LOGINFor five years, Nerissa Vane was the perfect, silent wife to Lysander Blackwood. She endured his coldness, his family’s disdain, and the humiliation of taking birth control every night to ensure she didn't "trap" a man who hated her. She was the woman who secretly saved his family from ruin, yet he saw her as nothing more than a desperate social climber. When Lysander’s first love returns and falls pregnant, the mask finally slips. Lysander doesn't hate children—he only hates the idea of having them with Nerissa. After a tragic accident where Lysander leaves a bleeding, pregnant Nerissa behind to save his mistress, Nerissa realizes that love cannot be begged for. She leaves behind a wedding ring, a positive ultrasound, and the truth about the debt he can never repay. By the time Lysander realizes he chased away the only woman who truly loved him, the "placeholder wife" is gone, and the powerful Vane Heiress has risen in her place. He wants her back, but this time, Nerissa isn't playing by his rules.
View MoreNerissa’s POV"Is anyone home?" I asked the empty foyer as I stepped into the Blackwood mansion, my voice bouncing off the marble walls. The silence was absolute because the family was still at the hospital fussing over Seraphina, but I didn't mind the quiet at all, so I walked through the halls where I had spent five years playing the part of the obedient wife. Everything looked different to me now, like I was looking at a house where I had never truly belonged.I went straight to the master bedroom and pulled a small suitcase from the back of the closet, tossing in a few changes of clothes that I had actually bought with my own money. I didn't touch the designer bags or the diamond jewelry Lysander’s parents had gifted me over the years, because none of those things belonged to the woman I was becoming again. I reached into the back of my vanity, pulling out a small, heavy lockbox that contained the original debt agreements from five years ago."You really thought you were the
Nerissa’s POV"I really don't see why I have to be here, Malia, especially since Lysander has made it clear he only has eyes for one person on this trip," I said while I smoothed the fabric of my dress, sitting on the edge of the bed. Malia sighed and stepped closer, taking my hands in hers."Please do it for me, Nerissa, because if the shareholders see him wandering around this resort opening with Seraphina while you're nowhere to be found, the scandal will be irreversible," she pleaded, her voice trembling slightly. I just nodded slowly, following her out to the yacht where the afterparty was being held."You look like you're having fun, Lysander, I'm glad one of us is enjoying this forced public appearance," I muttered as I walked past him toward the bar, but he just tightened his grip on Seraphina."Nobody forced you to come, Nerissa, so if you're going to stand there with that long face, you might as well have stayed in the hotel room," he snapped, turning his back on me. I
Nerissa’s POV"Is the soup not to your liking, Seraphina, you've been pushing it around your bowl for ten minutes and I’d hate for the kitchen's effort to go to waste," Malia said with a polite but tight smile while she watched Lysander’s guest at the Sunday family dinner. We were all gathered in the formal dining room, the atmosphere heavy because Lysander had insisted on bringing Seraphina along, claiming she was feeling under the weather and shouldn't be left alone."I’m so sorry, Malia, I think the heat in the gallery earlier just got to me and my stomach has been doing somersaults all afternoon," Seraphina replied in a faint voice, leaning slightly toward Lysander. He dropped his spoon and placed a hand on her shoulder, his face etched with a level of concern that I hadn't seen him show for anyone in years."Maybe you should go upstairs and lie down for a moment, or I can have the driver take you home right now if it’s that bad," Lysander suggested, but before she could answ
Nerissa’s POV"Have you seen the morning headlines, Lysander, or were you too busy enjoying the 'undeniable chemistry' the press is raving about to care that your wife is being dragged through the mud by every gossip blog in the city?" Xander asked while he slammed a business magazine onto the breakfast table, staring directly at his son. I kept my eyes fixed on my coffee cup, trying to ignore the glossy cover where Lysander and Seraphina were pictured laughing together at a corporate gala."The press writes what sells magazines, Father, and if they find Seraphina more interesting than a woman who barely speaks two words at dinner, that isn't my problem," Lysander replied while he casually buttered a piece of toast, his voice completely calm."It becomes your problem when it makes this family look like a circus, and Malia and I didn't raise you to treat your wife like a placeholder while you parade an old flame around town," Xander snapped back, but before he could continue, Talia






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