Semua Bab Second Marriage to the Billionaire: Ex-Husband Begs Me Not to Go: Bab 561 - Bab 570

“By family background, Wendy is a better match for Archer. Your sister may be good, but she’ll never be worthy of him. If she were smart, she’d divorce him and let him go. Then the Luthers would remember us kindly. That would make everyone happy.”James almost laughed out loud.Everyone happy? Who’s “everyone”? Wendy alone?“Mom, my sister’s never divorcing Archer. Give it up.”He turned his wheelchair toward the door, but before leaving, he fixed her with one last hard look. “Mom, your daughter’s name is Aria—not Wendy. Don’t forget it.”The door closed with a sharp click, leaving Rachel frozen, a chill creeping through her.Her eyes drifted back to the tablet in her lap, to Wendy’s face on the screen.Who was her daughter, really? How could it be Aria? No—her daughter was Wendy, the one adored by everyone, beautiful and accomplished. Not Aria, that divorced woman shamelessly clinging to Archer.Her fingers brushed the glass over Wendy’s image, her gaze growing darker.The tr

If she had drowned that day, Rachel thought, at least the pain of seeing Lila’s shadow in her would’ve ended.She had prayed for it—willed it with every ounce of her hate—that Aria would die in that lake. She cursed her under her breath, wishing some restless spirit would drag her down, never letting her surface again, condemned to suffer there forever.But Archer jumped in.He didn’t hesitate, didn’t care about the freezing water. He plunged straight in and hauled her out.Rachel had seen Archer once before, at a dinner years earlier. He was only just a young man then, tall but still lean, his handsome face cold and detached. She’d only glanced at him, but she remembered. He was the heir the Duncans had already chosen. The Duncan family—one of the most powerful names in the country. That face stayed etched in her memory.So when she saw him that day, out on the lake with Ethan and his friends, she hadn’t thought much of it. She never expected a pampered heir like him to dive head

Even if the Spencer family couldn’t compare to the Jacksons, their son was still far beneath the Jackson daughters’ standards.But the engagement went through anyway. Aria was officially betrothed to Larry.From then on, Rachel drilled it into her day after day: how wonderful Larry was, how he was the perfect man to marry. And little by little, Aria believed it. She convinced herself he really was the best choice, that when she came of age, she would marry him.At the same time, Mark had feelings for Aria too. His mother, Lilian, knew as much, and knowing the Jacksons were wealthy, she started spreading rumors everywhere—that her son was the one who had saved Aria, that they were secretly engaged, that they had even kissed.Because the Jackson family had always believed Larry was Aria’s savior, they didn’t retaliate too harshly at first when Lilian slandered her.But Lilian took it as weakness. She kept fanning the gossip until nearly everyone in town had heard. The stories spread

It thrilled Rachel—it felt like true revenge against Lila.How could it not? Aria was Lila’s daughter. She should have been the most cherished heiress of the Luther family, destined for a marriage alliance with a powerful house. Instead, thanks to Rachel’s plotting, she had been pushed into marrying a man like Larry Spencer, a worthless scoundrel.Was Aria stupid? Not at all. She had been brainwashed. Her mother had told her day after day that Larry was good, that he was her “savior,” that he’d even fallen ill because of her. Through that lens, Aria saw him as the best possible husband.Rachel’s scheme had worked perfectly.Aria’s life had been ruined, while Rachel’s own daughter thrived as the Luther favorite. Old Mr. Luther gifted her an entire estate, Old Mrs. Luther handed her jewels worth millions, and Patrick and Lila spoiled her endlessly. She got everything she wanted.Meanwhile, the true daughter had been married off to trash. How could Rachel not be pleased?But she nev

Archer: “...”“You serious?” he asked at last.“As serious as it gets.” Aria tied the headband snugly onto his head, then darted under the covers. Curling up, she mumbled, “All done. I’m going to sleep now. You behave—no teasing tonight.”Archer: “...”He glanced at the tie binding his wrists, then shook his head when the little bell jingled. He almost laughed out of sheer frustration.It hadn’t even been a minute before the tie slipped loose in his hands. She’d tied it clumsily, and he’d only gone along to see what she was planning. He hadn’t expected her grand plan was to leave him bound while she drifted off, smug and satisfied.When his chest pressed against her back, his breath warm on her neck, Aria’s own breathing stuttered.And when he pinned her down again, she let out a small protest. “I tied you up! You can’t just—”That’s cheating!He clicked his tongue softly, whispering at her ear, “Next time, use handcuffs. Otherwise, you’ll never hold me.”And before she could