly, as she headed out from the bathroom. She had been sneakily listening to them.

Eryx glanced at her, his expression serious. "Too confident," he muttered under his breath, clearly still uneasy. His eyes met hers, softening for a brief moment. "You shouldn’t have to deal with any of this mess."

Lunara shrugged slightly, trying to shake off the tension in the room. "It’s not like I have much of a choice," she said quietly, her gaze flickering toward the door where Valerie had just left. "I’m already in the middle of it."

Walking towards her, Eryx gently took her hands in his, his touch warm and reassuring. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice steady but laced with concern.

Lunara met his gaze, a faint frown tugging at her lips. "What do you mean?" she replied, her confusion clear.

Eryx hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching hers. "I mean... I’ll follow your choice. What do you want? Do you want me to announce you to the whole world, or would you prefer to stay hidden?" His voice softened, and there was a hint of vulnerability in his tone as he waited for her response.

Lunara blinked, taken aback by the directness of his question. She hadn’t expected him to ask. "I..." she trailed off, unsure of how to answer. She wanted to say something that would make everything simpler, but the truth was, she didn’t know what would be best for her or for them.