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CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: THE NEGOTIATION.
Last Updated:
2025-02-07 23:19:57
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THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: DEAD GIRL.
AXEL’S POV I DIDN’T WANT to discuss this in front of Avery. Her ears might be sharper than I gave her credit for, and I wasn’t about to give her free ammunition against me. Leading Ryan outside, I stopped just past the doorway, shutting it behind us. “Break the news to me,” I ordered, my patience hanging by a thread. Ryan hesitated, which immediately put me on edge. He wasn’t the type to stall unless the situation was beyond repair. “I halted the delivery,” he started. “The trucks offloaded as usual—four total, all taking separate routes. But the one using the Cold Wing route was intercepted by the DEA.” I exhaled sharply. “Okay?” The Cold Wing and Blue Fox routes were my easiest to maneuver. We’d given them those names to keep them separate from the actual transport paths. If a shipment got caught, I always had contingencies. Ryan didn’t react to my casual response. His body became rigid instead. "It wasn't just the materials that were apprehended," he said grimly. "Th
Last Updated : 2025-02-08THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: THE LAST SINNER.
AXEL’S POV: The moment my feet crossed the threshold, he began to shiver. A pitiful sight—pale, sweat-slicked skin clinging to brittle bones, his breathing uneven, like a man already teetering on the edge of the grave. The scent of rot clung to him, thick and sour, mixing with the iron tang of old blood that coated the dungeon walls. I walked toward him, slow and deliberate, like death itself had taken human form and decided to grant him a personal visit. Because, in many ways, that’s exactly what I was offering him. A final absolution. A reckoning long overdue. He whimpered, his wide eye darting between me and the door as if he still believed in the possibility of escape. "Please, don't hurt me," he begged, his voice cracking. "Forgive me. I'll do anything you ask me to do." They always did this—pleading, bargaining, desperate to claw their way out of damnation. But forgiveness wasn’t mine to give. And mercy? Mercy was a privilege reserved for men who still had something worth
Last Updated : 2025-02-08THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR: THE DNA.
AVERY’S POV: I had always prided myself on being a woman of will and persistence. A survivor. But the moment Axel Blackwood stepped into the room, covered in splashes of blood, his pupils blown so wide they swallowed the light, I felt my resolve wither. He looked like something out of a nightmare. His white shirt was ruined, stained in dark patches, and his hands—God, his hands were dripping with it. I didn’t want to know whose blood it was. Bile surged up my throat, and I had to swallow hard to keep it down. Still, I forced myself to stand, my movements stiff and unsteady. His presence had always been oppressive, but now? Now, it was deadly. "Avery, you will make that appearance tomorrow," Axel said, his voice eerily calm, as if he hadn’t just returned from whatever act of horror he’d committed. "You will act like my trophy wife at several events tomorrow. The priority, however, is for you to make a statement with your appearance." I stared at him, stunned by the audacity.
Last Updated : 2025-02-08THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: TROPHY WIFE.
AXEL’S POV: I never planned to show Avery the envelope. Never intended to let her see what was inside. It was supposed to be leverage, a weapon I could use when the time was right. But she had this way of getting under my skin, of unearthing something within me that even I couldn’t fully understand. Her defiance mirrored my own. Instead of subduing her, I had ignited an unquenchable fire. I had done my research. I always did. I knew everything I needed to about the people I allowed in my orbit. And yet, despite knowing what I knew, I hadn't planned to share any of it with her. It was supposed to remain tucked away, a tool to use when necessary. But I had shown her anyway. And seeing her reaction, watching the way she processed it, unsettled me. The way her expression had cracked—not just with pain, but with something deeper—had stirred something in me. Something I didn't like. Maybe she had seen that flicker of hesitation in me. Maybe she had sensed it. That pissed me off more
Last Updated : 2025-02-09THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: THE BOY WHO CRIED.
AVERY'S POV:"Good job, wifey," Axel murmured against my ear as we stepped out of the elevator. "You're a fine actress." His voice was mischievous—almost like he was testing me, waiting to see if I’d break character now that we were alone. But I held my ground, even as the heat of his breath on my skin ignited an involuntary fire within my core. The last few hours had been a whirlwind. From the moment I sat in the makeup chair, watching the artist transform me into a woman I barely recognized, to the second I stepped into Axel’s office, my heels clicking against the polished marble, every moment had felt surreal. The office itself was a show to the kind of wealth that made people listen before they even knew your name. But it wasn’t the decor that had shaken me. It was him. Axel Blackwood, standing close, his presence consuming every ounce of air between us. His touch, brief yet electric, sent an embarrassing rush through me. It was maddening. How could my body react to him when
Last Updated : 2025-02-09THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: LETTING THE MASK SLIP.
AVERY’S POV:At some point, I found myself joining in. Maybe it was the way the kids smiled at me, or maybe I just wanted—needed—a distraction from my own thoughts. Either way, I found myself playing hide-and-seek with a little girl in a lavender hospital gown, her giggles echoing through the halls. Then, pain shot through my feet. I winced, the nude Louboutins digging into my toes from standing too long. Before I could even think about taking them off, Devon appeared at my side, holding a small designer bag. I recalled the brief exchange I'd overheard earlier. Ryan's voice had carried across the room, "Devon, get the last set of gift boxes." The name had stuck in my mind, and now I mentally paired it with the face of the guard who stood before me - Devon. "Here," he said, his voice gruff but not unkind. "Boss sent me to get these." I frowned, taking the bag. Inside was a pair of flat designer slippers. I looked up, my gaze instinctively seeking Axel. He was still surround
Last Updated : 2025-02-09THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: IN AND OUT.
AXEL’S POV:There was something about Avery that made me want to take her everywhere. Maybe it was the way she carried herself tonight—poised, effortless. She played the role of my wife so seamlessly that I almost forgot it was a performance. She didn’t just stand beside me like a fragile accessory; she engaged in intelligent conversations, entertained every guest who approached us, and, most importantly, understood when to speak and when to let silence be her strength. She didn’t pry. She didn’t overdo it. And for that alone, I planned to reward her. I despised these gatherings. They were breeding grounds for hypocrisy, a room full of people who smiled with one hand extended in friendship while sharpening their knives with the other. But I couldn’t avoid this one. Not when it was personal. The cancer research gala wasn’t just another event on my calendar—it was something I had built from the ground up. A program I had started in honor of my mother before her life was cut sh
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AXEL’S POV:"Yes, I did," I answered Ryan nonchalantly. Baron grinned, stepping closer to Ryan with his arms wide, either for a handshake or a hug—I wasn’t sure which. Whatever it was, Ryan wasn’t having it. He took a step back, arms crossed, expression blank. Baron clicked his tongue. "Still stiff and unwelcoming as always," he joked. Then, without missing a beat, he turned to me, his usual grin in place. "Thank you for having me back, boss." I nodded. "You're welcome." Truth be told, it was good to have Baron back. Maybe he’d shake Ryan up a little. Ryan saw him as a challenge, and that was exactly what he needed. He was growing too... predictable. Baron was my third-in-command, the complete opposite of Ryan. Where Ryan was cold and disciplined, Baron was dangerous in a different way—rational, brutal, but somehow, annoyingly charismatic. He made friends easily, never raised suspicion, and had a charm that worked on both children and women alike. A deadly combination. "Ryan
Last Updated : 2025-02-11
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THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER EIGHTY: NEEDY DESIRE.
AVERY'S POV:There was always more to Axel Blackwood. He was a maze of secrets, each one more shocking than the last. But this? This was the mother of them all. Laurent was his father. Chase, his stepbrother and Zora, the witch, his stepmother. Which meant Axel was the true firstborn. The rightful heir to everything Chase thought belonged to him. I wanted to confront him. Badly. And for once, I felt like I actually could. Probably because I was three bottles deep into a very fine wine. Maybe four. My head was fuzzy, my limbs light, and my courage… well, let’s just say it was making some very questionable choices. Ryan didn’t seem to care. He stood in the corner, arms crossed, his gloved hands tucked beneath his sleeves as he watched me with his usual unreadable expression. He had long since stopped trying to take the glass away from me. "Let's go," Axel’s voice disrupted my thinking.I barely had time to blink before Devon was at my side, steadying me before I could make a compl
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEAD.
AXEL’S POV:I turned slowly, my eyes narrowing with sorrow and steely determination. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention—the missing piece. Laurent is my father. And Zora... she was the one who orchestrated the plan to have both my mother and me killed."Memories rushed back in, reminding me why I became a kid who grew into an adult haunted by nightmares. "he tailed my mother and me until she found us. Zora paid a truck driver to crash into our lives. She's the reason I lost my eyes. They made it look like an accident, covering up her ways."I detailed everything that happened on my birthday to him. "I survived, but my mother wasn't so lucky. Everyone was against us – my mother was just a low-class maid, and Zora came from a family that was meant to rule. But once I got my resources and money, I dug up all these details and vowed to take down every one of them."Ryan's chest rose and fell with a slow, deliberate breath. His voice was barely above a whisper when he finally spoke as if he w
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT: THE FATHER WHO NEVER WAS.
AXEL’S POV:Ryan was there to bitch around.Typical. Yes, I trusted him—hell, he was my second in command. But there were lines, boundaries between what I carried alone and what I shared. Some things rotted better inside me. But lately, keeping him in the dark felt less like protection and more like betrayal. If I shut him out again, I wouldn’t just be undermining his position. I’d be spitting on our friendship.Before he could even part his lips, I cut in. "I know you're about to ask what the hell is going on." Leaning against the wall, arms crossed tight over his chest, Ryan narrowed his eyes like he was staring down a puzzle missing half its pieces. "That's right. Make it make sense, Axel. Why the obsession with the Grayson empire? Why put her in charge? And why the hell risk exposing our intel like that? You know better. Now we’re a damn target." I turned away, walking to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Afternoon sunlight poured through, casting long shadows across the floo
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN: SERVING JUSTICE.
The enmity between us was thick enough to choke on—and I could feel every single eye in the room pinned on our collision. My voice cut through the tension like a razor. "You're not my mother. As a matter of fact, I don’t think you’re even a mother. Which mother sleeps with her son-in-law?" My words thundered over the murmurs. "I should've known something was awry all those times you and that radical went on 'business trips.' They were nothing but excuses—a time and place for your adultery. You deserve to be skinned alive and tossed into a hole with the wolves. You’re a filthy whore." Before her venom could settle, she spat back, voice dripping with rage, "Just because some man is in your life, you think you're untouchable? Avery, I'll destroy you." Her threat barely had time to echo when a deep, authoritative voice interceded. "At least you got one thing right—she’s untouchable." I turned slowly toward the source, and there stood Axel. His eyes burned with fury, and his
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX: CUTTING TIES.
AVERY’S POV: As I stepped away from the murmuring crowd, the soft click of my sunglasses slipping into place was like a switch, switching off voices and opinions that threatened to consume me. The opulent room, with its lavish furnishings and subtle scent of old money, seemed to fade into the background as my mind began to reel. The question that had been bothering me finally boiled to the surface: why was Axel, the puppeteer, pulling the strings with such leniency? Oh my god, it was like he was setting me up or something! Axel had always been a master manipulator, but this was on a whole different level. He had basically handed me the keys to Grayson, a company he had funneled millions into. It was just... too easy. Axel wasn't exactly known for his altruism. He was enjoying this particular drama. There had to be a catch, right? But what if I had just been paranoid? What if he had really wanted to keep to his words. Ugh, my head had spun just thinking about it. I felt like a pawn
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE: POWER LOOKS GOOD ON HER.
AXEL'S POV:The more I tried to run from this little, 4-foot-8-inch woman, the more she dragged me in. Trapped me. Like gravity itself had shifted and Avery was now the center of it all. I've sat at tables with men who built empires and women who could make nations bend. But none of them ever made me pause. None of them ever made me watch the way Avery did. Tonight, power looked good on her. Too good. The way she stood behind that podium, shoulders square, chin tilted slightly upward as if daring the room to challenge her—God, it was magnetic. The chandeliers above across the room couldn’t outshine her. Arms folded across my chest, I observed her every move with rapt attention. She exuded power—elegant yet unyielding—and it was as if the entire room had shrunk in comparison to her presence.A grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. I already knew she was going to turn this room inside out. And when she greeted Chase with, “Hello, ex-husband,”—just like that, I knew the game w
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR: QUICKER THAN EXPECTED.
AVERY'S POV:I couldn’t keep still. Every nerve in my body vibrated, adrenaline pulsing under my skin. My heart pounded so loudly it practically echoed in the back of the limousine. I kept telling myself to calm down, but that was impossible. This was it. All night, I’d gone over the documents Axel left for me. I read every word. Every clause. Every line that spelled out the downfall of my enemies especially Chase. And by morning, my decision was easy. Now, dressed in the designer outfit Axel had picked out, with diamonds on my wrist and revenge in my heart, I knew exactly how today would end—no matter what the headlines said. Because the headlines... God, the headlines were a joke. "Grayson Empire Bounces Back!""Astrid Grayson Saves Husband from Ruin!""Power Couple of the Year!" I nearly rolled my eyes. We pulled up to Grayson Empire’s headquarters. The press swarmed the front entrance. Cameras flashed nonstop. Reporters barked out questions as if Chase was some war he
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE: OVERPROTECTIVE.
AXEL’S POV: Sea would one day ask for my already dying heart, and I wouldn't hesitate to give it to her. First, she asked for a baby brother or sister while we cooked yesterday. And today, just as I settled into my home office to review the documents from my lawyers concerning the Grayson empire—my gift to Avery—Sea walked in with her usual sunshine. After wrapping her little arms around me in greeting, she made her requests. “Daddy, let’s have a family day today. I want to spend time with you and Avery. Also… I don’t like being far from Avery. I need to be close to her,” she said, pouting slightly. “Could you get her to move closer to us? Maybe into the empty room next to ours?” It was impossible to deny her. So here I was, already dressed and heading out to meet them by the car. The shock on Avery’s face when she spotted me was satisfying. No one had expected me to tag along, and I kept our security detail minimal—Devon, Baron, and five others. I didn’t want Sea to feel o
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO: THE SURPRISE.
AVERY'S POV:I lay on my bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling, trying to make sense of it all. My throat still ached from Axel’s grip, the phantom sensation lingering like a cruel reminder. But the pain wasn’t just physical. It was in the way he’d looked at me—as if I had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed. I had taken this too far. Letting myself get comfortable in a world that wasn’t mine. I should have known better than to call Sea my daughter, even as a joke. Even as something that felt natural in the moment. But it wasn’t natural. None of this was. The flour fight, the laughter, the warmth of sitting at the dinner table like a family—it had all been an illusion. And I had let myself sink into it too easily. Like a fool. Axel wasn’t the kind of man who softened, and I had been stupid to forget that. I’d let his presence seep into my thoughts, let the accidental brushes of his touch unsettle me. And for what? A fleeting warmth that was never meant for me? For
