All Chapters of His Wife On Paper : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Eliora's POVThe hospital waiting room was the perfect kind of sterile torture. The walls were painted a nauseating pale green, and the fluorescent lights hummed with a headache-inducing intensity. Everything felt too bright, too cold, a direct contrast to the frantic, bloody chaos I had just experienced in Kian’s office.I sat between Julian and Drew, my body rigid. Kian had been whisked away to surgery almost immediately. The nurse, who had regarded me with weary suspicion, had confirmed that while the wound was not immediately life-threatening, whatever the culprit used cut a little too deep.The silence was punctuated only by the distant beep-beep-beep of monitors and the soft scraping of Drew’s shoes on the linoleum floor. Drew, Kian’s step-brother, looked utterly devastated. He was slumped forward, running his hands repeatedly through his thick hair. His glossy eyes, which seemed permanently on the verge of tears, were fixed on the double doors of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Kian's POVThe fluorescent lights of the hospital room were too bright, and the sterile smell of antiseptic was too sharp. I woke to a dull, throbbing pain in my side, a constant, unpleasant reminder of the attack. My head felt clear for the first time in days, but my body was screaming protest. I was tethered to a machine that hissed rhythmically beside the bed.My immediate thoughts weren't about my physical state, but about the security breach. Someone had gotten past all my protocols, past my assistant, and past the electronic locks.My head hurt as I tried to remember. I didn't see his face, I didn't see the face of the one who stabbed me; it was all masked up, and he was dressed in black all through.How he got past my security? I didn't know.I groaned as I reached for the remote pad on the bedside table, wincing as the sudden movement pulled at the stitches beneath the bandages. I punched some numbers in the telephone close to me and brought it to my ear.The call connected i

Eliora's POVI turned swiftly, my anger and fear reaching a breaking point. “And what are you going to do? Are you going to force me to talk? Or what? Are you going to forcefully kiss me again!”The words hung in the air, heavy and sharp. Kian stood half-bent, gripping the sofa cushion. His face was pale from the genuine pain of moving too fast. But his eyes—those dark, intense eyes—were fixed entirely on me, shocked by my outburst.*Why the hell did you have to say that, Eliora? Do you want him to kiss you?*My mind screamed at my mouth’s sudden betrayal. The question, asked in a fit of pure frustration, sounded less like a threat and more like a desperate, subconscious plea.My face felt hot. I quickly tried to take the words back. **"You know what? Forget I ever said that."** I spun around, ready to rush out of the living room and lock myself in the guest suite."**Eliora, wait, just hear me out.**" Kian’s voice was rough, but no longer commanding. It sounded like he was truly stru

Eliora's POVThe city noise seemed to fade into a hum as I stepped out of my dead car. The heat of the asphalt radiated through the soles of my shoes, but I was focused on the man standing before me. Up close, he was even more striking. The black vintage muscle car behind him looked like a beast kept on a leash, and he looked like the only person capable of holding it.He wasn't just tall; he had an athletic build that filled out his dark suit in a way that spoke of power and discipline. His skin was a smooth olive tone, and his features were sharp—a straight nose, a strong jawline with just a hint of dark stubble, and those eyes. Those amber eyes were like looking into a sunset.“I… my car,” I stammered, finally finding my voice. My hands were shaking slightly as I clutched my designer bag. “I think I’m out of fuel. I was in such a rush this morning, I didn't even look.”He didn't move away. Instead, he leaned back against his car, crossing his arms over his chest. A slow, melodic ch

Eliora's POVI stared at the screen of my phone, my breath hitching in my throat. The three little dots appeared, dancing rhythmically as the anonymous sender typed a reply. Every second felt like an hour. Around me, the city hummed with life, taxis honking, people laughing in the distance, the smell of street food, but I felt like I was trapped in a vacuum of silence.The roses lay at my feet, bruised and broken on the damp pavement, a discarded symbol of a brief moment of happiness I wasn't allowed to have.My phone buzzed again."I want to see you lose everything, Eliora. I want to see the mighty CEO of Monroe Group crawl. I want to see that fake smile of yours shatter when the world finds out you're nothing but a liar playing house with a ghost."My knees felt weak. I leaned back against the cold stone of the building, my fingers trembling so hard I almost dropped the phone. They know. The threat was clear. They were peeling back the layers of my life, one by one.I didn't reply.