All Chapters of The Billionaire's Strained Wife: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The afternoon dragged.Hezekiah sat at her desk long after the office noise softened into its usual hum, staring at her screen without really seeing it. Numbers blurred. Words lost meaning. Her body felt heavy in a way sleep wouldn’t fix.Her hand moved almost on its own, opening a blank document.No title.Just words.Dear Sir,She stopped. Deleted it.Tried again.This letter serves as my formal resignation—Her fingers froze.Resignation.The word felt final. Terrifying. And yet—relieving, in a way she couldn’t explain.She leaned back in her chair, one hand drifting unconsciously to her stomach, thumb pressing lightly against the fabric of her blouse as if she could feel something there already.“I can’t do this,” she whispered.She didn’t want to abort.That certainty had arrived quietly, without debate. Fear was there—constant, sharp—but beneath it was something steadier. A line she knew she wouldn’t cross.If she stayed, everything would eventually collapse. If she left… maybe

The name didn’t register at first.Shela opened her mouth—then closed it.“No,” she said softly. “No. That’s not—”“I know,” Ziah whispered. “I know what it sounds like.”Shela took a step back, stunned. “Your boss?”“He was,” Ziah said. “Before everything went wrong.”“When?” Shela asked. Not angry. Just shaken.“The first time was at Mr. Ramada’s birthday,” Ziah admitted. “Then again—three weeks ago. On the work trip.”Shela let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. “I read stories like this. I just never thought I’d be living one.”Her eyes hardened. “So you cheated. That’s why you broke up.”Ziah hesitated. “Partially. Yes. But not only that.”Shela frowned. “What do you mean?”“I caught him kissing someone outside his condo,” Ziah said quietly. “The girl admitted they had a one-night stand.”She exhaled. “So I ended it. Without telling him the truth.”Shela stared at her. “Jesus, Ziah…”“I know,” Ziah said. “I know it’s horrible.”Shela pressed her lips together, the pieces clicking i

Three Months LaterThree months changed people.Not all at once. Not enough for anyone to point and say something’s wrong. But enough for Darius Hidalgo to feel it every time Hezekiah entered a room.She moved differently now.Be more careful. More deliberate. Like her body had become something she had to negotiate with instead of command.He noticed it first in the mornings.She arrived on time—always on time—but no longer early. Her heels had been replaced by lower ones. Practical. Sensible. When she thought no one was watching, she rolled her shoulders as if easing a quiet ache.“Good morning, sir,” she said, placing a folder on his desk.Her voice was steady.Her face was not.There was a faint pallor beneath her makeup. A tightness around her mouth that hadn’t been there before.“You’re late,” he said without looking up.She froze for half a second.“By four minutes,” she replied calmly.He lifted his gaze. “You’re never late.”A pause.“I suppose that changed,” she said.It sho

The transition from the terrace to the office was cold and silent. Valen led the way, his cane clicking against the marble floor with the rhythm of a judge entering a courtroom. They bypassed the living room and the curious staff, heading straight for Valen’s private office—a room of dark oak, leather-bound books, and suffocating silence.Valen sat behind his massive desk. Pearl stood to his right, her arms crossed, her face a mask of cold calculation. The cousins—Ace, Adrian, Archer, and Anya—filed in quietly, leaning against the far wall like a silent jury, their eyes wide as they watched the drama unfold.Darius didn't sit. He pulled a heavy leather chair to the center of the room and forced Hezekiah into it, then stood behind her, blocking the exit."We will not have a bastard child in this lineage," Valen announced, his voice bouncing off the mahogany walls. "The solution is simple. You will marry Darius. We will expedite the license. The wedding will happen before the month ends

The guards closed in, their presence a silent, wall-like reminder of the Hedalgo power. Hezekiah began to follow them, her spine rigid, but with every step away from the office, the air seemed to thin.The adrenaline that had fueled her defiance was draining away, leaving behind a cold, hollow exhaustion. Her vision began to fray at the edges, the ornate gold-leaf frames on the hallway walls blurring into long, jagged streaks of light."Ms. Peterson?" one of the guards asked, noticing her stagger.She didn't answer. She couldn't. Her heart was a frantic bird hitting the cage of her ribs, and a sudden, sharp pressure spiked behind her eyes. The floor, once solid marble, now felt like the deck of a ship in a storm."Darius..." she gasped, her voice barely a thread.In the office, Darius heard it—the ghost of his name. He was at the door in a second, pushing past the guards just as Hezekiah’s knees gave out. This time, there was no fight in her. She collapsed like a broken doll, her head