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Chapter 7

Author: Peachy
One year later. Napa Valley, California.

Morning sunlight streamed through the grapevines, dappling the terrace. I sat in a wicker chair, a warm mug of coffee in my hands.

The distant mountains were a soft blue. The breeze was gentle.

There was no blood here. No betrayal. Only peace.

“How are you feeling?” Julian walked out of the house and sat beside me.

“Good,” I said softly.

In all this time, he never pushed me, never asked about my past.

He was just there, a quiet presence, letting my shatte
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  • My Dead Husband’s Very Much Alive   Chapter 9

    After that day, I cut all ties to the past.Six months later. On the Seine River in Paris.The sun was setting, casting a golden glow on the water.Julian had chartered a private yacht, just for the two of us.“Aria,” he said softly, pulling a small velvet box from his suit jacket.My heart began to race.“I can’t promise you ten thousand roses, or book out all of Central Park,” he said, getting down on one knee. His eyes were full of love. “But I can promise you a future where you feel safe.”He opened the box. Inside was a simple, elegant diamond ring.Not a flashy rock, but a delicate design that looked like a phoenix with its wings spread.“I designed it myself,” his voice trembled slightly. “A phoenix, rising from the ashes. Rebirth.”“I can’t erase your past. But I will spend the rest of my life building a future you’ll never have to fear.”Tears blurred my vision.This wasn’t the kind of extravagant proposal Axel would have made, built on money and power. This was the most hones

  • My Dead Husband’s Very Much Alive   Chapter 8

    Whispers rippled through the hall.Everyone knew the story—the mafia boss who faked his death for his mistress and betrayed his wife. The wife who jumped off a bridge and vanished.And now, here they were.I turned to leave, but Axel was already walking toward me, each step a stagger.“Aria… I found you,” he said again, his voice shaking. His bloodshot eyes held a terrifying mix of joy and pain. “I looked for you for a whole year.”He was a shadow of the man he’d been, as if his very soul had been hollowed out.I just looked at him, my expression as blank as if I were looking at a stranger.“I…” he stammered. “I know I was wrong. I know I’m a monster. I watched the security tapes from the cemetery, I saw you all those nights…”His voice choked.“I saw you crying at my grave… I saw you kneeling in the rain all night… I saw… I saw the night you cut your wrists…”He looked like he was about to fall to his knees.“I watch those tapes every day. I know how much pain you were in. I know I’m

  • My Dead Husband’s Very Much Alive   Chapter 7

    One year later. Napa Valley, California.Morning sunlight streamed through the grapevines, dappling the terrace. I sat in a wicker chair, a warm mug of coffee in my hands.The distant mountains were a soft blue. The breeze was gentle.There was no blood here. No betrayal. Only peace.“How are you feeling?” Julian walked out of the house and sat beside me.“Good,” I said softly.In all this time, he never pushed me, never asked about my past.He was just there, a quiet presence, letting my shattered heart heal.“Did you finish today’s piece?” he asked gently.I nodded, glancing toward my workshop at the newly completed sapphire suite.Julian had helped me rediscover my love for jewelry design, even setting up a studio for me. Under the name ‘Lena,’ my work was already gaining a reputation in exclusive circles.I was no longer a trophy of the Thorne family. No longer just a man's shadow.I was just me.“Are you sure about the auction in Paris?” Julian asked.I was silent for a moment.Ov

  • My Dead Husband’s Very Much Alive   Chapter 6

    Axel’s trembling finger tapped the audio file from Marco.Aria’s voice, calm and full of despair, filled the silence.“My name is Aria Sterling. If you’re hearing this, it means I’m already dead.”Every word was a hot brand on his soul.“Six years ago, Axel Thorne did not die. The yacht explosion was a hoax, a plan he designed to make a secret deal with a rival family…”There was no anger in her voice. Just the dead calm of a still lake.“For these six years, I was his widow. I cried at his empty grave. The grief shattered me, driving me to the brink of madness…”Axel remembered the cemetery surveillance videos Marco had pulled.Countless nights, Aria kneeling alone at his headstone, sobbing.Sometimes she’d stay all night.Sometimes she’d cry until she collapsed, only to be found by the groundskeeper.“And him? He was in Miami, living a life of luxury with the woman who betrayed me…”In the recording, Aria began to list Seraphina’s crimes.“She forged evidence to frame me for leaking

  • My Dead Husband’s Very Much Alive   Chapter 5

    Marco’s voice on the other end of the line. Axel’s mind went blank.“What?”“Donna. She jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge. My guys are searching, but the river’s deep…”The phone slipped from Axel’s trembling hand. It clattered on the marble floor.An invisible hand squeezed his heart, stealing his breath.Aria… jumped?“Honey, what’s wrong?” Seraphina’s syrupy voice grated on his nerves. “What happened? Don’t worry…”She reached out to touch his face.“Don’t touch me!” Axel shoved her away. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a glacial cold she had never seen before.Seraphina stumbled back, a flash of fear in her eyes.“Axel, what are you—”“Cut the act!” he roared, his voice cracking. “Enough!”He scrambled to pick up the phone, dialing Aria’s number again and again.Voicemail.It would always be voicemail now.His fingers shook as he sent a flood of messages to her encrypted email:【Where are you? You can’t be dead!】【I’m the asshole. I was wrong. Just come back…】【Aria. Ple

  • My Dead Husband’s Very Much Alive   Chapter 4

    I bolted from the clinic, stumbling through the parking lot.The rain was coming down harder now, cold and blinding, mixing with my tears.As I reached the edge of the lot, several men in black suits stepped out of the shadows.Valkov's men."Well, well. If it isn't the high-and-mighty Donna of the Thorne family," the leader sneered. "Look at you now. Like a stray dog.""Get out of my way!" I tried to push past them. "My father is dying!""Dying?" another one laughed. "You think you're still the Thorne Donna? That the Family still has your back?"They circled me, trapping me."Heard you got kicked out of the Thorne family.""Your own man faked his death just to get away from you. You got any shame left?""Please!" I fell to my knees in the rain. "Let me go to the hospital! My father is sick!""Hahaha!" They roared with laughter. "Look at the former Donna, begging on her knees like a dog!"A steel-toed boot came down, crushing my phone under its heel.The screen spiderwebbed into a thou

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