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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-TWO: WATCHING MY WORLD BURN.
Last Updated:
2025-04-11 16:48:08
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THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-THREE: THE GHOST OF SEA.
AXEL’S POV:They’d tried everything—brute force, starvation, isolation, pain crafted like art. The cell was a tomb of suffering, damp with mildew and crusted in dried blood. The stench of decay hung heavy—rust, filth. Heavy iron bars sealed me in, bolted to concrete walls that mocked the idea of escape. My legs were shackled to the wall, the cold bite of metal rubbing flesh down to bone. I’d long stopped counting the days. Time had dissolved into the ache of simply existing.Despite the countless stabs with dull knives, the burning, the electrocutions—none of it had shattered my mind. I had shut down the reception of pain deep within my brain. I was numb, built of stone.The game shifted from physical to psychological torture. They had tried every brutal trick to break me, mutilating those who had once followed me that they could find in my presence. The cell’s roof was open, allowing the scorching sun to beat down mercilessly by day, and the rain to lash against my bruised flesh b
Last Updated : 2025-04-12THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-FOUR: IT WAS NEVER RYAN.
AXEL’S POV:"Not only did I think you were stupid," I began, the taste of blood already pooling at the edge of my tongue, "you're archaic." I kept my eye away from Vaughan. "What’s this? The 1980s?""Seal his mouth. We're about to start filming," he snapped without missing a beat.They pushed me to my knees, the cold bite of concrete pressing into my skin. My hands were tied behind me, and my neck was bared like an offering. An execution. The kind you only read about or see in cartel footage—until it's your turn."Axel, let me tell you before I end you," Vaughan sneered, circling me like a wolf. "You were powerful. But you were also blinded—by pride, by selfishness. You were so easy to manipulate. Infiltrating your organization? Child’s play. Turning you against your second-in-command? A masterpiece."My jaw tightened. What was he driving at?"It was never Ryan, Axel." He crouched down to my level, voice low like a lullaby laced with poison. "This entire game was engineered to divide
Last Updated : 2025-04-12THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-FIVE: COULD ONLY BE ONE MAN.
AXEL’S POV:When thoughts went to the people that mattered in life, I tried to brace myself for that clean slice that would end it all. Or worse—he might do it messy, on purpose. Just to draw it out. Just to hear me scream.My mind found my mother first. I hoped she was in a better place, waiting for me, arms open. Maybe death wasn’t an end. Maybe it was our reunion. And maybe, just maybe, I'd recognize my father too. But guilt didn't let me rest there. It crawled up my throat, settled in my chest. Laurent. I should’ve made time for him. I should’ve asked questions, cared more, listened better. And what about the others—the lives I took? Would they be waiting on the other side too, not with open arms, but fists and rage?"Forgive me, Sea," I whispered in my head. "Wherever you are."I breathed in deep, slow. Vaughan was taking his damn time, drawing out the moment like it was some kind of art. That was the thing about death. Sometimes, the silence before it was louder than the act it
Last Updated : 2025-04-12THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-SIX: GETTING THE INFORMATION.
AXEL’S POV:"She's fine," Baron said, steady and sure. "She's with Katie and our men at the safe house."Relief punched through me like cold air after drowning."Where the hell have you been, Baron? How did they even escape?"He exhaled, like he’d been holding the memory in too long. "Boss, it wasn’t easy. When the first explosion hit, I went straight for Sea. Found her curled up in a corner of her room, shaking. Wrapped her in a blanket, threw her over my shoulder, and ran. On the way out, we ran into Ryan—he was barely hanging on, bleeding like hell, but still breathing. He pushed us toward the escape tunnel. We managed to gather Katie and a few others. But before we could get back for the last group..." He paused. "The whole place went up in flames."My heart staggered in my chest. Sea was alive. That was all I needed to hear. That was enough to breathe again, enough to fight again.We’d made it outside now. Armed, masked men formed a silent wall around the perimeter. I stayed aler
Last Updated : 2025-04-12THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-SEVEN: THEY WANTED HIM DEAD.
AXEL’S POV:A cold pressure squeezed my chest, but I forced it down. I couldn’t afford to think. Not now.I looked at him—his blood pooling beneath him, face a mess of terror and agony. He was nearly gone, and I was already losing interest.With one swift motion, I sliced off his dick.Then, without hesitation, I pried open his jaw and hacked off his tongue.His legs came next—each cut as clean as the last, each one a punishment, a lesson, a warning. I left him writhing in his own blood and filth, a hollowed-out shell of the man who once smirked in my face."You call those torture games?" I said, stepping over him. "Come learn from me."Then I drove the blade into his right eye. A sickening squelch echoed through the stillness.The men around me flinched. Some looked away. Others stared in stunned silence."Take me to my daughter," I said, my voice flat, final.Ryan stepped forward, nodding once, his expression unreadable. He gestured toward a blacked-out SUV idling nearby."You need
Last Updated : 2025-04-12THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-EIGHT: LONDON'S BACK.
AXEL’S POV:From where the car stopped, a jet was already waiting on the tarmac, beneath the pale morning sky. Less than two hours later, I was in our new location—a fortress tucked deep into the outskirts, reinforced and brimming with security. I showered, shaved, trimmed the unruly beard. Cedric stitched the gash on my brow and reset two of my ribs without a complaint. My knuckles were still bruised, but the fresh set of clothes—black shirt, tactical trousers, leather boots—made me feel human again. Strange how luxury used to feel normal. Now, even clean water felt sacred.Cedric didn’t speak much, but I could tell from his eyes that he knew we were standing in the middle of a long war—and that everything, even moments like this, had consequences. He’d been brought by Baron, apparently to save Ryan. Since then, he hadn’t stopped working. He patched, treated, and kept morale up without asking for thanks. That alone earned him more of my respect.Ryan had updated me as soon as we lan
Last Updated : 2025-04-12THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED &TWENTY-NINE: THE LIGHT THAT FADED.
AVERY’S POV:I stopped counting the days. Time moved like molasses, thick and slow, as we lived under the constant shadow of fear. We were caged like animals—patrolled, watched, starved of dignity. Devon wasn’t the man I remembered. Whatever light used to be in his eyes had long been smothered by something cruel and cold. The once-easy smile he wore like a badge was now replaced by a stone-hard jaw and the hollow stare of a man long lost to the dark.He used to be kind.Now, he hit my brothers for speaking too loud.But I didn’t hate Devon.I hated the man who turned him into this. The one who gave the orders. Who turned my protector into a monster.Axel.I couldn’t fight back. I didn’t have the strength. And worse—I’d brought this ruin to my people. The earth was ransacked, torn apart by metal and greed. The same land that once glistened under the sun was now a wounded body, bled dry by machines. They dug up every corner, searching for a 'precious mineral' as I overheard one of the g
Last Updated : 2025-04-16THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY: THE SHOTS OF BETRAYAL.
AVERY’S POV:I was drenched in blood. It had soaked into the white of my temple robe, turned my hands sticky, and clung to my skin like guilt. Akira’s body—now wrapped in linen, still and pale—lay in front of me. Her death had left a hollow in my chest that no scream could fill. I cried until I couldn’t anymore, until the pain became dry and raw like my throat. She had just begun to teach me how to live through this pregnancy, how to breathe again in a world that felt so suffocating. And just like that, she was gone. Snatched from me as quickly as she'd come.The others sat quietly around her body. No chants. No songs. Just silence thick enough to choke on.Then came the chaos.Gunshots. Screams. The kind of terror that twists reality in half. My head jerked toward the sound, and my heart thudded in my throat. I scrambled to my feet, wiping at my tears, suddenly alert."What’s happening?" I asked the nearest person—a small Orion boy, no older than eight, trembling beside a pillar."T
Last Updated : 2025-04-16
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THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY-SIX: THE PRICE OF RETURN.
AVERY’S POV:I didn’t know what I was doing. I was lost. Helpless.The stillness of the temple overwhelming. It left me questioning, "what darkness has descended upon this sacred place?"I couldn’t shake off that feeling. I reached out, trembling, and gently dragged Axel’s form closer to Akira’s. My tears came fast, burning hot paths down my face, dripping onto his chest. I wiped them, only to see something glint faintly from the corner of my eye.A dagger.It was nestled beside Akira’s body, resting as if it had always belonged there—like it was waiting for me.I picked it up slowly, reverently, brushing my thumb across the metal. It was nothing like the blades I’d seen in life. This was ancient—its hilt carved from obsidian, engraved with spirals and sunbursts that shimmered faintly under the moonlight. The blade itself curved slightly, etched with a language I couldn’t read but somehow understood. The tip was impossibly sharp, the weight of it perfect in my hand.I stared at it, co
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY-FIVE: IN THE SACRED TEMPLE.
AVERY’S POV:I didn’t wait to hear anything else. I stormed out, marching past the crowd, past Ryan’s calls, past Baron’s wary glances, right into the open center of the temple where the keepers stood in their quiet circle.“Take me to my husband,” I demanded. They looked at me with reverence—but also restraint.“You cannot enter to see them,” one said, stepping forward. “You are still soiled by blood.”I blinked. “Them?” I repeated, eyes narrowing.“Yes,” the elder said, nodding solemnly. “Because Axel was placed next to Akira.”Remembering that she was also gone electrified me. “You must first bathe,” the woman continued. “Cleanse the blood from your body and soul. Then change into white. Only purity can walk where the spirits linger.”I wasted no time.The water was freezing, my wounds aching, but I scrubbed until the skin on my hands turned pink. Dressed in a flowing white gown they handed me, I followed the keepers as they led me through the temple’s winding stone corridors. Th
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY-FOUR: MY WORLD IS DOOMED.
AVERY’S POV:When Axel’s hand slipped from my face and hit the cold stone floor, limp and lifeless, I couldn’t breathe. “No—no—NO!”The scream tore out of me like my soul was being ripped open. It wasn't just a sound—it was a shattering. A wail so raw that it echoed through the temple walls, spilling into the evening, carried by the wind across the ruined grounds. Everyone around froze. Even the birds outside the temple scattered into the sky like they couldn’t bear to witness what had just happened."AXEL!" I screamed again, my voice hoarse, my throat burning, my body shaking with violent sobs as I clutched his blood-warm body. “Please—please—wake up. Don’t do this. Don’t leave me!”Ryan and Baron rushed forward, but I shoved them away.“Don’t touch him!” I cried. “He’s still warm. He’s not gone. He can’t be gone—he can’t!”They tried again, gently, carefully. “Avery… we have to—”“Where the hell were you?” I shrieked, eyes burning through tears as I turned on them. “You should’ve
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY-THREE: EVEN LIONS FALL.
AXEL’S POV:When I heard the gunfire erupt, instinct screamed at me to move. To throw myself in front of her. Protect her.But I couldn’t.I couldn’t even lift my damn hand.My body was giving in. Muscles seizing. Vision dimming. I was slipping—fast—into the cold grip of darkness. Then I felt it.Warm droplets hitting my face. Wet. Heavy. Like a slow rain of grief.I forced my eyes open.There she was—hovering over me, her face twisted in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks as she sobbed and screamed for help.God, I hated seeing her cry.Not her. Not my woman.With what strength I had left, I reached up. My fingers trembled like an old man's, but I managed to cup her cheek. Her skin was soft beneath my bloodstained hand. Still warm. Still alive.“Stop crying, Wifey,” I rasped, coughing. More blood oozed from the corner of my mouth, thick and metallic. “This was bound to happen anyway. I’ve got too many enemies not to die like this.” I tried to chuckle but winced—everything hurt.
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY-TWO: ALWAYS A STEP AHEAD.
AVERY’S POV:"If I could, I'd kill London a second time," Axel growled, his voice gravel-coated and bitter. "She was a traitor. A whore. Imagine the woman I loved, bent over for the Don of a rival cartel like a common street slut. Not just once—but again and again, even when she was carrying my child."He wasn’t yelling. That made it worse. His voice was calm, even fond in a twisted way, as if the memory had hardened into something precious—just not in the way love is supposed to be.His lip curled, disgust tightening every word. “She didn’t just betray me. She betrayed her father. Our family.”I stood frozen, every inch of me recoiling. My mouth went dry. Axel’s rage was volcanic—rising, spilling, burning everything in its path.“At first, I had my suspicions,” he said, almost too calmly. “But I dismissed them. Turned a blind eye. You know why?” He scoffed and looked away, his jaw twitching. “Because I loved that loose hole.”He laughed, but there was no joy in it—only the sound of a
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY-ONE: I TOOK MY OWN LIFE.
AVERY’S POV:Axel coughed violently, blood splattering the stone beneath him. His limbs were twitching now—shock setting in. His breaths were ragged like each one hurt more than the last. The kind of pain that looks more animal than human. Still, he tried to speak."Devon…” he managed, gasping between words. “How… did I ruin your life? You… you pledged allegiance to me. Swore on your mother’s life. You said I saved you. You—”“Oh, please,” Devon cut him off, sneering. “I told you what you wanted to hear. You’re so arrogant. So hungry to be worshipped. That story about the boy you saved? It was real. I just found him. Killed him. Took his place.”The courtyard stilled.Devon’s voice turned cold. “He was a drunk, anyway. I did the world a favor.”My blood chilled. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.Axel’s face twitched. Whether from pain or betrayal, I didn’t know. His hands were slick with blood now, trying weakly to press down on his wounds. His lips quivered, mumbling words I could
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY: THE SHOTS OF BETRAYAL.
AVERY’S POV:I was drenched in blood. It had soaked into the white of my temple robe, turned my hands sticky, and clung to my skin like guilt. Akira’s body—now wrapped in linen, still and pale—lay in front of me. Her death had left a hollow in my chest that no scream could fill. I cried until I couldn’t anymore, until the pain became dry and raw like my throat. She had just begun to teach me how to live through this pregnancy, how to breathe again in a world that felt so suffocating. And just like that, she was gone. Snatched from me as quickly as she'd come.The others sat quietly around her body. No chants. No songs. Just silence thick enough to choke on.Then came the chaos.Gunshots. Screams. The kind of terror that twists reality in half. My head jerked toward the sound, and my heart thudded in my throat. I scrambled to my feet, wiping at my tears, suddenly alert."What’s happening?" I asked the nearest person—a small Orion boy, no older than eight, trembling beside a pillar."T
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED &TWENTY-NINE: THE LIGHT THAT FADED.
AVERY’S POV:I stopped counting the days. Time moved like molasses, thick and slow, as we lived under the constant shadow of fear. We were caged like animals—patrolled, watched, starved of dignity. Devon wasn’t the man I remembered. Whatever light used to be in his eyes had long been smothered by something cruel and cold. The once-easy smile he wore like a badge was now replaced by a stone-hard jaw and the hollow stare of a man long lost to the dark.He used to be kind.Now, he hit my brothers for speaking too loud.But I didn’t hate Devon.I hated the man who turned him into this. The one who gave the orders. Who turned my protector into a monster.Axel.I couldn’t fight back. I didn’t have the strength. And worse—I’d brought this ruin to my people. The earth was ransacked, torn apart by metal and greed. The same land that once glistened under the sun was now a wounded body, bled dry by machines. They dug up every corner, searching for a 'precious mineral' as I overheard one of the g
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-EIGHT: LONDON'S BACK.
AXEL’S POV:From where the car stopped, a jet was already waiting on the tarmac, beneath the pale morning sky. Less than two hours later, I was in our new location—a fortress tucked deep into the outskirts, reinforced and brimming with security. I showered, shaved, trimmed the unruly beard. Cedric stitched the gash on my brow and reset two of my ribs without a complaint. My knuckles were still bruised, but the fresh set of clothes—black shirt, tactical trousers, leather boots—made me feel human again. Strange how luxury used to feel normal. Now, even clean water felt sacred.Cedric didn’t speak much, but I could tell from his eyes that he knew we were standing in the middle of a long war—and that everything, even moments like this, had consequences. He’d been brought by Baron, apparently to save Ryan. Since then, he hadn’t stopped working. He patched, treated, and kept morale up without asking for thanks. That alone earned him more of my respect.Ryan had updated me as soon as we lan
