Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE WIFE YOU LEFT: Kabanata 161 - Kabanata 170

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

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

AVERY’S POV:Sleep had finally wrapped its arms around me, heavy and dreamless. The sheets tangled around my legs, and the weight of exhaustion from the day made my body sink deeper into the mattress. For once, I wasn't overthinking. I wasn't haunted by what I had seen on that balcony or the blood Axel had ordered spilled.But suddenly—I couldn’t breathe.My throat clamped shut as if someone shoved cotton down my windpipe. I jerked, trying to swallow, but there was no space for air. Only panic.I coughed. Thrashed. My lungs screamed for oxygen as my eyes flew open.And that’s when I saw him.Axel.Hovering above me like a shadow, his hand wrapped tight around my neck. His grip was brutal—his thumb pressed into my windpipe, fingers digging into the sides of my throat like he meant to snap it clean off. His body pressed over mine, pinning me down, suffocating me."A—Axel," I choked out, barely a whisper.His eyes were hollow. Not just blank—hollow. Like something had scooped the soul ou

AVERY’S POV:I thought she was leaving, but Katie stopped midway, her brow wrinkled as she turned back to me, the batter still in her hands. “Mrs. Blackwood… with all due respect, it’s my job to take care of this household. That includes making meals for you and Mr. Blackwood. If he's been cautious about who makes his meals, it's definitely not with me.”I closed my eyes briefly, trying not to snap. “Katie, don’t argue with me. Please—just let me do what I want.”The edge in my voice came out sharper than I intended. Frustration had been bubbling under the surface since yesterday, and this little back-and-forth nudged it past civility.Katie blinked, clearly taken aback.I sighed, immediately softening. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I just… I need this right now. Let me handle breakfast.”Her shoulders dropped in a slight nod. “Alright. Then I’ll take Mr. Blackwood’s coffee to him—”“That won’t be necessary,” I cut in. “I’ll make another one for him.”“It’s okay, Avery,” came a voi

AXEL’S POV:I leaned forward, palms flat on the wood.“First of all,” I began, “I owe every single person in this room an apology. For my absence. For what’s happened to MedixGen. And for the uncertainty it’s caused you.”A few heads nodded. Others watched, arms folded.“My wife and I…we needed time. Time to reevaluate things. Time to breathe after years of building an empire that never once let us rest. We didn’t think the empire would crumble behind us.” I paused, letting my lies sink in. “But it did. And I take responsibility for that.”There was no way I would open my mouth to narrate our ordeal to anyone. That would break my promise to Akira. “But I’m back now. And I promise you—” I looked around the table, steady and certain— “I will rebuild MedixGen. Not just to what it once was, but beyond. I’ll triple your profits, bring every failed investment back to life. I just need one thing—your trust.”The room was quiet, though not silent. There was a current of murmurs. Doubt. Restl