The Wrong Fiancée: A Billionaire Second Chance Romance (Marriage by Contract Book 3)
The Wrong Fiancée: Chapter 13

When we stopped at the Ka Pono parking lot, I asked, ‘Can I come in with you?’

She gave me an incredulous look. ‘Why?’

‘So, I can give you a ride back. Maybe stop somewhere to have your bike tire fixed.’

She was taken aback by my offer. ‘Ah…it’s fine. I can⁠—’

‘Please let me help, Elika.’

The please, it appeared, did it. She nodded uneasily. ‘Ah…just fair warning. Noe can be in a bad mood, and then she’s difficult. But please don’t judge her for that.’

I smiled tightly. ‘You’ll be happy to hear, Elika, that I have retired from the business of judging people.’

She smiled softly at that remark, and I felt the grip on my chest loosen.

My father and now mother, because if you told something to one of our parents, the other would know, had both given me a thumping for being disrespectful to a woman. They didn’t care that it happened four years ago, and I was a grown-ass man, too old to be scolded. In any case, like Damian and Emilia said, I deserved it. Yeah, so they knew about Elika as well.

‘I’m surprised Dante didn’t knee you in the balls,’ Damian grunted.

‘Please,’ Emilia scoffed. ‘You said worse things about me.’

He sighed. ‘Come on, Em, you can’t keep going back and digging up the past.’

‘But it’s okay to dig up Dean’s past?’ Emilia asked. ‘He was just a kid then. I forgive you, Dean. Elika, though? I don’t think she ever will—just saying.’

Needless to say, my family ripped me a new one. My oldest brother, Duncan, who I met in Paris on my way to Hong Kong, bless his black heart, didn’t see the problem. His wife, Elsa, refused to make me her passion fruit macaroons as punishment.

Being with my family also made me reflect on Felicity’s behavior. They were surprised to hear of how she behaved with Elika but accepted my excuse that she was being influenced by Ginny, whom my parents disliked intensely.

‘You were traveling?’ Elika asked as the heat of the afternoon sun beat down on my neck, and I followed her into the Ka Pono Rehabilitation Center.

‘Yeah. I was in San Francisco. Stopped in Paris to see my oldest brother and my baby niece. I had a couple of auctions I had to be in Hong Kong.’

‘What a life you live,’ she said simply. There was no judgment or malice in her tone, just awe. ‘It must be so much fun to see all these places.’

When I met her four years ago, she had never left Hawaii. I doubt that had changed. I felt like a thoughtless jerk who was showing off about my world travels to someone who neither had the time nor the funds to go anywhere.

Maybe I could take her, I thought, imagining how wonderful it would be to watch her experience something new with me as we walked through the state-of-the-art facility nestled along Kauai’s coastline. The rehab center was stunning—modern, with sleek lines and open spaces, yet close enough to the ocean that, if you stood still long enough, you could hear the waves crashing. Large windows framed the endless blue horizon, with lush greenery outside and the scent of tropical flowers lingering in the air. It felt peaceful, a far cry from a sterile hospital.

This place must be expensive as fuck, I thought. No wonder Elika had to keep working and live in that dingy hovel while she did.

The nurses all knew Elika. They were all hugs and welcomes. She was well-liked, which was no surprise. I’d seen the same dynamic at the resort. People liked Elika; even though she’d become more withdrawn, her charisma shone through, attracting people to her.

‘How is she today?’ Elika asked the nurse who walked us to Noe’s room.

‘Moody,’ the nurse told her.

‘She got upset when I wasn’t here on time,’ Elika seemed to surmise.

The nurse stopped at the door and put a hand on Elika’s shoulder. ‘Her temperament has nothing to do with you and everything to do with her TBI and her attitude.’

Elika nodded, but I could see she felt guilty. Well, it wasn’t her fault her tire was flat. If I hadn’t driven by in my quest to check out Ka Pono per my father’s request and my desire, she’d still be walking here.

The nurse knocked sharply on the door. ‘Noe, Elika is here.’

I heard a rustle on the other side of the door, and then a female voice said, ‘Okay. You can come in.’

I hadn’t known what to expect when Elika invited me to meet Noe. I had braced myself for a woman broken by tragedy, maybe someone with the same quiet strength as her sister, just hidden beneath layers of bitterness. But the moment we stepped into the room, reality slammed into me, knocking the wind out of my chest.

Noe sat by the window, her wheelchair positioned in a beam of sunlight that cast an almost tranquil glow over the room. But the illusion of serenity shattered the moment Noe’s eyes lifted to meet Elika’s. Her expression tightened, her face hardening like a storm about to break.

‘Finally,’ she snapped, her voice cold, edged with frustration. ‘You’re late.‘

Elika took it in stride. ‘Sorry, Noe. I had a flat on my bike.’

Noe rolled her eyes, her lips curling in disdain. ‘Figures. You can’t even get here on time when I’m trapped here waiting.’

I stood back, watching it all unfold, a sliver of unease sliding up my spine. Theo had told me Noe wasn’t kind to Elika, but seeing it firsthand was jarring.

The nurse sighed. ‘Noe, we talked about this. She comes once a week, and we want to be nice to her.’

‘Aren’t you all nice enough,’ Noe demanded sarcastically. ‘Are you complaining about me to the staff, Elika?’

Elika crouched in front of her sister. ‘I’m sorry for being late.’

The way Noe looked at Elika—it was as if she blamed her for everything. The accident, the fact that Elika could still walk, even for existing. Every word she spoke was a carefully aimed jab. And Elika? She just took it. She apologized softly, explained herself patiently, and carried on as if this was normal, which, judging by the ease of her response, I suspected it was.

Noe’s bitterness was palpable. I’d seen people with entitlement issues before, people who thought they were owed something by life—but this? This was next level. This was deep-rooted pain, lashing out at the one person who was still standing by her.

‘I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Dean Archer. He gave me a ride.’

Noe gave me a once over. ‘Are you sleeping with him?’

‘No,’ I replied immediately. ‘I…I’m engaged to Felicity.’

I knew I’d made a mistake mentioning Fee because Elika closed her eyes, and Noe snarled. ‘You’re spending time with them.’

‘No, she’s not,’ I interjected. ‘I knew Elika in Honolulu years ago.’

Noe didn’t even bother looking at me. I guess since I was connected to them, who I assumed were the Thatchers, I was persona non grata in Noe’s eyes.

‘How about we go to the beach?’ Elika suggested.

‘Why? So, you can rub it in that I can’t feel the sand on my feet?‘

Okay, this was too much. This woman was a bitch and then some. Even though my patience was running thin, Elika remained the epitome of grace.

‘I was thinking you could get into the water today,’ Elika said.

‘Fine,’ Noe snapped. ‘I feel like I’m going to rot in this damn chair.’ Noe was angry, yes, but there was a desperation in her voice that tugged at my heart.

Elika didn’t flinch. She simply nodded. ‘Yeah, let’s get you ready.’

I stepped forward without thinking. ‘I can help.’

Elika looked at me for a moment, and surprise and relief were in her eyes. ‘That would be great, thanks.’

‘I don’t want that bitch’s fiancé with us,’ Noe quipped, not even looking at me.

If it was anyone else, I’d have said don’t dare call my fiancée a bitch, but I didn’t think Noe would care; in fact, I think she may have said it to provoke me.

‘He’s my friend first,’ Elika crooned.

‘Whatever. Just remember, if you sleep with him, Ginny will never let you hear the end of it. She’s still probably going on about how Sam had an affair with Mama. Like our mother would allow that asshole anywhere near her.’

Elika didn’t reply and just got Noe ready for an outing.

We followed the path down to the beach, a gentle slope winding through clusters of vibrant hibiscus, their fragrance blending with the salty tang of the ocean breeze. The scene was postcard-perfect, but I barely noticed it. Noe’s words echoed in my mind, sharp and relentless. She tore into Elika with the kind of bitterness that turned every interaction into a fight. And yet, Elika faced it alone—calm, steady, and endlessly patient, as if she’d long since accepted this as her burden to bear.

I didn’t like Noe. I felt compassion, yes, but it only went so far.

Getting Noe out of the wheelchair and onto the sand wasn’t easy, but Elika handled it with practiced care. She guided Noe’s movements gently, directing her body with calm instructions.

Thankfully, Noe didn’t protest when I stepped in and lifted her carefully, making sure her legs didn’t drag awkwardly. Noe’s body was thin, almost frail, but there was tension in her arms like she was trying to hold on to some invisible lifeline. I felt the weight of her—not just physically, but the heaviness she and Elika had been carrying all these years.

When we finally got her to the water’s edge, Elika kneeled down beside her sister. She took Noe’s hands and guiding them to the cool waves as they lapped at the shore. I stood back, giving them space. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, the ocean calm, stretching out endlessly in front of us. It was peaceful and serene—everything Noe seemed to be missing in her life.

The water reached Noe’s toes, and for a moment, something shifted. The harshness in her face softened, her lips trembling as her eyes filled with tears. It was like the ocean had broken through something in her, cracked open the bitterness she’d been clinging to.

‘I’m sorry,’ Noe whispered, her voice breaking as she stared down at her toes that curled in the water. ‘I’m so sorry for being like this, Eli. I just…I hate this. I hate being like this.’

Elika didn’t hesitate. She wrapped her arms around her sister, holding her tight. ‘I know, Noe,’ she murmured softly. ‘I know. You don’t ever have to apologize to me. We’re family.’

It was one of the most raw, heartbreaking things I’d ever seen. There was no anger, no bitterness, just Elika shouldering her sister’s pain like it was hers to carry, her patience like a quiet force of nature. For a few minutes, they sat together as Noe sobbed quietly in Elika’s arms.

When we got back to Ka Pono, Noe’s familiar scowl had returned. She snapped at Elika about how the sand had gotten in her shoes and how uncomfortable the whole experience had been. It was like nothing had changed, and the harsh words started all over again.

I saw the exhaustion in Elika’s eyes. She was so young when she became Noe’s caretaker. Twenty-two. Barely an adult, suddenly thrust into a role that no one could have prepared for. And four years later she was still doing everything she could for a sister who treated her like the enemy. The patience she had—it was humbling. And it made me realize just how wrong I’d been about her.

I measured people based on their education, their careers, and their place in the world. It wasn’t something I liked to admit, but it was a fact. Elika hadn’t checked all the boxes back then—she wasn’t polished or part of the intellectual circles I ran in. Felicity was. Felicity was the choice that made sense on paper.

But watching Elika with Noe, seeing how she handled herself with grace and strength despite all her challenges, made me realize how shallow I’d been. I spent so long looking for the perfect résumé, the perfect pedigree, when what really mattered was humanity, patience, and compassion.

Elika glanced at me as we made our way back to the car, wiping a tear from her cheek when she thought I wasn’t looking. And for the first time, I saw her for who she really was. Not the girl I’d had a fling with years ago. Not the maid in a resort uniform. But a woman who had more strength and resilience than anyone I knew.

‘Can I ask you an inappropriate question?’ I glanced at her as I drove us back to the resort.

‘Sure. I may not answer, though.’

‘Why do you come to see her every week when she’s…ah….’

‘So difficult?’ she supplied.

‘Yeah.’

Elika didn’t say anything for a long while. I didn’t press her. It had been an emotional morning and afternoon for me, so I could only imagine how draining it was for her. And after I dropped her off, I could go to my bungalow, get a drink, and then go for dinner with my fiancée, while Elika was going to work at the Lava Lua tiki lounge.

‘Noe and I were never close,’ she finally spoke. ‘After our mother passed away, she and Daddy became a unit, and I…wasn’t part of it. They were bitter about how our lives were not as good as Uncle Sam’s. It was toxic at home. Daddy drank and Noe egged him on until he actually found some smarmy lawyer to sue Uncle Sam and contest his father’s will. He took mortgages on the house to pay for the lawyer, and all of it was a waste. The time, the energy, the money. By the time I left home, Noe was running a salon, making good money. Daddy had paid for her to go to hospitality school and….’

She stopped talking all of a sudden, as if tired.

‘But he didn’t pay for your schooling?’

‘There was no money,’ she said softly. ‘I sometimes feel that money is all our lives are about—I have to work so I have enough to pay for Ka Pono, and I had to work so I had enough to pay for school. I will continue to have to work to be able to feed and house myself. It’s like Van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters—all of us hunched over, scraping by, barely getting enough to survive, and no matter how hard we work, it never feels like it’s enough.’

She paused, and I turned to look at her. Her eyes were distant. ‘That’s how it feels sometimes. Like I’m stuck in a painting where there’s no light at the end of the day, just more struggle.’ She sighed. ‘To answer your question, I’m all Noe has, and she’s all the family I have. No matter how she treats me—and I don’t blame her because what happened to her is so unfair—I have to be there for her. She’s my sister. So, even though I’m digging for freaking potatoes all day, every day, if that means Noe can have some semblance of normalcy in her life, then it’s worth it.’

I cleared my throat as we got closer to the resort. I didn’t want to fuck up what I wanted to say. ‘I have a lot of…ah…money.’

She laughed without humor. ‘Yeah, I found out when I researched you after you left that thousand dollars for me, like I was a hooker. I wanted to find a way to send it back to you. But I couldn’t even do that. Daddy’s accident happened shortly after, and I needed that money. So…maybe you were right. My going rate was a thousand dollars and a few dinners for two weeks of fucking.’

‘Elika,’ I choked her name out. ‘It wasn’t like that.’

‘Please, Dean, don’t sugarcoat it. You left money with a note saying you enjoyed my company. You cannot be so dense as to not see what you were saying to me.’

Yes, I was…am that dense. But I knew she wouldn’t believe me.

‘I want to help you with your sister.’

‘You did help today,’ she murmured. ‘You helped carry her. Thank you. Touching the ocean and the sand made her happy.’

I knew I’d piss her off, but I had this need to take care of her. ‘I can pay for her rehab, Elika.’

‘Of course, you can. You’re rich, but you may not because she’s my sister, and I can take care of her.’ I stopped the car in front of her cottage. She put a hand on mine, which was resting on the steering wheel. I turned to look at her. ‘It’s not pride, Dean. I can’t get used to other people doing things for me, because when that stops, it’s going to be harder for me to pull myself up.’

‘It won’t stop,’ I assured her.

‘Really? I’m assuming Felicity doesn’t know that you and I had a fling, does she?’

I shook my head.

‘Say you help me financially, and I…I go back to school. Then Felicity finds out about us, she’s going to think we still have something going on because you’re paying for Noe’s treatment. She’s going to ask you to stop it to prove you’re faithful to her, which you will because she’s your wife and your priority. Then I have to drop out again and find employment…start all over again.’ She dropped her hand onto her lap. ‘I appreciate your wanting to help me. I do. I just can’t be dependent on you or anyone else. Like I said, Noe only has me, and I only have her. There is absolutely no one in this whole wide world who she can rely on but me. It’s a risk I simply cannot take.’

She made perfect sense, and the way she spoke coolly, calmly, and logically was a slap in my face. She was rejecting my help because she didn’t trust me and why should she? I’d called her a good lay and then made her feel like a whore.

‘I’m sorry for what I said to Dante, what you overheard. I really enjoyed your….’ I stopped talking because I was putting my foot in it by saying I enjoyed her company, the same words I’d written on the note I’d left her money with.

‘I forgive you,’ she said simply, without any hesitation.

I believed her.

She got out of my car, and I helped get her bicycle out. ‘How will you get this fixed?’

‘I have stuff,’ she told me.

‘Can I help?’

She shook her head sadly. ‘You’ve done enough, Dean, and I mean that in a positive way. Go back to your fiancée and your life, and stop hanging out with the help. Felicity finds out you gave me a ride today and saw Noe, there will be hell to pay for you and me. I need this job.’

Once again, she made me realize how selfish I was. Every time I defended her, Ginny and Felicity only worked harder to make her life miserable.

Was this who I wanted to marry? Someone who preyed on the vulnerable? Not that Elika was weak, but she was in a subservient position all the same.

I watched Elika in my rearview mirror, checking her bicycle tire as I drove off. I’d thought she wasn’t my equal, but I was starting to realize that her intellect and courage were far superior to mine.