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CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: ONE LAST SHATTERED HEART.
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-02-11 01:16:22
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THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FIFTY: IN MY HEAD.
AXEL’S POV:For some reason, my room was hot. Stifling, almost. I liked my sleeping environment cold and dark—just like my heart and soul. I tossed and turned, shifting onto my side before sighing in frustration. It had to be the settings. Dragging myself up, I checked the thermostat. Default. The air-conditioning was fine. Then why did it feel like I was suffocating? I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled. It wasn’t the temperature. It was her. Avery. Even now, as I stood shirtless in my navy-blue sweatpants, all I could think about was the way she’d looked tonight. The way her dress hugged her curves, the way her lips moved when she spoke. But it was all fake. A character I made her take on. A puppet performing for my amusement. And yet, I couldn’t shake her from my mind. I rubbed at my chest absentmindedly. The pain I had lived with for months—it wasn’t there. I hadn’t taken my pills, hadn’t felt the usual dull ache clawing through my ribcage. Had I just been too busy to
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-13THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: BURN IT ALL TO THE GROUND.
AXEL’S POV:A small voice cut through the chaos in my mind. “Daddy?” Sea. Her voice was soft and uncertain, as if she wasn’t sure I could hear her. My eyes were open, but my body wouldn’t move. I could see her, standing a few feet away, the dim light from the hallway casting her in a soft glow, but I couldn’t react. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even lift a finger. Panic clawed at my chest, but my limbs remained locked. My mind screamed at me to do something, anything, to reassure her, but all I could do was lie there, frozen. Her tiny footsteps approached, hesitant at first, then quicker as she realized I wasn’t responding. “Daddy?” Her voice cracked, thick with fear. A lone tear slid down my good eye. My mind was a warzone, still trapped in that nightmarish haze. I could still hear the sickening crunch of metal against bone. Still see my mother’s broken body, her blood mixing with the dirt. I wasn’t here. I was there. Dying all over again. Sea crouched beside me on the fl
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-13THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: THE NEW MAID.
AVERY’S POV:It burned.Every line of that mysterious tattoo seared into my spine like fire biting my skin. The pain was relentless, curling through my nerves, refusing to let up. I wasn’t sure if it was the nightmare or the damn ink itself, but when I jolted awake, my body was drenched in sweat, my breath coming too fast, too shallow. I curled into the nearest corner, pressing my back against the wall as if that would steady me. My throat was dry, scratchy, like I’d swallowed sandpaper. I needed water—desperately—but nothing was in reach. What was happening to me? My mind was a battlefield, torn between reality and the fragments of my dream—the bloodied man in my arms. The cold, sticky wetness of his lifeless body seemed so real. The images wouldn’t leave me, wouldn’t stop replaying behind my eyes, a nightmare bleeding into wakefulness. God, was I losing it? Hallucinating? Imagining things? Physically, I was already a wreck. The last thing I needed was a spiritual crisis on
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-16THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE: REUNITED.
AVERY’S POV:"Are you going to stand there all day or come along?" Axel’s unexpected voice boomed.I blinked, surprised. I hadn’t expected him to call out to me or wait for me. Without another thought, I stepped forward, falling into place behind him. Baron moved swiftly, stepping in front of me with something dark in his hands. Before I could react, the fabric slid over my eyes, shrouding my world in black. "This will be your routine," Baron murmured, his tone almost gentle. "Routine?""Yes. Each time you're leaving your cell, you must wear a blindfold."Oh, I see. Another security measure to tame me from escaping. The word settled uneasily in my chest. A hand—firm but not rough—closed around mine. I couldn’t tell if it was Baron or Axel, but I held onto it instinctively as I was led forward. The floor beneath me changed, and then suddenly, I missed a step. My foot slipped, my balance wavered, and my breath hitched— Strong arms caught me before I could fall. A pause. A s
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-16THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR: CREAMY PASTA.
AVERY’S POV:I was tempted to tell her the truth. To say, "Your father did this. He’s trying to erase me, piece by piece, until I don’t recognize myself anymore." But I couldn’t. So I smiled, forcing lightness into my tone. "I went to the salon and got it done," I lied. She tilted her head, considering me. "I want to get my hair done too," she said thoughtfully. "So I can be pretty like you." Her words struck a sad chord inside me. If only she knew how much of myself I was losing with every change Axel forced on me. But looking at her now—bright-eyed, full of trust—I couldn’t bring myself to shatter the moment. "Maybe one day, darling," I said softly, running my fingers through her ponytail. Maybe one day, when I was free, I'll go back to my natural hair."You don’t need to change a thing, Sea," I told her, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "You’re already perfect just the way you are." Considering my words, she gave a satisfied nod. "Okay! But if I ever do change
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-16THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE: JUST AN ADDRESS.
AXEL’S POV: No name. No number. Just an address scribbled on a card—my only clue to my destination. And yet, I was placing not only my fate but also that of the pilot in its hands as we flew through endless sky. This was our second day in the air, and I couldn’t help but wonder—just where the hell were we heading? It felt like the edge of the world. After the incident, there was no more room for hesitation. I had made up my mind. Sea wanted this, and I had to give it to her. Refusing her any longer wasn’t an option. She had already lost too much. Ryan, the one person she was comfortable with, had been sent away to handle business. That left Avery. The only other person Sea clung to like a lifeline. I had given strict instructions—let Avery settle in naturally, with Baron as the only security presence checking in from time to time. But I didn’t need constant reports to know what was happening. I had eyes everywhere. I saw everything. And what I saw… It was almost unnatural,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-19THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: UNKNOWN.
AXEL’S POV:I stepped out of the helicopter, my boots hitting the ground with a dull thud. The moment I did, an unsettling silence pressed in around me. The wind barely stirred the brittle grass, and the only sound was the distant hum of the helicopter blades slowing to a stop. The GPS had led us here, but this couldn’t be the right place. It didn’t make sense. The coordinates pointed to an active location, yet everything around me was abandoned—rundown houses with shattered windows, rusted fences barely standing, and trees stripped bare like skeletons. No movement. No sound. No sign of life. My jaw tightened. Was this a mistake? Should I turn back? The thought lingered, but I shoved it aside. I wasn’t the kind of man who retreated. If this was a setup, then so be it—I would deal with it the way I always did. I turned to the pilot. “Stay with the chopper. Keep it ready.” He nodded, and I moved. I slid a knife into the holster at my ankle, checked my gun before tucking it away
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-19THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN: MORE MYSTERY.
AXEL’S POV:I staggered to my feet, my knees bracing for whatever the hell this was. Her eyes rolled back, turning pure, blinding white. Her hair was now all black falling around her shoulders as the candlelight extinguished all at once, plunging the room into flickering darkness. "The problem you face," she began, her voice echoing in ways it shouldn’t, "would have been easy to solve. Forgivable, even. But because you do not know forgiveness—" She smiled, and it was vicious. "Your redemption is nearly impossible." The air pulsed. The room shook. She sounded possessed. No, she was possessed. "You have killed the innocent. A soul without sin. And so, you are cursed." My blood turned to ice. I squared my shoulders. "Cursed?" I scoffed. "By who?" She didn’t answer. Instead, her voice deepened, layered with something ancient. "The circle around your heart will never break—unless you find a virgin, one pure in heart, to love you earnestly, and then pray to the God you do
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-19
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THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & SIXTY-THREE: HUNGRY FOR MORE.
AXEL’S POV:“I would’ve followed you anywhere,” Avery whispered, her hands slipping around my neck, her body tightening beneath me. “I have died beside you, Axel. That should be enough proof.”I stilled inside her, the weight of her confession pressing down on my chest like a curse I couldn’t outrun.“Why now?” she asked, panting as she wrapped her arms tighter, pulling me toward her. “Why have this conversation now, Axel?”The urge to push myself all the way back in was infuriating, but I didn’t move an inch, savoring the way she begged with her eyes and her body.I tangled my hand in the back of her hair, holding her gaze. “Because it’s been eating at me.”Her eyes narrowed, suspicious. “What happened back there? Why did you miss the aim? One thing I know for certain—you’re a great shooter. If you wanted that man dead, he’d have dropped before I even arrived.”That was the thing. I was exceptional. Precise. Deadly.I slammed back inside her.“I don’t know,” I admitted, the words for
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & SIXTY-TWO: COUPLE'S TALK.
AXEL’S POV:As Baron left, the room finally settled into silence. I leaned back, the material creaking beneath me, shadows from the light stretching across the floor. My mind wandered—first to Sea, and how she’d surprised me. There was no tantrum, no cold stares. Just quiet acceptance. A daughter who’d been confused for years but chose love over resentment. She was more like Avery than I realized.Speaking of her—Avery sauntered into the living room like a flame in the dark, barefoot, legs bare, wrapped in a blood-red satin nightie that clung to her body like it had been painted on. Thin straps kissed her shoulders, the silk dipping low enough to tease the soft weight of her breasts. Every sway of her hips pulled me to her. Desire pooled low in my stomach, uncoiling like a fuse waiting to be lit.She walked over without a word and slipped onto my lap, her legs curling around me. Her lips found mine in a soft kiss.“Sea’s asleep,” she mumbled against my mouth.I wrapped an arm around
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & SIXTY-ONE: RED IS RADIANT.
AXEL’S POV:As Baron left, the room finally settled into silence. I leaned back, the material creaking beneath me, shadows from the light stretching across the floor. My mind wandered—first to Sea, and how she’d surprised me. There was no tantrum, no cold stares. Just quiet acceptance. A daughter who’d been confused for years but chose love over resentment. She was more like Avery than I realized.Speaking of her—Avery sauntered into the living room like a flame in the dark, barefoot, legs bare, wrapped in a blood-red satin nightie that clung to her body like it had been painted on. Thin straps kissed her shoulders, the silk dipping low enough to tease the soft weight of her breasts. Every sway of her hips pulled me to her. Desire pooled low in my stomach, uncoiling like a fuse waiting to be lit.She walked over without a word and slipped onto my lap, her legs curling around me. Her lips found mine in a soft kiss.“Sea’s asleep,” she mumbled against my mouth.I wrapped an arm around
THE WIFE YOU LEFT REMIND THEM WHO THE DON IS.
AXEL’S POV:Avery was bent over Sea, her brows tight with focus as she ran test after test to make sure our girl was okay. Her hands moved gently, like she was touching glass that might shatter. I stood close, arms crossed, jaw clenched, watching every emotion on Sea’s face.“Did anyone hurt you?” Avery asked softly, brushing a strand of hair from Sea’s forehead.“Did anyone ever touch you in a way you didn’t like?” I added, trying best to stay in control while waiting for her answer Sea looked up at us. Her eyes were bright but calm. She looked older than her years—seven years had done that.“No,” she said quietly. “Ryan never hurt me. He was always... kind. Protective. Present. He took care of me. Always made sure I had what I needed. He taught me things, helped me grow up. Like a father should.”I exchanged a glance with Avery. A bitter taste bloomed in the back of my throat.“And the marriage?” Avery asked gently. “Did he force you to marry that man?”Sea shook her head. “No. He
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FIFTY-NINE: WHOLE AGAIN.
AVERY’S POV:All this time, Baron and the rest of the guards stood still—positioned with militant stillness, their eyes never drifting from Axel and Ryan. They weren’t statues, though. You could feel the readiness in their posture, in the way fingers hovered just near triggers, how Baron’s gaze scanned every shadow like he expected a war to break out.Me? I kept scanning too. Old habits. But I didn’t feel cornered. Not with Axel here—and not with the numbers we brought. He’d made sure we had enough men. If this turned bloody, it wouldn’t end well for Ryan.Still, something in the air told me we were far from done.Defensively, Ryan snapped, “Her father kept her a secret to shield her from attacks.”Axel’s brows narrowed. “If you found yourself a mafia princess, why couldn’t you stick with her? Build your alliances the right way instead of giving away my daughter?” His voice turned lethal. “If her father is truly who you claim, then why not use that leverage?”Ryan’s jaw flexed. “Becau
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FIFTY-EIGHT: TRUE COL6.
AVERY’S POV:“No peace is worth her dignity,” I snapped, my fists clenched so tightly they ached. “You sealed her fate to get yourself out of trouble.”Ryan shook his head violently. “Don’t twist this. You weren’t here. Enemies were striking from all sides. The Russians in Tampa. The East Coast Syndicates in Italy. Everyone thought Axel was dead and Miami was up for grabs. I was just a name. They smelled weakness.”“You were weak,” Axel snapped. “And stupid. You believed that dirty-bag wouldn't touch her? You believed some overweight, power-drunk animal wouldn’t lay hands on my daughter the second she was his?”Ryan’s lip curled. “You think I didn’t struggle with it? That I didn’t weigh every option? I was desperate, Axel. Desperate to hold together what was left of your kingdom while you were dead. I didn’t have the luxury of morals. I had to survive. We all did.”“And for that,” Axel said slowly, stepping toward him until they were nearly nose-to-nose, “you offered her like a gift o
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FIFTY-SEVEN: GLAD I NEVER LISTENED.
AVERY’S POV:Thank God I didn’t listen.Something told me not to. The moment Axel walked out that door, tension still rolling off his back, I couldn’t sit still. My body wouldn’t let me. So I grabbed my bag, ignored the hesitant grumbles from his guards, and followed.Good thing I did.If I’d been a minute late—hell, a second—who knows what that fat slob would’ve done to our daughter or to Axel.As soon as I reached Axel, I caught him saving him from collapsing. He was trembling. The man who once bathed in the blood of enemies without flinching now couldn’t stomach the sight of one dead body. The irony was bitter.The place was chaos. Screams echoed from the hallway. People tripped over chairs, others bolted for the exits. The guards outside barked orders, trying to herd the crowd into some kind of formation, but it was like trying to sweep water uphill.I stayed inside, watching the mess unfold from behind the glass balcony window above. The moment was frozen in chaos—and then my eye
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FIFTY-SIX: THE UNEXPECTED BRIDE.
AXEL’S POVAs I leaned back in that leather chair, the scent of sandalwood and fresh polish settled into my nose. The office was polished. Immaculate. A clean display of taste, ambition, and new money. But my gaze wasn’t interested in decor—it anchored to the walls, to the shelves, to the little details most wouldn’t notice but I did.The picture frames.Dozens of them.Sea.Just Sea.Her tiny fingers wrapped around a paintbrush as she sat cross-legged in an art class. Sea grinning beside Ryan at a science museum, both wearing matching safety goggles. Her in a frilly tutu, mid-spin on a recital stage, wings on her back like some kind of seraphim. Ryan, lifting her on his shoulders as they fed a giraffe. Sea asleep on a couch with a book clutched in hand. Sea in a football jersey, cheering from the sidelines. And then Sea again—older—taller, her baby face giving way to teenage edges, beaming next to a golden trophy. Every phase of her life, etched in photographs, trapped behind glass.
THE WIFE YOU LEFT CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FIFTY-FIVE: FACING MY REFLECTION.
AXEL’S POV:Clearing my throat, “Cedric,” I said, my tone shifting as I stood up, brushing invisible dust from my slacks, “we have more to talk about. But for now, I have somewhere to be. Some examples to set.”I nodded toward him in thanks. “Thaddeus will take you back. I appreciate your help.”Avery blinked as I moved, her joy giving way to confusion. She stood too. “Wait—we’re leaving already? I thought…”I turned toward her, placing both hands gently on her shoulders. “Avery, there’s no ‘we.’ You’re staying home. Rest. I’ve been careless with you—almost lost you one too many times. I won’t make that mistake again. Take care of my child.”She tilted her head, stubbornness rising behind her eyes. “Axel… we’re a team. It’s you and I against the world. You’re not going anywhere without me.” “Avery, remember what I told you the first time we met?” I leaned in slightly, my voice dropping. “I. Hate. Repeating. Myself. Stay home and relax. We’ve been through heaven and hell.”She exhaled
