The Billionaire Accidental Bride

## Chapter 3: Web of Lies

### Natalie’s POV

"Who is this girl?" she asked, stepping slowly toward me. Each click of her designer heels on the cold tile sounded like a judge hammering a gavel.

My heart hammered against my ribs like a caged bird. *God, I thought this would be simple.* I thought keeping up a little lie to save myself from ruin would be easy—a temporary fix until he remembered. I didn't realize how suffocating, how utterly agonizing it would be to pretend to be in love with a man who had no idea who I really was.

"She’s my fiancée, Mom," Gavin answered smoothly, his deep, gravelly voice cutting through the tension.

His mother stopped in her tracks, her sharp eyes widening before softening with a mixture of disbelief and sudden warmth. She scanned my plain clothes, my trembling hands, and my tear-stained face. "So... *you're* the one he’s been keeping hidden? The reason he hasn't brought anyone home to meet me?"

"N-No, ma'am... it's not like that," I stammered, shrinking under her intense gaze.

"And yet, here you are, staying by his side, taking care of him when he needs it most," she noted, taking my hands into her manicured ones. The gentle warmth of her palms felt like a burning iron against my guilty skin. "You don't have to call me 'ma'am,' my dear. You can call me Mom."

"O-Okay... Mom," I whispered, the word tasting like ash in my mouth.

"I'm going to find his doctor and make sure he gets the best post-op care possible," she said, squeezing my hands before walking toward the door. "I have a flight back home tonight, so I'm trusting you to look after my boy."

The heavy door clicked shut behind her, leaving us in a heavy, suffocating silence.

Gavin turned his head on the pillow, his dark, piercing eyes locking onto mine. A tiny, amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Why are you so nervous? You look utterly terrified."

"I-I am not nervous. Or shy... sir," I choked out, taking a step backward.

His eyebrows pulled together, a flicker of confusion crossing his sculpted face. "Why are you calling me 'sir'?"

"It's... nothing," I blurted out quickly, crossing my arms to hide my trembling hands. "I'm just tired. I'm not nervous at all."

He let out a low, amused chuckle. "If you say so."

"I... I need to excuse myself for a moment," I squeaked, practically bolting out of the room before he could press any further.

The moment I stepped out into the crisp evening air, I practically threw myself into the driver's seat of my car. I gasped for air, clutching my steering wheel as a tidal wave of sweet relief and dark thrill washed over me. I couldn't believe it. Against all odds, against every rational thought in my head... *I was his girlfriend.*

A wicked, desperate hope flared up in my chest. I liked him so much. I had pined for him from afar for so long, and now fate had dropped him right into my hands. He was so impossibly handsome, carrying his mother's regal grace and breathtaking features. I caught myself smiling like a fool—I would do *anything* to keep him from remembering. Anything to stay in this dream.

Determined to clear my head, I drove straight over to my childhood best friends' house. Golden and Silver were brother and sister, the only two people in the world who truly knew me.

"You did *what?!*" Silver shrieked, bouncing on the sofa the moment I finished laying out the entire chaotic story. "Natalie! This is your chance! God literally handed you your dream man on a silver platter!"

"Silver, stop it, she hit him with her car!" Golden snapped, standing near the window with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. His storm-cloud eyes locked onto mine, filled with deep concern and something unreadable... something heavy. "Natalie, this is dangerous. You are building a house of cards on a foundation of lies. When he gets his memory back—"

"He *won't*," Silver interrupted sharply, throwing a pillow at her brother. "The doctor said it's temporary, but if Natalie plays her cards right, he'll fall in love with her for real! Don't listen to him, Nat. You shouldn't be afraid. Just keep acting like his loving fiancée."

I looked between the two of them—Silver’s ecstatic encouragement and Golden’s grim, quiet resentment. I could see the sharp disapproval burning in Golden’s eyes, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. I was already too deep in the fire.

"I have to go discharge him," I whispered, standing up. "Wish me luck."

"Don't do this, Nat," Golden said quietly as I reached the door, his voice laced with a subtle heartbreak.

I ignored him, waving a quick goodbye, and drove back to the hospital.

An hour later, the paperwork was signed. I packed Gavin’s designer clothes into a duffel bag while he called his private driver.

A sleek, midnight-black SUV pulled up to the hospital entrance. The driver stepped out, bowing respectfully as he held the rear door open. We slid into the plush leather seats, and the vehicle glided silently through the city streets toward his private estate.

When we pulled through the massive iron gates, my breath caught in my throat. Armed guards in sharp suits lined the sweeping driveway, instantly bowing their heads as the car rolled past. I caught a few of them shooting darting, curious glances at me through the tinted glass—*Who is this girl with the boss?*—but none of them dared to ask out loud.

The driver parked in front of a sprawling, architectural mansion. One of the guards swiftly opened the door, and I offered Gavin my arm, helping him brace his weight as we walked inside.

The grand foyer was jaw-dropping. Soaring ceilings, crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and art that belonged in a museum.

"Your house... it's so beautiful," I murmured under my breath, my eyes wide as I drank in the sheer luxury of his world.

Gavin stopped in his tracks. He turned his head slowly, his dark eyes locking onto mine with a sharp, unsettling focus.

"Have you... never been here before?" he asked softly.