All Chapters of Condemned Wife's Compliance: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

She was still shaky as she sat on the couch opposite her husband. Felix had left, and only she remained in the mess he had created for her. She still could not get herself to breathe properly. How could anyone breathe in the mess she was in? She was still nauseous and shaky. She had tried to plead with her husband after Felix had run off, but he was not hearing her. Now out of words and unable to plead anymore, she sat there shaking like a leaf. Was this how her marriage was going to come to an end?She looked at her husband, tears in her eyes. Shaking in part from the chill of her scantily covered skin, the fear, and the shock of the night’s events, she looked pitiful. But there was no sympathy in her husband’s eyes. Only hate. Hate and disgust.She wanted to curl over and be left alone. But he insisted on interrogating her, ignoring and/or dismissing every answer she gave him.“How long has this been happening?” he asked her.How could he ask her this? She had told him that nothing

She wasn’t going to spend her life wallowing in misery. That’s what Adrea told herself as she picked up the book she had abandoned for a week. A week in which Rafael hadn’t come home, and she had been unable to reach out.She heard a car in the driveway. Her body went still. She knew that engine’s low, purring sound. She rose too quickly, the rush making her vision speckle with black dots. When her sight cleared, she moved to the window.He was home.Rafael stepped out of the car with the same stiff grace she knew by heart. He pulled an overnight bag from the back seat and turned toward the house. As if he sensed her watching, he looked up.She flinched, stepping back into the dim room. Her reflection in the glass caught her off guard—pale, lips colourless, hair in a limp bun. She barely looked like herself. But none of it mattered. Her heart was pounding too loud to care.A choked sound escaped her before she could stop it. She pressed her palm to her chest, willing herself to breathe

A bright ray of sunlight filtered through the window and into the room. The shadows of the window frame made the morning look more cheerful than it was. Andrea looked outside and the green lawn and colourful flowers in the garden could not keep her cheerful. They made her feel more depressed. They made her more aware of where she was.She had just agreed to the open marriage and then had sat there as her husband had laid out the rules of their so-called open marriage. No taking their lovers to their home, no taking their lovers where reporters could see. His What would people think if the marriage between the two great families was less than loving? What Would the directors and shareholders of their respective companies think?His family already though the worst of her thanks to his brother, but her family needed to not know about her failing marriage. They were waiting for the slightest chance to take what her father left for her. They were waiting for a chance to pin her under their

Adrea had heard about the tall Greek god with wavy brown hair that he wore just past his cheeks or tied up. She had heard about his grey eyes that seemed to see everything. And the physique that everyone seemed to be talking of. With his partiality to leather coats and jackets, he oozed danger. He was everything her father had both admired and, at the same time, had taught her to keep away from.Aris Zervas. Adrea had been fascinated by him at the poker table. He was a pro. One of the few that her father admired.She remembered a specific night when she had first met him. Her father had allowed him to come with him to play one of her first few high-stakes private games. She remembered that night her father and the people round the table had let her join. It had been a joke that there were two Galanises on the table, one of each type. He had walked into the room when the group was settling down at the table. The smile that had been on her face from something her father had said faded. S

Adrea woke with a groan, the ache in her head pounding in sync with her heartbeat. Her mouth felt dry, her limbs heavy, and her entire body sluggish. She opened her eyes and noticed one thing immediately. The ceiling above her was unfamiliar. It was white with gold inlays and an artistic light fixture that looked like it belonged in a luxury design magazine. This was definitely not her bedroom. Where was she?She sat up.Bad idea.The world tilted for a second, and she had to brace herself against the silky-soft sheets that smelled faintly of cedarwood and something darker, more masculine. Then she heard the sound—soft, amused chuckling.“Morning, Spunk.”Her eyes flew to the figure lounging on a low armchair near the foot of the bed. Aris Zervas. She could not help but notice he was shirtless. She blinked. Yeah. He was still bare chested with grey joggers slung low on his hips and a steaming mug of coffee in his hand. He looked maddeningly well-rested.She, in contrast, felt like she