THE WIFE YOU LEFT

AVERY'S POV:Today was the day. The day everything I’d sacrificed for—three years of isolation, shame, and clinging to hope—would finally be worth it. Today, Chase and I will be together again. I’d imagined it a thousand times, practically willed it into existence. He’d be there waiting, holding roses, his face soft and full of the love I’d convinced myself still lived beneath the hurt and resentment. It had to be there. He would be my reward for enduring it all.The warden’s voice cut through the waiting room. “Mrs. Avery Grayson!” Her voice loudly pulled me back from my daze. “That’s me,” I blurted, jumping to my feet, my heart doing a little twirl dance. Today was the day I left behind everything—the concrete walls, the metal bars, the fluorescent lights, and that dull ache that had taken residence in my bones. I’d already showered, fixed my hair, and even put on a little makeup that one of the guards had snuck me. I wanted to look perfect. He’d appreciate the effort; he’d see tha

AXEL’S POV:Business was good—no, it was flawless. My name alone struck fear wherever it was spoken, and respect was a currency I never ran short of. In every boardroom, back alley, and underground circuit, I was Axel Blackwood: a god among men, ruthless and unyielding. Just the way I liked it.But there was still an itch I couldn’t scratch. The kind that sank deep, an ache gnawing at my insides every time I closed my eyes. Revenge. I’d returned to finish what had started years ago, blood debts left unpaid. I was patient, though. I’d learned to savor it—blood, sweat, and tears from everyone who’d ever dared to cross me.Yet, today, the taste of satisfaction had dulled. I’d spent most of my day distracted, my focus slipping. Sea, my six-year-old daughter, had seemed out of sorts, her usual bright chatter dimmed. She’d stood in the doorway of my office, pouting in that way only she could.“Daddy, you’re always working,” she said, her voice tiny and cracked. “I need someone who can actua

AXEL’S POV:I leaned back in my office chair, rubbing the part of my chest that still ached like a damn knife wound. No one knew the truth I was harboring along with a dozen other secrets: I was dying. Slowly, and it felt as brutal as anything I’d ever inflicted on my enemies. The doctors broke it to me two months ago—an inexplicable hole in my heart, they said. "Six months left, if you're lucky." Nature, or fate, or karma—whatever it was—finally decided to catch up.It was right after I’d taken care of a bastard and his entire family who’d tried sabotaging one of my shipments. I didn’t feel a damn thing as I strangled him, then ordered my men to take out every breathing thing in his house. There’s no other way to be clear: you cross me, you die. He knew the stakes when he made his choice. Still, something about him and his family felt… strange.But there was no time for questions now, especially with the ticking clock in my chest. It’s what pushed me to find Sea someone to leave her

AVERY'S POV:Sea's small voice, full of vulnerability, tugged at memories I hadn’t let myself touch in years. Hearing her admit she was afraid of the dark was like looking in a mirror back to my own childhood. I remembered lying in bed, hiding under covers, watching shadows stretch across the walls, and waiting for the sound of my father’s footsteps. He’d read me a story every night, staying until I drifted off. If he left even a second too soon, I’d call out for him, sure that the monsters would sneak in the moment he was gone.I glanced down at Sea, curled up tightly, hugging her teddy bear. Her eyes peeked over its fuzzy head, watching me warily, not trusting but not sending me away either. Slowly, I stepped closer to her bed and lowered myself down, one hand gently resting on her back. Her shoulders were stiff, defensive, but she didn’t pull away.My eyes locked onto the phone nestled next to her pillow, and I knew I had to act. I paused for a moment, collecting my thoughts.“Woul