He Married Me for the Heart Inside My Chest Chapter 07

He Married Me for the Heart Inside My Chest Chapter 07

“Lila, Silas Hale’s outside your office building.” 

Wren Carter’s message popped up during my first week at the new job. 

I set down my papers and walked to the window. 

to look down. 

His car was parked across the street. He leaned against the door, staring at his phone. 

“How’d he find out where I work?” 

“No clue. Maybe he looked up your records.” 

I pulled the blinds shut and went back to my desk. 

A coworker leaned over. “Ms. Voss, that hot guy downstairs–here for you? He’s been standing there forever.” 

“I don’t know him.” 

“For real? He keeps staring up at our floor.” 

I ignored her and went back to on my screen. 

After work, I left through the back door. 

I walked two blocks, made sure no one followed, then hailed a taxi. 

Wren was cooking when I got home. 

“Lost him?” 

“Yeah.” 

“He’ll be back tomorrow.” 

“I know.” 

Sure enough, he showed up again the next day. 

And the day after that. 

On the fourth day, he changed spots, standing by 

the coffee shop across from the office. 

He held a bouquet of flowers. 

Not white roses. 

Sunflowers. 

I stared at the sunflowers for a few seconds. 

Sunflowers were my favorite. 

I’d never told him that. 

But I’d posted a photo on my Instagram feed once, 

sunflowers by the road, captioned “Favorite 

flower.” 

That post was two years old. Only three people 

liked it. 

He wasn’t one of them. 

So he’d gone through my Instagram. 

Only now starting to get to know me. 

Funny, right? 

Three years of marriage, and he’s just learning who his wife is. 

I looked away and went back to work. 

At lunch, my phone rang. 

An unknown number. 

I answered. Silas’s voice came through. 

“Don’t hang up.” 

I didn’t hang up. I didn’t say anything. 

“Lila, I’ve thought a lot these past few days. You were right. Before… I really couldn’t tell.” 

“Couldn’t tell what?” 

“How much of my feelings for you were because 

of the heart.” 

I tightened my grip on the phone. 

“But I can tell now.” 

“Oh? How?” 

“Since you left, I haven’t slept a single night. Not 

because I can’t hear a heartbeat. Because you’re 

not here.” 

“Silas, are you sure it’s not just habit?” 

“It’s not habit.” His voice dropped. “I went to Elowen’s grave. Sat there all night. All I thought about was you.” 

“Thought about what?” 

“The way you collapse on the couch exhausted 

after overtime. The way you cling to my sleeve 

during horror movies. The way you bite your straw when you’re mad.” 

I closed my eyes. 

“Elowen never did any of those things,” he said. “They’re yours. Only yours.” 

“Then why did it take you three years to figure it out?” 

Silence stretched on the other end. 

“Because I’m an asshole.” 

I didn’t argue. 

“Lila, give me a chance.” 

“I gave you over a thousand days of chances.” 

“Then give me one last one.” 

“Silas, do you know what hurt me the most?” 

“…What?” 

“It wasn’t that you approached me because of the 

heart. It was that you didn’t love me, but played 

the loving husband for three years. Made me think 

I was loved.” 

“I wasn’t playing…” 

“You never remembered a single thing about me. All your softness was for her. You even fell asleep 

in our bed counting her heartbeat.” 

“If that’s not acting, what is it?” 

He didn’t answer. 

I hung up and blocked the number too.