LOGINShe married him because of a contract. He married her because she was convenient. To the world, Alice Neighley is the perfect wife—graceful, obedient, invisible. Married to a powerful heir, she lives in a luxurious cage built on indifference and silence. Her husband never touches her heart, never defends her position, and never hides the truth: she was never the woman he wanted. When his first love returns, Alice becomes a placeholder—easy to replace, easier to discard. Even worse, the betrayal doesn’t come only from her husband, but from the people she once called family. But Alice is done begging for love. As the contract nears its end, secrets surface, loyalties shatter, and the woman everyone underestimated begins to wake up. She will walk away from the marriage they thought defined her—and from the man who believed she would never leave. What they don’t know is this: Alice is no longer the wife he never wanted. She is the one he will never get back.
View MoreAlice’s POV
My husband ,He loved my younger sister, yet he married me.For years, he played the decent husband role. Gentle, devoted, and patient.
Until a single phone call from her shattered my world.He left me without hesitation, rushing to her side,dismissing all my sacrifices,demanding I remain a silent, obedient wife.
I chose divorce.They laughed at me.They thought I would beg for scraps,end up homeless or discarded like a broken toy, selling myself like a whore.
In their eyes, I was just a beautiful trophy wifemarried to a billionaire.
But they had forgotten one crucial thing.
Before I was ever his wife,I had my own life. My own dreams.When I returned to the world of law,I was no longer Mrs. Nelly.
I was The Iron Lady of Law,feared by all, respected by even more.
And now,they would call me with the respect I deserved.
Not as a discarded wife,but as the one who steps them all beneath my heels.
**Two weeks ago**
How about I give you a baby?” I turned my head to look at my husband beside me and tried to cl“imb onto his chest with my hands to caress it.
“Alice, how many times have I told you,” he drawled while getting out of the bed, his voice clipped and irritated. “It was my grandfather’s wish that I marry you. Don’t try to tie me down with a child”
I sat up, clutching the sheets, trying not to let the sting show on my face. “I didn’t mean it like that,” I murmured, biting my lip to keep the tremor in my voice from escaping. “I wasn’t trying to trap you.”
He rolled his eyes the way he always did when he thought I was being naive. “Alice, stop. We both know what this is.”
Before I could answer, his phone rang. He froze when he saw the caller ID. Then Lily’s fragile voice spilled through the speaker, “David, Lucas is dead. The private jet he was on to LA this morning—crashed.”
Lucas was David's cousin. David froze for a second upon hearing this. But at the news of a family member's death, his face showed no sorrow—even a hint of excitement. Only I knew why: Lucas's death meant no one could stop David and Lily from being together anymore.
My breath caught, and I pressed a hand against my mouth. “Oh my God… Lucas…”
David stiffened but didn’t respond emotionally like a man hearing about his own cousin. “When did it happen?” he asked her, his tone suddenly soft, almost coaxing.
“It was on the news,” she whispered. “They said there were no survivors.”
I looked at him, waiting for grief to crack his calm exterior. Instead, something flickered behind his eyes, something bright and unsettling. Relief. Excitement. Hope. He tried to hide it, but I knew him too well.
“Are you alone right now?” he asked Lily, voice gentle in a way he never used with me.
“Yes,” she whispered, sounding like she might break. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You won’t be alone,” he said quietly. “I’ll come get you.”
When he hung up, he turned toward the closet, not toward me. “Alice, let’s end this contract marriage.”
Just like that. No hesitation. No pause. No breath wasted on pretending to consider my feelings.
My heart lurched. “David… please. Can’t we talk about it? Can’t you just think for one moment about everything we’ve been through? I know you used to care about me, even a little. That has to mean something.”
He sighed sharply, rubbing his forehead like I was exhausting him. “Alice, I don’t want to keep talking about this.”
But the memory was already crashing over me, a tidal wave dragging me backward.
At that party, both my sister Lily and I had drunk too much. I helped her back to her room, and when I returned to mine, I found the drunken David standing there.
He embraced me, his voice hoarse as he declared his love.
My heart soared, my head spinning. “David… are you sure you mean me?” I whispered, searching his eyes for confirmation.
He pressed his forehead to mine. “Who else would I mean?” he murmured. “I want you, Alice. Only you. Don’t leave me tonight.”
He kissed me then, slow and deep, his hands roaming my back as though memorizing every inch. His touch felt like a promise, his voice thick with longing as he whispered, “Let me make you happy. Let me give you everything.”
And I believed him. Every word. Because I’d loved him quietly for years and never imagined he could love me back.
I didn’t know he thought I was Lily. I didn’t know Lily was sneaking into Lucas’s room that same night. I didn’t know I was stepping right into a tragedy disguised as a dream.
The next day, the world found Lily in Lucas’s bed. Chaos followed. Rumors exploded. The families panicked. And David married me to preserve reputations, not because he loved me.
Back in the present, he finished adjusting his cuffs. “Don’t cause a scene at the funeral,” he warned.
At the cemetery, reporters hovered everywhere. People cried, whispered, clung to each other. I approached David hesitantly. “Are you alright?” I asked, touching his arm lightly.
“I’m fine,” he said without looking at me.
Lily approached him then, eyes red and trembling. “David… I can’t believe he’s gone.”
He touched her shoulder like she was made of glass. “I’m here. Don’t worry.”
I stepped closer, forcing a smile. “Lily, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
She barely acknowledged me, leaning further into David.
After the service, I tried again. “David, should we go home together?”
He barely glanced my way. “I’m taking Lily back. You can manage on your own.”
“David,” I snapped, hurt flaring through my chest, “we’re still married.”
“Not for long,” he said.
And there, in the passenger seat, sat Lily.
She leaned gently against his shoulder, her hair neat, her makeup fresh, her posture soft and delicate. They looked like newlyweds reunited after years apart, radiating sweetness. That sweetness hit me like acid. It wasn’t even that they were trying to hide it, it was worse. They weren’t hiding anything at all.
David stepped out of the car without rushing. He adjusted his cuff like he had all the time in the world, then looked at me as if I was the inconvenience.
I pushed a hand through my hair, realizing too late how tangled it was, how pitiful I looked. My thin dress clung to me in all the wrong places, and my knees felt weak. I straightened anyway because pride is sometimes the only thing that keeps you from collapsing.
He didn’t soften.
“Let’s divorce, Alice,” he said. “I’ll give you a fair price.”
Alice’s POVWhile Terrance was pulling the files, and the footage, I decided to go through grandpa’s things. My guilt was still present and aching in my heart as I went into his suite. Everything was carefully organized and I could still smell his cologne. It was like he’d be back any moment, walking through the door, asking me what I was doing snooping. I smiled at the pictures on the wall. They weren’t stuffy, official, like the ones around the mansion. In here, everything was authentically grandpa.Pictures on the wall of his wedding, important events, his face beaming with a smile. There were pictures of everyone, grandma, his sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews, and his kids. Even David and Lucas when they were boys, grinning while fishing off a giant yacht. It was a room full of good memories and the reason grandpa accomplished everything he ever did – family.I took in the smell of his cologne as I went into this closet, finding his old suits, shoes, and even some colorful outfit
Alice’s POVIt had been three days since the funeral. I hadn’t left the apartment and had been fussed over by Adam and Arlington the whole time. Arlington took some personal days, and Adam and he had taken shifts to make sure I was okay. I’d been coaxed to eat and drink, and I knew it was what was best for the baby, but a growing suspicion, an agonizing thorn had been prickling the back of my mind since the funeral. So, on day three, I woke up early, took a shower, got dressed, and decided that today was the day that I needed to confront that suspicion.Adam was already awake in the kitchen, assembling ingredients for breakfast. He was surprised to see me so early. He was even more surprised to see me dressed and not wearing pajamas.“Hey, good morning,” he said, watching me cautiously. “Coffee?”“No, thanks, I’m going out.”“Plans for the day?’ he asked.“Yes, I’m going to the mansion today,” I stated firmly.“Is that a good idea?” Adam asked cautiously.“Yes, I have to. There’s some
David’s POVIt had been two days since the funeral and burial. I had shut myself away in the apartment, unwilling to risk seeing Alice in the hallway or anywhere else. Every bottle of whiskey that I’d gone through felt like relief, until it wasn’t. Something in me had broken, but it wasn’t because of grandpa. That was a mess, a regret that would haunt me. Lily being cheerful and engaging with my aunts and uncles and the rest of the family didn’t help. She was positively glowing, hardly in morning when we were together in private. However, in public, she put on a good act.Her presence, which had once calmed me, only made me drink more. What was tearing me up, eating away at my soul, was Alice. She was being attacked by paparazzi, the media, on social media, and even by our own family. She was being blamed for everything, which made Lily happy. However, I was miserable about it. I knew how much she truly cared for grandpa. I know how much grandpa cared for her. His last words, his reac
Arlington’s POVAlice had been through a lot in the past week, and I could see so many painful emotions rushing through her. As she lay on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, resting and being tended to by Adam, I had to calm myself. I was furious. They dared to hurt Alice by taking away what she was most passionate about, her job. They dared to crush her heart when she was grieving for her grandpa and that was something I just couldn’t tolerate.I didn’t care one way or another if old man Neighley was dead. I only cared because it hurt Alice. I didn’t care if she had to step back from work to grieve or for medical reasons, but this recent development was neither. Someone was messing around with her emotions, and I had a pretty good idea that David and his nonsense were involved. Suggesting that Lily take over for Alice, like she was even remotely competent. That was definitely some interference from David and his family.I clenched my fist and tried to remain calm, serene, but rememberi


















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