The Wife He Never Stopped Loving

Liana POVI almost laughed, out of every man in the world, she couldn't have chosen a worse one.Yes, Adrian Knight was young, devastatingly handsome, obscenely wealthy, and powerful enough to make the entire board answer his calls and they did think twice before crossing him, he was definitely every mother's dream son-in-law.But to me, he was the last man I would ever marry. "You'll have to find someone else."My mother's brows drew together as she leaned back in her chair, studying me with quiet confusion. "What's wrong with him?"I forced my face to remain blank, refusing to let even a flicker of panic betray me.How was I supposed to explain Adrian Knight?How was I supposed to tell her that the man she was trying so desperately to hand me over to had already seen every part of me a husband was supposed to discover after marriage?She couldn't know and if my mother ever found out Adrian had proposed months ago and I'd rejected him without a second thought, she'd probably drag me

Liana's POVIt had been an entire week since my mother had casually announced that she intended to marry me off to Adrian Knight, and somehow the reality of it still hadn't settled.Every morning I convinced myself she would come to her senses but at night I realized she hadn't.I sat alone on the main balcony overlooking the gardens, a cup of coffee warming my hands while the evening breeze drifted through the estate.The sun was beginning its slow descent, painting the sky in streaks of amber and crimson, but even a sunset as beautiful as this couldn't quiet the storm inside me but the silence didn't last long because I heard my mother's footsteps before she appeared beside me.She carried a porcelain teacup with the same effortless elegance she'd always possessed.There wasn't a trace of hesitation in her expression as she lowered herself into the chair next to mine. "You've run out of time, Liana."I stared into my coffee. "I'm not doing it."She sighed, "We can keep having the sa

Adrian POV Ivan and I rented out the strip club for a private show, watching the girls dance around the stage in skimpy thongs and tops that barely covered their nipples.Articles of clothing slowly fell to the floor, revealing more beautiful skin for us to gawk at.Ivan slipped a big bill into the thong of the woman who’d just given him a lap dance and I drank from my glass of scotch.The music boomed overhead, so Ivan raised his voice to talk to me. “I’m ready for the whorehouse, how about you? Or should we hit a bar and do this the old-fashioned way? You know, alcohol and romance?” He slapped the woman’s ass as she walked away.Liana agreed to marry me. I was a betrothed man, committed to a woman for the rest of my life.When I told her I wouldn’t keep my dick in my pants, it was an empty threat because I just hoped that would change her mind about sleeping with me. “I’m gonna call it a night.”“What? It’s just twelve.”“Yeah…I’m just not feeling it.”Ivan looked at the dozens of

Liana POV A few hours later, Adrian appeared in the doorway of my office and I was actually happy to see him.After the strange encounter with Rory earlier, seeing a familiar face was more comforting than I wanted to admit but that relief lasted only a few seconds.Then I saw the scowl on his face, whatever mood he'd walked in with, it clearly wasn't a good one.Adrian stepped inside and made his way toward my desk, taking the same chair Rory had occupied earlier that day.The sight of him sitting there briefly brought the earlier encounter back to my mind, but I quickly pushed it away. Adrian placed a stack of folders on my desk and without saying anything, he began moving papers around, sorting through the documents until everything was arranged neatly in front of him.It was obvious he'd come to discuss business, and I watched him prepare everything with the kind of quiet efficiency I'd become accustomed to.He looked irritated which was exactly why I decided not to mention my awk

Liana POV Instead of driving me home, Adrian parked in front of a restaurant.I looked out the window, realizing where we were, and immediately felt a strange tension settle over me.We'd already been in the car for about five minutes without saying a word and neither of us making any attempt to break it but now, realizing he wanted to prolong our time together only made me more tense.I couldn't understand why he hadn't simply taken me home, I remembered how comfortable I used to be with him and there had been a time when being alone with Adrian felt effortless.I could say anything that came to mind without stopping to consider how it sounded. I could tell him exactly what I wanted and I never worried about him making me feel foolish for it.I could even tell him how much I wanted him and back then, there had been no hesitation but all of that was gone now.Whatever ease we'd once shared had been replaced by something heavier and I turned toward him. “It’s been a long day,” I said