The Wild Heir and His Icy Bride

The second time they met, Rhys Lockhart had heard Elara Waverly never touched alcohol and couldn't stand noise. So, he deliberately set their meeting at a bar, danced like a maniac right in front of her, and then pressed a glass of sharp whiskey to her lips.He expected her to frown and shut him down. Instead, she leaned into his hand and drank the whole thing down, coughing lightly as the burn hit. Her red lips only looked more striking for it.Then she pulled out a white handkerchief and, without missing a beat, wiped the sweat from his temple. Rhys caught the scent of bluebells on the cloth, a perfect complement to the cool air she always carried about her.The third time they met was at a dinner gala. Rhys's rival sneered from his seat. "Rhys Lockhart is notorious for sleeping around. He never turns anyone down. It wouldn't surprise me if he's caught something by now."Elara Waverly marrying him is the worst luck of her life."Before Rhys could react, Elara's voice cut through

Rhys didn't have time to react. As they tumbled down the stairs, Asher used him as a cushion the entire way. His back and ribs slammed against every hard edge on the way down, and by the time they hit the bottom, the pain was searing."Someone call an ambulance!"Elara's voice, tight with panic, tore through the air above him. Rhys forced his eyes open and saw her sprinting in his direction.But she wasn't coming for him.She stepped right over his twitching body without breaking stride and went straight to Asher, who had nothing more than a few scrapes. She crouched beside him like he was something precious, her voice trembling as she asked if he was in pain.Rhys closed his eyes again. The stabbing pain in his legs was getting worse by the second, but it was nothing compared to the suffocating, tearing sensation in his chest.The ambulance arrived quickly. But Elara had only called one.She climbed in herself. When the paramedics asked if there were any other injured parties

A week later, a tabloid story about Elara went viral.The article was packed with screenshots, a full grid of posts Asher had made on social media over the course of the week.On day one, it was Asher sitting at Elara's bedside with red-rimmed eyes while Elara smiled up at him, soft and reassuring. Her expression overflowed with tenderness.On day three, Asher's caption read, "You are my forever". The photo showed Elara's peaceful face as she slept, and below it, a shot of their fingers laced tightly together.The last post was a video. Elara was being discharged from the hospital under Asher's attentive care. Reporters swarmed the entrance, calling out to her. "Ms. Waverly, is it true that Rhys Lockhart forced you to jump and caused you to lose the baby?"Elara said nothing. It was Asher, standing at her side, who answered, his voice trembling as if from nerves. "It was an accident on Mr. Lockhart's part. Please don't blame him."It sounded like he was defending Rhys, but it was

A week later, Elara and Asher's flight touched down back in the city."Ms. Waverly, today's schedule is packed. Mr. Hale would like to meet you in the conference room, and tonight's dinner has been arranged at the hotel."Riley stood in the study, running through the day's agenda as usual.Elara was listening intently, but her gaze drifted to a pendant sitting on her desk. It was a birthday gift from Rhys. Her thoughts caught for a moment, and she cut in abruptly. "How are Rhys's injuries?"Riley blinked. Ever since Asher came back into the picture, Elara had barely mentioned Rhys at all.Riley kept the answer professional, stripped of any personal feeling. "Mr. Lockhart's injuries were severe. When the security team found him, he'd been left in some back alley in below-freezing temperatures. He was barely alive."After a pause, Riley couldn't help adding, "The doctors said he'd been cut with multiple different blades. The pain would've been like being flayed alive. Even the toug

For a split second, Elara lost all sense of hearing. The only thing left was a deafening ring in her ears.Divorce certificate? What divorce certificate?There was no way Rhys had divorced her. And even if he'd wanted to, she had never agreed to it. How could a certificate even exist?A thousand thoughts tangled in her head, but she forced herself to land on the most likely explanation. The courier had probably made a mistake."Ms. Waverly? Are you still there?" the courier prompted.Elara drew in a deep breath and pushed down the wave of dread clawing its way up from somewhere deep inside her. She gave the courier the address and told him to deliver it here. She would see it for herself.The courier said he'd be there in five minutes. Elara had never known five minutes could feel so long. Every second dragged like an hour.And in the waiting, she finally noticed how odd her own reaction was.She didn't care about this marriage. She had never cared. The person she loved had alw