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Chapter 19: The Spiral
Last Updated:
2025-09-17 19:01:55
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She died a wife, Returned a flame Chapter 57: The Cracks in a Perfect Father
Adrian’s POVThe baby’s cries echoed through the halls again that morning, sharp and shrill, slicing through the quiet like glass.I used to hate noise in this house. I built my life around silence—control, precision, peace. But lately, the sound of crying felt like the rhythm of my days. Every wail reminded me of what I was supposed to be: a husband, a father, a protector.At least, that was what Vanessa wanted me to be.She stood in the nursery, rocking the baby with the careful gentleness of a mother who wanted to be watched. Her hair was tied back neatly, her nightgown spotless, her movements graceful. To anyone else, she looked perfect.But I had built my empire by noticing the smallest flaws.And lately, I saw too many.When she smiled at the baby, it didn’t reach her eyes. When she kissed him, her hands trembled slightly. And when she thought I wasn’t looking, she would stare into space like she was somewhere else entirely.The first few days after the birth, I had been blind.
She died a wife, Returned a flame Chapter 56: The Second Secret
Sheila’s POVEveryone had gone to bed hours ago. Adrian had been locked in his study since dinner, Vanessa had taken the baby upstairs, and the rest of the staff had disappeared to their quarters. But I couldn’t sleep.Something about Kyle’s sudden presence in Adrian’s business meetings gnawed at me. The way Vanessa had looked when she brought his name up earlier—too eager, too desperate—made my instincts flare. I knew that look. It was the same one she had when she was hiding something.And if Vanessa was hiding something, I was going to find it.I slipped out of my room and padded down the hallway in silence. The marble floor was cold under my bare feet, and the dim lights cast long shadows that made the mansion look like a labyrinth.Vanessa’s study door creaked softly when I pushed it open.Her perfume hit me first, that familiar mix of roses and something expensive. Her desk was neat, but her organization was a lie. I had learned long ago that the neatest people often had the dir
She died a wife, Returned a flame Chapter 55: The Double Game
Sheila’s POVIt started with a whisper in the kitchen.The maids were gossiping again, their voices low, cautious, full of the kind of fear that only Adrian Drake’s name could stir. I didn’t pay attention at first until I heard the one name that didn’t belong in this house.“Kyle,” someone said. “Mr. Drake had a visitor. Tall man, sharp suit. Looked important.”I froze where I stood, hands halfway through scrubbing the silver tray. Kyle. The name alone made my pulse skip. I hadn’t seen him since the night Vanessa’s panic sent her storming into the guest wing, whispering furiously into her phone.Now he was here.And if Kyle was here, that meant something was unraveling.I rinsed the tray, dried my hands, and slipped quietly toward the west corridor where Adrian held his private meetings. The door to his office was closed, but I could hear faint voices through the wood.Vanessa’s, sweet and persuasive.Adrian’s, cold and measured.And a third, Kyle’s. Smooth, oily, confident.I crouche
She died a wife, Returned a flame Chapter 54: The Board and the Blackmailer
Vanessa’s POVThe moment I saw Kyle’s name flash across my phone, my throat tightened. I hadn’t heard from him in weeks, not since he’d hinted at “keeping a souvenir” from the hospital months ago. I should have known silence was just the calm before his next strike.The message was short, sharp, and cruelly familiar.Still keeping secrets, sweetheart?Then, attached beneath it, a grainy photo of a folded envelope.I didn’t have to open it to know what it was.The DNA report.The same one I had begged him to destroy.The same one that could burn everything I’d built to ash.I could almost hear his voice through the words mocking, patient, waiting. Kyle never did anything without reason. And if he was reaching out now, it meant he was ready to make me pay.My hands trembled as I deleted the message, but the panic clung to me like smoke. Adrian was already distant, colder than before. I had noticed the way his gaze lingered on the baby, too long, too careful. He didn’t coo like he used t
She died a wife, Returned a flame Chapter 53: Poison in his Ears
Sheila’s POVAdrian moved differently now. Slower. Gentler. His footsteps were softer, his voice lower. He was no longer the man who used to command the house like a god. Now, he walked as though afraid to wake something precious.And he had.Vanessa’s child had become the sun in his orbit.I saw it every day, the way he leaned over the crib with awe, the way his eyes softened when the baby wrapped a tiny fist around his finger. The way he looked at Vanessa, as though she were the Madonna herself, glowing with virtue.It made me sick.He barely spoke to me anymore. The attention I had stolen piece by piece was slipping through my fingers. He still noticed me, of course—how could he not? His gaze sometimes lingered too long, tracing my movements when he thought I wasn’t watching. But now, it wasn't an obsession. It was a distraction. A ghost of what it had been.That wouldn’t do.I couldn’t afford to be forgotten. Not after everything I had done to get here.So I decided to whisper poi
She died a wife, Returned a flame Chapter 52: The Hollow Cradle
Sheila’s POV The mansion was filled with light when Vanessa returned. Every servant lined up at the entrance, pretending to smile, pretending to care. I stood among them, hands clasped, face calm.Adrian stepped out of the car first, carrying a small bundle wrapped in white. The sight hit me harder than I expected. A baby. Tiny. Fragile. Sleeping against his chest like it belonged there.Vanessa followed, slow and delicate, her movements rehearsed to show weakness. Everyone rushed to help her, offering support and sympathy. She soaked it in like perfume. Adrian hovered around her, his arm always at her back, his eyes fixed on her face as if she were made of glass.The moment they entered, the mansion changed.This was no longer the cold house where I’d played my game. It had become their home. Their kingdom.And I was just a shadow in the background.Adrian hadn’t looked at me once. Not when I took their coats, not when I prepared the nursery, not even when I quietly congratulated th
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