Betrayed Spotlight-Chapter 42: The marriage was fake anyways

Sarah and Silas spent three hours at the restaurant, talking and laughing like no time had passed at all. They exchanged phone numbers and promised to meet again to discuss their collaboration with Zachary the next day.

"I’m so excited about this," Silas said as they prepared to leave. "It’s like the universe brought us back together for a reason."

"I think so too," Sarah agreed, feeling lighter than she had in days.

As Eli drove her home, Sarah couldn’t stop smiling. She kept looking at her phone, reading the contact information Silas had given her. It felt surreal to have her childhood best friend back in her life.

"Mrs. Liu," Eli said, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. "You seem much happier."

"I am," Sarah said. "Silas and I have so much history together. Finding him again feels like finding a piece of myself I thought was lost forever."

When they arrived at the mansion, Sarah noticed that Mason’s car wasn’t in the driveway. She wasn’t surprised. He was probably still at the office, working late as usual.

Sarah went to her room and changed into comfortable clothes. She tried to read a book, but her mind kept wandering between her lunch with Silas and her fight with Mason. She was still angry at him for the way he had treated her in his office, but seeing Silas again had made her feel less alone.

Hours passed, and Mason still hadn’t come home. Sarah ate dinner by herself, which was becoming a common occurrence. She wondered if he was avoiding her because of their fight.

It was almost ten o’clock when Sarah finally heard the front door open. She was in the living room, writing down a few lyrics that suddenly came to her mind. But actually, she was doing it to kill time and wait for him.

Mason walked into the living room, loosening his tie. When he saw her, his steps slowed slightly.

"You’re still awake," he said, his voice neutral.

Sarah looked at him without smiling. "Obviously."

Mason sat down on the opposite end of the couch from her. Sarah noticed that he seemed different somehow. There was something in his expression that looked almost... happy? But his face was still as unreadable as always.

"How was your day?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

Sarah turned to face him fully, her anger from earlier returning. "Now you want to talk to me? This morning you couldn’t even look at me when I was trying to have a serious conversation with you."

Mason’s jaw tightened slightly. "Sarah, I was in the middle of something important—"

"Everything is more important than me," Sarah interrupted, her voice getting sharper. "Your work, your phone calls, your business decisions that affect my life."

Mason was quiet for a moment, studying her face. "You’re right," he said finally. "I shouldn’t have ignored you this morning."

Sarah was surprised by his admission, but she wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. "You can’t just buy companies and fire people without telling me, Mason. Especially when it involves one I’ve worked with."

"I was helping you as promises," Mason said.

"At least inform me about it before going ahead to do it." Sarah replied. "I need you to respect me enough to include me in decisions that affect my life."

Mason leaned back against the couch, running his hand through his hair. "What can I do to gain your forgiveness?"

Sarah stared at him. Mason Liu, the cold and powerful businessman, was asking for her forgiveness. It was the first time he had ever asked her for anything.

"I don’t know," she said honestly. "You can’t just fix everything with money and power, Mason."

Mason nodded slowly. "I understand."

They sat in silence for a moment. Sarah found herself studying his face, looking for any sign of what he was thinking. But as always, his expression gave nothing away.

"Who did you go to pick up earlier?" Sarah asked suddenly, remembering the phone call that had interrupted their fight.

Mason’s expression changed slightly. He looked almost... uncomfortable?

"It was my half-sister," he said quietly.

Sarah’s eyes widened. "Your half-sister? You have a sister?"

"Yes," Mason said simply.

"I didn’t know you had any siblings," Sarah said, her anger momentarily forgotten. "You never mentioned her."

"We’re not very close," Mason said, his voice becoming more guarded. "She just arrived in Wuhan and needed someone to pick her up from the airport. Derek was occupied."

Sarah felt a strange pang of curiosity. "What’s her name?"

"Jayla," Mason said. "She’s my stepmother’s daughter from another man."

"Where does she live?"

"She lives in Europe."

Sarah watched Mason’s face carefully. He seemed tense talking about his sister, like it was a subject he didn’t want to discuss.

"Can she touch you?" Sarah asked suddenly.

Mason’s eyes snapped to hers, and for the first time, she saw genuine surprise in his expression. "What?"

"Your sister," Sarah said, her heart beating faster. "Can she touch you? Or does she have the same problem that other women have?"

Mason stared at her for a long moment, and Sarah could see something flickering in his eyes. Confusion? Discomfort? She couldn’t tell.

"I’ll talk to you later," he said abruptly, standing up from the couch.

"Mason—" Sarah started.

But he was already walking toward the stairs. "I’m tired. Good night."

Sarah watched him disappear up the stairs, feeling frustrated and confused. Once again, Mason had shut down the conversation when it got too personal.

She sat on the couch for a long time, thinking about his reaction to her question.

For some reason, she found herself desperately wanting to know the answer. She wanted to understand why other women couldn’t touch him, but she could. His grandmother could. What made them different? What made them special?

These questions followed her to bed, keeping her awake long into the night.

The next morning, Sarah woke up to her phone ringing. She grabbed it sleepily, expecting it to be Zachary.

"Hello?" she said, her voice rough from sleep.

"Sarah! Good morning!" came Silas’s cheerful voice. "I hope I didn’t wake you up."

Sarah sat up in bed, instantly more alert. "Silas! No, it’s fine. What time is it?"

"It’s nine thirty," he said. "I was wondering if you’d like me to pick you up so we can go to the firm together. I have some ideas to share."

"That sounds great," Sarah said, getting out of bed.

"Perfect! Then I can pick you up if you’d like. Just give me your address."

Sarah’s heart stopped. Pick her up? At Mason’s mansion? What if he saw the house? What if he figured out she was married to someone incredibly wealthy? What if he started asking questions about her marriage?

"Oh, um," Sarah said, trying to keep her voice casual. "Actually, you can’t come to my house."

"Why not?" Silas asked, sounding confused.

Sarah’s mind raced. She needed an excuse that wouldn’t make him suspicious.

"It’s... it’s complicated," she said finally.

"Oh," Silas said. "I understand. I won’t push."

Sarah felt guilty for not telling him, but she couldn’t risk him finding out the truth about her marriage. How could she explain that she was married to Mason Liu, one of the most powerful men in the city? How could she explain that their marriage was just a contract?

"Why don’t we meet at Zachary’s firm instead?" Sarah suggested. "I’ll just come straight. No need to come to my house to pick me. My driver is here."

"That’s a great idea," Silas agreed. "What time works for you?"

"How about eleven?" Sarah said.

"Perfect. I’ll see you then."

After they hung up, Sarah sat on her bed, feeling conflicted. She was excited to work with Silas, but she hated having to lie to him. She had always been honest with him when they were children, and it felt wrong to start keeping secrets now.

But what choice did she have? She couldn’t tell him the truth. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

Sarah got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. Mason was already gone, which wasn’t surprising. He left early most mornings, and after their conversation last night, she figured he was probably avoiding her.

As she ate her breakfast, Sarah thought about Mason’s reaction to her question about his sister. There was definitely something he wasn’t telling her. Something about his condition, about why he couldn’t be touched.

She found herself wondering what his sister looked like, what she was like. Did she know about Mason’s problem?

Sarah shook her head, trying to focus on the day ahead. She had more important things to think about than Mason’s mysterious family issues. She had a collaboration to work on, and maybe, just maybe, this was her chance to rebuild her career.

Also, she made a mental note to tell Mason about Silas and also plead with him to keep their marriage a secret until she was ready to tell Silas about it.

She also hoped Silas wouldn’t accidentally come across the news of Mason claiming Sarah as his. Thankfully, she’d slipped her ring off her finger the moment Silas asked her out for lunch yesterday.

It was wrong, but the marriage was fake anyways.

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