The Wife He Never Loved
"You were never her, Aria. You were just... there."
Jason's words echo in my head as I stand in the back of the church, watching him mourn another woman on her sister's wedding day. Isabelle. The perfect dead girlfriend. The ghost I've been competing with for three years.
I thought I could be enough. I thought love could grow where grief once lived. But when I find the evidence, when I see the hotel receipts, the text messages, the photos of Jason with Isabelle's sister Violet, I realize the truth.
I was never the love story. I was the intermission.
What I don't know yet is that nothing about my marriage was real. Not Jason's cruelty. Not Violet's affair. Not the stranger's rescue.
They've all been playing a game, and I'm the prize they're willing to destroy each other for.
When the truth comes out, when I discover why Isabelle really died and who's been pulling the strings, I'll have to decide: Do I let them destroy me, or do I burn their whole world down?
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Chapter: Chapter 24: The RescueAria’s POVI woke up on my bedroom floor with my phone vibrating somewhere near my head.Every muscle ached. My face felt stiff from dried tears. The light coming through the windows was too bright, too harsh.I didn’t want to look at my phone.I didn't want to see more messages. More strangers telling me I was worthless. But it kept buzzing.I reached for it. And squinted at the screen.Kyle: “Turn on the news.”That was all. No explanation or context. I almost ignored it and threw the phone across the room and went back to sleep.But something in those four words made me sit up.I grabbed my laptop from the nightstand and opened it.The New York Times homepage loaded.The headline at the top made me blink.“The Takedown of Aria Myles: When Sexism Masquerades as Art Criticism”I clicked.The article was an op-ed by Sandra Morrison, a cultural critic I’d been reading for years. She was known for not pulling punches, for calling out industry bullshit wherever she found it.She’d writt
Last Updated: 2026-02-21
Chapter: Chapter 23: UnrepentanceJason’s POVThe cigarette burned between my fingers. I quit smoking five years ago, right after Isabelle died. I started again three days ago when the stress became too much to manage without something to do with my hands.The television flickered in the corner of my study. It seems all I watch these days is the financial news. I wasn’t really watching it..Then the headline scrolled across the bottom of the screen:“Myles Gallery in Crisis - Questions About CEO Aria Myles’s Competence”I sat forward.The anchor was talking about the article. Reading select quotes. Showing that photo of Aria from her board meeting.The irony was almost funny.“Industry insiders suggest the gallery was sustained through quiet financial support from Hartley Industries during Ms Myles’s marriage to CEO Jason Hartley…”I took a drag from the cigarette. That part was true, actually. Sort of.Hartley Industries had invested in several arts organizations over the past three years. Tax write-offs, mostly. Go
Last Updated: 2026-02-20
Chapter: Chapter 22: RumorAria’s POVI got home at seven. I was very exhausted, but at least I felt much more relaxed. Kyle was being more useful than I thought.Kyle had fixed everything. The Becker Foundation wants to meet tomorrow. The Berlin artist’s portfolio was incredible…bold, visceral work that would anchor the exhibition perfectly. Even Thomas had called to say he’d found someone to cover Sophie’s role temporarily.One catastrophic morning had turned into manageable problems with actual solutions.I dropped my bag by the door, kicked off my heels, and headed straight for the bathroom. A hot shower, then maybe I’d order takeout and review the foundation’s requirements before bed.My phone buzzed while I was undressing. Jessica: “Have you seen ArtForum’s website?”I frowned. Typed back: “No, why?”“Call me.”Something in those two words made my stomach drop.I grabbed my laptop from the bedroom and opened ArtForum’s website.The headline was at the top of the page:“Myles Gallery in Crisis: Question
Last Updated: 2026-02-19
Chapter: Chapter 21: The White KnightKyle’s POVThe call came at 9:47 AM. I was in my office working on something when my phone lit up with her name.Aria.I let it ring twice then three times. I made her wait just long enough to feel desperate.Then I answered.“Hey, you.” I kept my voice warm,and concerned. “Everything okay?”“Kyle, I…” She stopped. Took a breath. “Are you busy? I’m sorry to bother you, I just…”She sounded frantic. Worried. Exactly how I needed her.I smiled at the ceiling.“You’re never a bother. What’s wrong?”“It’s the gallery. Everything’s falling apart.” The words tumbled out. “The Hartwell Foundation pulled its funding this morning. Three million dollars. And Daniel Voss backed out of the exhibition. And my assistant quit. All in one day.”I let the silence stretch, for a while, her anxiety was so delicious it felt like I was going to cum by just listening to her sound so worried.“Kyle? Are you there?”“I’m here.” I stood and walked to the window. “I’m just trying to process. That’s… that’s a
Last Updated: 2026-02-18
Chapter: Chapter 20: The CrumblingAria’s POVThe call came at 7 AM on a Tuesday.I was still in bed, halfway through my first cup of coffee, reviewing board reports on my laptop when Margaret’s name flashed on my screen.Margaret never called before nine.“What’s wrong?” I answered without saying hello.“The Hartwell Foundation pulled its funding.” Her voice was tight. “Last night. They sent a letter to the gallery director. With no explanation, just a formal withdrawal.”I sat up straight. “How much?”“Three million. The entire spring exhibition sponsorship.”Three million. The spring exhibition had been eighteen months in the making. Twenty-two emerging artists, a three-month run, and a partnership with three museums. It was the biggest thing the gallery had attempted since my father opened it fifteen years ago.Without the Hartwell funding, it was gone.“Did they give any reason?”“The letter cited ‘strategic reallocation of philanthropic resources.’ Standard boilerplate for we changed our minds.”“Get their dir
Last Updated: 2026-02-17
Chapter: Chapter 19: Jason’s DiscoveryJason’s POVThe scotch burned going down. I poured another glass and settled into the leather chair in my study.11 PM. The penthouse was quiet except for the low murmur of the television in the corner.I've stopped at one drink lately. Ever since the night I’d slapped Aria. The night I’d become my worst fear…the kind of man who hit women.The memory still made my stomach turn. No matter what, I didn't lay my hands on a woman.The television flickered, it was showing the Financial news. I wasn’t really watching, just staring at the screen while my mind wandered.Then her face appeared. I sat up straighter, dropping the glass.Aria stood in front of Myles Industries headquarters, surrounded by reporters. She wore a charcoal suit that fit her perfectly. Her natural curls were loose around her face. She looked… different. Powerful. Like she belonged exactly where she was standing.“…announcing her return as CEO of Myles Industries,” the reporter said. “Ms Myles, who has been away from t
Last Updated: 2026-02-16
FORBIDDEN AFFAIR WITH THE BIKER I CAN'T HAVE
He pinned me against the wall. His voice, a low growl in my ear.
“You’re trembling, little bird. Fear? Or something else?” His hand burns against my skin. “Your brother would kill me for this... but look me in the eye. Tell me you don’t want me. Tell me you weren’t wet the moment I touched you.”
At twenty-one, Elara Stark thought she’d finally escaped the Vipers’ world of blood and leather. Six years later, after her father's murder and her fiancé's betrayal, she's back, only to be trapped under the watch of her brother's Enforcer, Knox.
Knox has been secretly obsessed with Elara for years.
The girl he once knew is gone, now stands a woman, broken and vulnerable in a way that awakens something dark and possessive in him.
He is everything that goes against the moral core and peaceful life she craves, and she knows he's dangerous, but she simply can't resist the temptation.
But there's a catch– a rule, no romantic relationship with a Viper or Vipers' families, failure to abide means instant death for the club member.
When Elara's pain forces them into a forbidden kiss, the rule doesn't stop them.
Will this crushing secret be the final thing to destroy them both? Read to find out what happens when you crave the one thing that will end you.
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Chapter: CHAPTER 123: THE GAME BEGINSELARA’S POVI woke to Dmitri sitting in a chair beside the bed, watching me.I should have been startled or should have recoiled at this evil terrible man sitting close to me.Instead, something else rose up inside me. A realization that fighting wasn’t going to work. But there was another way. The only way to beat men like Dmitri was to become exactly what they thought they wanted…and then use it against them.I reached out slowly and took his hand. Dmitri’s eyes widened slightly. Surprise flickered across his face.I smiled at him. A real smile, soft and genuine, the kind I used to give Knox when he did something unexpectedly sweet.“Thank you,” I said, my voice hoarse but sincere. “Thank you for taking care of me.”Dmitri went very still. His hand remained in mine, but I could feel the tension in it. “What are you doing?” he asked carefully.I tightened my grip on his hand and met his eyes directly.“I love you,” I said.The words hung in the air between us.Dmitri’s face went co
Last Updated: 2026-02-21
Chapter: CHAPTER 122: THE FEVERELARA’S POVI didn’t notice it at first. The cold had seeped into me so gradually during those six hours in the dark that I’d assumed the shivering was just my body processing the trauma, working through the aftermath of isolation the way it processed everything else lately … slowly, reluctantly, like a machine running low on fuel.Maria had brought me back to my room, given me water, and left me to sleep.But sleep didn’t come.Instead, something else did.It started as a low, persistent ache behind my eyes. I pressed my fingers against my forehead and dismissed it. By midnight, I wasn’t so sure I would survive this.The ache had spread down my neck, into my shoulders, radiating through every muscle in my back like my bones were being slowly compressed in a vice. The room felt too cold and then too hot and then too cold again, the temperature swinging wildly even though nothing in the room had changed. I kicked off my blanket and then pulled it back within minutes, my body unable
Last Updated: 2026-02-20
Chapter: Chapter 121: Knox?Elera's POV I felt my way around the padded walls, confirming the dimensions. About eight feet square. The ceiling is maybe seven feet high.No seams. No handles. No way out.I sat down in the center of the floor and tried to stay calm.Six hours. I could survive six hours.But time moved strangely in complete darkness and silence.Without sensory input, my brain started inventing its own.After what might have been an hour, I started hearing things like whimpers and footsteps. The sound of my own breathing amplified until it sounded like someone else was in the room with me.After what might have been two hours, I started seeing things. Flashes of light that weren’t there. Shapes moving in the darkness. Shadows that shifted and morphed into familiar faces.Rylan. My mother. Carmen, the little girl who’d died in Ray’s mansion.They all stared at me with accusing eyes.You let us die.You didn’t save us.You’re weak.I pressed my hands over my ears, but the voices were inside my head.
Last Updated: 2026-02-19
Chapter: CHAPTER 120: THE REWARD SYSTEMELARA’S POVI made it forty-seven minutes before my body betrayed me.A muscle spasm in my lower back…where the wounds from Ray’s beating were still healing…made me jerk slightly. Just a small movement, barely noticeable.But Dmitri was watching through the cameras.“Forty-seven minutes,” he said, entering the room. “Not bad for your first attempt. But not good enough.”I stayed in the chair, not sure if I was allowed to move now.“You may stand,” Dmitri said.I stood slowly, my legs cramping from sitting so still for so long.Dmitri walked to a whiteboard on the wall I hadn’t noticed before. It was divided into columns, each headed with a name: Caroline, Lily, Sophie, Mei, Anastasia, and now…Elara.Numbers were written beneath each name.“This is how we measure success here,” Dmitri explained. “Points. Everything you do either earns points or loses them.”He picked up a marker and wrote under my name: -10“Negative ten points for failing your first task. But…” he added a +5, “…five
Last Updated: 2026-02-18
Chapter: Chapter 119: Don’t MoveElera's POV The fifth woman didn’t introduce herself. She sat very still in a corner chair, staring at nothing. She had pale skin, dark hair, and looked utterly vacant.“That’s Anastasia,” Caroline said quietly. “She’s been here three years. She doesn’t speak much anymore.”I felt sick looking at her. At all of them.This was my future. What I’d become if I stayed here long enough.“Sit down,” Caroline said, not unkindly. “I’ll explain how things work here.”I sat on an empty chair, my legs weak.Caroline remained standing, clearly comfortable in her role as spokesperson. “The rules are simple. Obedience earns privileges. Defiance earns punishment.”“What kind of privileges?” I asked.“Better food. Time outside. Books. Permission to speak to other dolls.” Caroline gestured around. “We’re allowed to gather like this because we’ve earned it through good behavior.”“And punishment?”Sophie’s hand unconsciously moved to the scars on her arm. “Isolation. Sensory deprivation. Sometimes p
Last Updated: 2026-02-17
Chapter: CHAPTER 118: THE OTHER DOLLSELARA’S POVI woke to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. The bed was too soft, the room too large, and it was quieter than what I am now used to.Then the memory crashed back. The memory of Dimitri buying me and being carried away from Ray’s mansion like a bride.The doll dress. The collar around my neck. I sat up slowly, my back screaming in protest. The wounds from Ray’s beating were still healing, and still very painful despite the antibiotics and treatment.The room looked different in daylight. It was very big, and everything was painted in white and grey, including the walls, the furniture, and the curtains.It was like living inside a cloud or a hospital. I stood on shaky legs and walked to the window.The view showed endless forest stretching in every direction. Mountains in the distance. No other buildings were visible. There were no roads or signs of civilization.We were in complete isolation. I tried the window and it
Last Updated: 2026-02-16
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