ห้องสมุด
ค้นหา
หน้าหลัก / Romance / The Perfect Wife Walked Away / Chapter Fifteen: The One Holding it Together

แชร์

Chapter Fifteen: The One Holding it Together

ผู้เขียน: Anney GW
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-01-05 19:03:25

David’s POV

The car engine growled under the hood, like something trapped and restless. I eased off the gas, let the speed drop, and pulled into the familiar private club, downtown. Neon lights cut through the dark, cold and impersonal.

I needed noise. I needed alcohol. I needed something to press down the irritation sitting heavy in my chest.

The moment I pushed the door open, sound and smoke rushed at me — laughter, clinking glasses, the sharp mix of whiskey and tobacco. This place had always been a refuge. No deals. No family. No domestic complications.

“Look who it is — husband of the year.”

Mark was already halfway through his drink, grinning like he’d been waiting for me. James sat beside him, nodding along.

I took the empty stool. The bartender slid over a Scotch with double ice, without asking.

“So,” Mark said, clapping my shoulder, “did Mrs. Newcombe finally give you a night off?” He laughed. “My wife was just saying yesterday, she envies Alice. Says she’s got you so well tak
อ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้ต่อได้ฟรี
สแกนรหัสเพื่อดาวน์โหลดแอป
บทที่แล้ว บทต่อไป
บทที่ถูกล็อก

บทล่าสุด

  • The Perfect Wife Walked Away   Chapter 25: Support from Unexpected Quarters

    [Alice’s POV]The cold, sharp smell of disinfectant assailed my senses.Consciousness awakened before my body, floating heavily beneath a murky surface. An electronic ‘beep-beep-beep’ chirped monotonously in my ears, acting like some kind of anchor, dragging me back bit by bit from nothingness.My eyelids feel so heavy that I struggled to open them. My body feels like it has been disassembled and reassembled. Every part of me is screaming, and pain flares especially cruel in my lower abdomen, which throbs relentlessly. But the tearing, almost suffocating pain I had become accustomed to, seemed to be temporarily suppressed — by some kind of medication?Traumatic fragments of memory flooded in: Camilla’s frantic cries, Lily’s poison sting, the dull thud of the medal falling to the floor, Sarah’s tears, Adam’s anxious face... Finally, the cold touch of the floor, and Camilla’s terrified cry.My heart constricted, momentarily over-riding the pain in my abdomen, tearing a gasp from dry lip

  • The Perfect Wife Walked Away   CHAPTER 24: Reclaiming What’s Hers

    [Alice’s POV]“Adam, don‘t blame Camilla,” Lily interjected, putting her arm around Camilla‘s shoulder in a protective gesture. “What does a child know? She just wanted a nice Family Day.”Sarah grabbed my hand and tried to whisper, “Aunt Alice, who are they? They‘re not being nice, are they?” But her hushed little voice carried clearly.Camilla looked at me. I could tell she was analysing the situation. Her mother was tucked up on a sofa at Adam’s house, and a little girl was tugging on my hand. She watched as Sarah snuggled closer to me, clearly at ease in my company.That familiar gesture was even more natural and loving than when Camilla was holding Lily‘s hand on the sports field.With an accusing frown, Camilla took an aggressive step forward, pointed at Sarah, and demanded in a shrill voice, “Who are you? Why are you cuddling my mother?”Sarah jumped in alarm and shrank closer to the sofa. She protested loudly, “I‘m Sarah. Auntie is sick and I‘m taking care of her! We have to l

  • The Perfect Wife Walked Away   CHAPTER 23: A Welcome Sanctuary

    [Alice’s POV]Adam lowered me onto the soft sofa, propping pillows under me where I lay. “Stay flat. Don’t strain,” he commanded.Sarah came hurrying back, breathless, holding a plastic cup nearly filled with steaming warm water.“Here, try to drink, lady,” she said, her voice like a soft cloud. “It helps the pain go away. That’s what Mommy does when I have a cold.” Her big eyes were filled with pure, honest kindness.This genuine care — free of any judgement or hidden agendas — felt like a small fire in a frozen world. Unexpected. Welcome. Comforting.I took a few sips. The warmth spread through me, easing the tension a little. “Thank you, honey,” I managed. I tried to smile but it felt brittle.“Uncle Adam, her hands are so cold.” Sarah rubbed her own small palms together and then tucked my fingers inside them, to share her warmth. “See? Now they aren't cold.”Adam watched us, a flicker of softness in his expression.He went to the kitchen and returned with electrolyte water and a h

  • The Perfect Wife Walked Away   Chapter Twenty-Two: Don’t Embarrass Me

    [Alice’s POV]I was about to respond, but a violent, white-hot spasm tore through my lower abdomen.The pain came without warning. It felt like something was being ripped apart inside me. I doubled over, the medal clattering onto the wooden bench next to me.“Mom?” Camilla’s smile faltered. She looked annoyed, then confused. “Are you mad? Because I didn't want you to play?”I couldn't breathe, let alone speak.A cold sweat broke across my forehead. I recalled the warning from the clinic: Uterine fibroids complicating a pregnancy.My body was like a glass house. The pregnancy hormones and rich blood supply were feeding the fibroids, making them grow aggressively. This pain was a warning. I was fully aware that the next stage could be hemorrhage.Nobody knew about the baby. Not even David, since he classified its existence as a ‘performance’. A fabrication.I had imagined a hundred beautiful ways to tell everyone, but now, the ‘perfect’ Lily was standing just a few yards away, acting l

  • The Perfect Wife Walked Away   Chapter Twenty-One: Just a Little White Lie

    [Alice’s POV]I walked into the kitchen this morning and found it waiting for me on the island marble countertop.A pink cardstock flyer, tucked neatly under Camilla’s backpack. It had that crisp, pretentious finish, typical of Santa Monica private schools.[FAMILY DAY – PARENTS & GUARDIANS WELCOME]Friday Morning: Field Day, Family Picnic, and PortraitsI stared at the date for two seconds, my heart skipping a beat. No!Today was Friday!The image of Camilla standing alone alongside the track, watching other kids high-five their parents, hit me like a physical blow. The guilt was suffocating. David was right about one thing: no matter how much of a train wreck our marriage was, I couldn't let it ruin her childhood.Without thinking, I grabbed my keys and flew out the door.The school grounds were a sea of blue and white flags, hydrogen balloons, and branded backdrops. The air smelled of expensive sunscreen and fresh-cut grass. The cheering was so loud, it felt abrasive.I spotted her

  • The Perfect Wife Walked Away   Chapter Twenty: Wrongfully Accused

    Alice’s POVHe let out a quiet, self-mocking breath. Then he reached for his clothes, crumpled on the floor. He started to dress, buttoned his shirt — slowly, one button at a time.His fingers had become steady. More controlled. As if the man who had just clung to me, unravelled in my arms, needy and almost boyish, had never existed at all. A remarkable transformation.For a second, I honestly wondered if I’d imagined him being vulnerable.“Yeah,” he said finally. His voice had already shifted; back to that familiar low, contained tone. Professional. Detached. Almost ironic. “I shouldn’t have pushed you when I was like that.”It sounded considerate. Reasonable. But what I heard was retreat. Damage control.He was sealing off the moment, cleanly, efficiently, and putting me back where I belonged: somewhere safe, distant, and irrelevant.The room went quiet. He didn’t look at me. As he dressed, his gaze hovered somewhere near the nightstand, unfocused, like he was doing mental math or r

บทอื่นๆ

บางทีคุณอาจจะชอบ

สำรวจและอ่านนวนิยายดีๆ ได้ฟรี
เข้าถึงนวนิยายดีๆ จำนวนมากได้ฟรีบนแอป GoodNovel ดาวน์โหลดหนังสือที่คุณชอบและอ่านได้ทุกที่ทุกเวลา
อ่านหนังสือฟรีบนแอป
สแกนรหัสเพื่ออ่านบนแอป
DMCA.com Protection Status