Husband With Benefits-Chapter 885: Surprise

Arabelle rolled her eyes and opened the envelope, pulling out the contents carefully. On top was the marriage certificate. She stared at it for a moment, the weight of what she had just done sinking in a little deeper. She was married and pregnant. And now, she felt lightheaded and ready to faint. She’d jumped too deep into this well.

Beneath the certificate were a few printed photos from their earlier session. She flipped through them absently until one caught her eye. It was candid—unposed and unexpected. She was laughing as she stared up at Rafe with her head turned. She looked... almost like a woman in love. And beside her, Rafe was looking at her, his expression unguarded and filled with a warmth that made her heart skip a beat. It reminded her of the many pictures of Autumn and Gabe that she had grown up surrounded with.

She stared at the picture for a moment, her thumb brushing over the glossy surface. The world around her seemed to fade, leaving only that captured moment. Could they really turn out to be like Gabe and Autumn. She doubted that but a bit of hope made her feel warm.

"Found something interesting?" Rafe’s voice broke through her thoughts as he turned to look at her.

Arabelle blinked, quickly tucking the photo back into the envelope as if it were something shameful. "Just... surprised they managed to get decent shots of us," she said,

"It is good that you think the pictures are decent. A memory of our first day as husband and wife should at least be ’DECENT,’ my dear wife," Rafe replied smoothly, his grin returning.

Arabelle’s lips quirked into a small smile despite herself. "You’re impossible."

"And you’re stuck with me now," he replied smoothly, his grin returning.

She shook her head, turning her attention back to the window, but her thoughts lingered on that photo—the way he had looked at her, the way it made her feel. For a moment, the world outside blurred, and she allowed herself to wonder if this marriage, unexpected and unconventional as it was, might turn out to be something more than she had anticipated. But then, as quickly as the thought came, she buried it. She was being foolish. The day the truth was revealed, Rafe would push away from her faster than if she had poison ivy wrapped around her.

"So, we’re going for more photographs now?"

Rafe sighed and shook his head as his driver soon reached a hotel. And then he didn’t need to answer because standing right there were people she had not expected to see.

She turned her head sharply to glare at Rafe who quickly shook his head,"I swear on all my ancestors and future generations. This is not my doing. You can blame Dora and Cai."

Even though one might think that she was unhappy with the arrival of the visitors, the truth was that she was overwhelmed and happy. Happy to have them here on this day when her life would change forever... officially.

The car had barely stopped when she quickly ran over and threw herself into the arms of the man who was more of her father than a brother-in-law. "Gabe."

Gabe caught her in a tight hug as he patted her head and then sighed. Just that was enought to make her feel like crying and Arabelle was about to do just that when Autumn poked them," Hey! You sister stealer, husband! Let go and let me hug my sister too."

Arabelle chuckled at that and mimicking Autumn poked Gabe’s other shoulder," You are a sister stealer. You stole my Autumn from me first."

"Hey! Thats pot calling the kettle black. It is clear that you two stole me from my brothers." Gabe grinned and the three of them laughed at the old joke.

The laughter quickly turned into a few tears and Arabelle hurriedly leaned into Gabe’s shoulder, letting his shirt soak her tears. After a few moments, Gabe broke the silence with a playful huff. "Alright, enough of this crying. I’m not exactly a large tissue, you know," he said, his voice light, though his eyes were a little misty.

Rafe cleared his throat awkwardly, stepping forward at last. This wasn’t the reunion he had envisioned between Gabe Frost and Arabelle. He had always thought Arabelle would maintain a more stoic demeanor, yet here she was, running toward someone with the open vulnerability of a child seeking comfort.

In the next breath, Rafe wondered if the smile he had seen on Gabe’s face was real or merely his imagination, for now, the man was staring at him as though Rafe were the scum of the earth. Slowly, Rafe extended his hand, keeping his expression neutral. "Welcome to Petrovia, Mr. Frost. It’s an honor to have you here."

Gabe’s gaze lingered on Rafe’s hand for a moment, and Rafe braced himself for the possibility that he would refuse the handshake. But after a pause, Gabe clasped his hand firmly, nodding with a hint of respect. "Thank you, Prince Rafael. It’s good to see you... even under these circumstances."

The two men exchanged a brief glance, an unspoken understanding passing between them. In that moment, Rafe knew that more than a cordial handshake had just taken place. He had been warned by Gabe, and soon, he would face an inquisition. He just hoped he was prepared for it.

Thankfully, Autumn seemed to sense the tension and stepped forward quickly, wrapping her arms around Rafe. "Welcome to the family, Rafe. I hope you can survive this. Also, in the future, no handshakes. We are all quite casual here."

Rafe returned the hug cautiously, allowing himself a small smile. "Noted," he said softly, relieved for the distraction. "No handshakes."

Finally, the four of them walked into the large hotel where Arabelle was in for another surprise. Shemight have managed to keep their ’marriage’ small, but no one was going to stop the Frost from coming out to support her.