Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Unwanted Wife and Her Secret Twins: Kabanata 301 - Kabanata 310

Mia's POV"Morton," I said flatly. "It's six in the morning."Through the narrow gap allowed by the security chain, I could see him properly now. The split lip wasn't his only injury—there was a dark bruise forming along his left cheekbone, and his usually perfect hair was disheveled like he'd been running his hands through it all night.He looked like hell."Mia," he said, his voice hoarse. "I need to talk to you.""About what?" I kept my tone cold, uninterested. "If this is about Kyle—""It's about Scarlett."The name made me pause. Morton's eyes were bloodshot, the kind of exhaustion that came from not sleeping rather than drinking. His expensive suit was wrinkled, his tie missing entirely."What about Scarlett?"Morton winced as he spoke, the movement pulling at his split lip. "She hit me. Last night. And then she blocked my number, deleted me from everything. I can't reach her."I almost laughed. Almost."Good for her.""Mia, please—""No." I started to close the door, but Morton

Mia's POVI looked at the flowers that had been delivered.White gardenias mixed with deep purple irises, wrapped in kraft paper with a simple silk ribbon. Not the typical roses or lilies that most men defaulted to. "No card?" I asked Camille, who was hovering in my doorway with obvious curiosity."None that I could find," she said, stepping closer to examine the arrangement. "But they're gorgeous. Very sophisticated choice."I lifted the bouquet, breathing in the sweet. The smell transported me to the summer evenings, honeysuckle climbing over garden walls.I knew it had to be Thomas.He was the only person who would choose something so thoughtful.I placed the flowers on the windowsill where the afternoon light would catch them. The purple irises seemed to glow, their color shifting as clouds moved across the sun outside.Then I continued working.The residential renovation I was designing had been challenging me for weeks, but today something had clicked. I pulled up the original

Mia's POV"Mom, look!" Alexander rushed over first, holding a cute cupcake decorated with rainbow sprinkles and what appeared to be a lopsided smiley face made of chocolate chips.His gray eyes sparkled with pride as he held up his creation, completely oblivious to the frosting smeared across his cheek and the flour dusting his dark hair. The cupcake was slightly crooked, but his beam of accomplishment could have powered the entire city block."Look, Mom!" Ethan appeared beside his brother, more carefully cradling his own small cake. His creation was characteristically precise—vanilla cupcake with methodically applied chocolate frosting in perfect swirls, topped with exactly six rainbow sprinkles arranged in a symmetrical pattern."These are incredible," I said, crouching down to their level and accepting Alexander's enthusiastic offering. The cupcake was still warm, the frosting slightly melted from his small hands. I took a careful bite. "This is definitely the best cupcake I've eve

Mia's POVI stood in my kitchen, phone pressed to my ear, listening to Thomas's apologetic voice explaining that his Chicago meetings had been extended another day."I'm sorry, Mia," his voice crackled through the speaker, the connection spotty. " I won't be back until tomorrow evening.""It's fine," I said. "These things happen.""Are you sure?"I glanced toward the living room where Alexander and Ethan were building an elaborate fort out of couch cushions, their voices a constant stream of excited chatter about structural engineering and optimal pillow placement."Just a long day," I said. "when you get back, we can talk."After we hung up, I ordered Thai food from our favorite place down the street, requesting extra spice on my pad thai. I needed something that would burn away the lingering taste of anger.For the boys, I made their usual favorites—grilled cheese sandwiches cut into perfect triangles and apple slices arranged just the way they liked them."Mama, what's that smell?"

Mia's POV"Are we in trouble?" Ethan asked."No, you're not in trouble," I assured them quickly. "But I need to understand where you found them. Can you show me when we get home?"Alexander nodded enthusiastically. "We found them in your nightstand drawer! There were two of them, but we only brought one to school because Ethan said we should save the other one for later."My face burned again."We thought they were special balloons because they were in a fancy package," Ethan added."And they were hidden away like treasure!" Alexander chimed in."This isn't about being in trouble," I said. "But next time you find something new, can you ask me about it first? Sometimes grown-ups have things that aren't safe for children to play with."Both boys looked at each other."Even if it looks like a toy?" Alexander asked."Even if it looks like a toy," I confirmed."Like Mama's wine?" Ethan asked seriously. "It looks like grape juice, but it's only for grown-ups?""Exactly like Mama's wine," I