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CHAPTER NINE: The Decision

مؤلف: Asisipho Mloka
last update تاريخ النشر: 2026-04-22 19:30:57

Xavier’s POV

I do not make emotional decisions.

That is something my father drilled into me long before I was old enough to understand it.

Emotion clouds judgment.

Judgment builds empires.

And I was raised to build—

not to hesitate.

Not to feel.

Not to second-guess.

And yet—

I married Anna Santos.

Observation

I stand across the living room, watching her without announcing it.

She doesn’t notice immediately.

She rarely does.

Anna stands near the window, barefoot now, the polished floors cool ben
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  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SEVENTY

    The Truth Elena BuriedAnna's POVI stared at the words until my eyes began to sting.Elena gave him away.For some reason, those four words hurt more than the possibility that Lucas had been kidnapped.Because if Elena had willingly given away her own little brother, then everything we thought we knew about her had just changed."That's impossible," Mrs. Alvarez whispered.Her voice trembled."Elena would never do that."Dominic looked at the note again. "Maybe she had no choice."Xavier remained silent.I looked at him.He was staring at the hospital bracelet in his hand, his expression unreadable."Xavier?"He finally looked up."We're missing something.""What?""The message says Elena gave him away."He placed the bracelet on the table."It doesn't say she abandoned him."I frowned."What's the difference?""Everything."He picked up the note again."If Elena was trying to protect Lucas, giving him to someone she trusted may have been the only way to keep him alive."Mrs. Alvarez

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

    Before They Find HimXavier's POVI stared at the message on my phone until the words blurred.Before they find him first.Whoever had sent it knew exactly what they were doing.They had given us just enough information to keep us moving, but never enough to make us feel safe.Dominic stepped closer."What did they say?"I handed him the phone.His expression hardened as he read the message.Anna stood beside me, staring at the photograph of Lucas.She looked shaken.I couldn't blame her.A missing child was one thing.A missing child who had supposedly been erased from every official record was something else entirely."Xavier," she said quietly.I looked at her."What?""Why would someone want us to find him?"I didn't have an answer.And that bothered me.Because every clue we'd found so far had been connected.Elena.The file.The key.The photograph.Now Lucas.Someone had spent years arranging these pieces.And somehow, they had chosen Anna and me to put them together.Dominic l

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

    The Boy Who DisappearedAnna's POVFor several seconds, nobody moved.The envelope lay on the garage floor between us, its edges slightly yellowed with age. The words written across the front seemed to stare back at me.Ask about the boy who disappeared first.I read them again.And again.My stomach tightened."Who was he?" I finally asked.Mrs. Alvarez didn't answer.She was staring at the rocking horse as though it had dragged a memory from the deepest part of her mind."Mrs. Alvarez?"She slowly looked at me."I thought he was dead."The words were barely audible.Xavier stepped closer to her. "You knew about Elena's brother?"She nodded."Then why did you tell everyone Elena was an only child?"Her eyes filled with tears."Because I was told to."Dominic's expression hardened. "By whom?"Mrs. Alvarez looked toward the garage entrance before lowering her voice."I don't know his name."Xavier's jaw tightened."You're telling me someone erased a child from Elena's life, threatened

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

    The GiftXavier's POVNo one spoke.The message remained on every phone in the room.Check your garage. I left you something instead.A cold feeling settled in my chest.This wasn't a threat.It was an invitation.And I hated invitations from people who hid behind anonymous messages.Dominic broke the silence."It could be a trap.""It probably is," I replied.Clara folded her arms."Then we don't go."I looked at the silver key resting in my hand."No.""They want us to go.""They also want us afraid.""I'm done letting them control the game."Anna stepped closer until she was standing beside me."I'm coming."I didn't even look at her."No."She sighed."We've already had this conversation.""And my answer hasn't changed."She gently touched my arm."Xavier."I finally met her eyes."I'm not asking to protect you.""I'm asking you to trust me."For a moment...The room disappeared.There was only her.The woman who had somehow become my greatest strength.And my greatest fear.Becau

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

    Locker 317 Anna's POV Nobody spoke. The tiny silver key rested in Xavier's palm, catching the light from the chandelier. It looked ordinary. Too ordinary. How could something so small carry the weight of five years' worth of secrets? Dominic was the first to break the silence. "I'll have my team search every storage facility in the city." Xavier shook his head. "No." Dominic frowned. "Why not?" "If someone has been watching us this closely, they'll be watching every move we make." He closed his hand around the key. "The moment they see security searching for locker 317, they'll know we found it." The room fell silent. He was right. Whoever had sent the file wanted us to find the key. But someone else wanted us dead before we could use it. Clara stepped closer. "So what do we do?" Xavier's gaze swept across the room before stopping on me. "We go ourselves." Immediately, I shook my head. "Absolutely not." Four pairs of eyes turned toward me. "If they're watch

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

    The Hidden KeyXavier's POVSilence settled over the study.Not the peaceful kind.The heavy kind.The kind that arrived after the truth changed everything.No one spoke.Mrs. Alvarez sat quietly with tears glistening in her eyes.Dominic stood beside the fireplace, reviewing every page of Elena's file for what had to be the tenth time.Clara leaned against the bookshelf, her arms folded tightly across her chest.Anna...Anna hadn't left my side.I wasn't sure if she had moved closer to me...Or if I had unconsciously moved closer to her.Either way, our shoulders touched.Her presence steadied me more than I wanted to admit.Five years.For five years I believed Elena's death had been a tragic accident.Now every page in front of me suggested something far worse.Someone had hidden the truth.Someone had protected a killer.Someone had spent years making sure no one asked questions.My jaw tightened."They've been planning this for a long time."Dominic nodded."They're always one st

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER THIRTEEN : Under Observation

    Xavier & Anna’s POV---XavierThe board does not like surprises.And I have given them one.I sit at the head of the long conference table, hands resting calmly against polished wood, listening to quarterly projections without interruption.Numbers.Forecasts.Growth margins.All of it is presente

  • The wife they never expected    The Reception (Continued)

    Anna’s POV – PresentMadison’s perfume lingers long after she steps away.Sweet. Expensive. Familiar.It clings to the air like a memory I don’t want.I keep smiling.Because cameras are everywhere.Because weakness here would be fatal.Because this world does not forgive cracks.But my hands—My h

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER FIVE:The Reception

    Anna’s POV – PresentThe applause fades, but the stares don’t.They linger.Sharp. Curious. Measuring.My cheeks ache from smiling, but I don’t let it drop. Not here. Not now.Xavier’s hand is still resting lightly at my waist.Not possessive.Not intimate.But steady.Supportive.A silent reminder

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER FOUR:The CEO

    Anna’s POV I barely sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see red. The dress. The sheets. Madison’s smile. By morning, my eyes are swollen, but I still go to work. Because staying home would mean thinking. And thinking hurts. The office feels different when I walk in. Buzzing. Whispering. “

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