All Chapters of Beneath His Cold Vows: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Alicia's POV The first time I saw the photo, I thought it was fake.Elena shoved her phone under my nose while I tried to make sense of quarterly reports that looked like they'd been designed to kill brain cells. The screen was bright, the colors too sharp, like the world was about to laugh in my face."Sweetness," she said, her voice dripping with the drama she usually saved for office gossip. "Your husband is trending again."I didn't look up right away. Edward Valentine was always trending — business magazines, financial blogs, the occasional society page. He was the kind of man who looked like he owned the air people breathed, and for some reason, the world loved to watch.But there was something in Elena's tone this time. Something that made my chest feel tight, like my heart already knew before my eyes did.I glanced at the screen.And locked in place.Edward Valentine. My husband. Black tuxedo, cufflinks glinting, looking like sin and old money rolled into one. He wore that pr

The ground tilted under my foot."Your sister...collapsed," Edward repeated, his voice clipped, tight around the edges.Collapsed. The word rang in my skull, a bell struck too hard.My body moved before the thought fully formed. Bag in one hand, shoes barely on, I demanded, "What hospital?" My voice broke like it couldn't carry the weight of the words."St. Luke's," he said. "She's already in the ER."I didn't look at him. Couldn't. My pulse raced, chest constricted as if my ribs were closing in on my heart.We were out the door in seconds. The night hit cold and sharp against my face as we crossed the driveway.This couldn't be happening. Not again."I will drive you, you can't drive in this state," Edward said.I nodded.The car roared to life. Edward's usual collected driving vanished; he weaved through traffic with a speed that looked like it could keep my sister alive. His jaw was locked, eyes glued to the road, headlights carving tunnels of light through the rain.The city whipp

Alicia's POV The hours after surgery blurred into one long, aching stretch of waiting. The fluorescent lights in the hospital waiting room had lost their mercy hours ago. Since I arrived, they had cut through the quiet, making every shadow sharp, every line in my face obvious in the reflection of the glass wall I leaned against. The rain still hadn't stopped. It came in waves against the panes, rattling as if the storm was determined to test every wall and every heart in this place. I didn't know how long I'd been staring at the window before I noticed my parents again. They were huddled close together on the stiff vinyl chairs, shoulders pressed, my mother's rosary slack in her hand now that exhaustion had claimed her. My father's arm was curled around her, his head tilted back against the wall. Their eyes were closed, but it wasn't sleep. It was a collapse, born from carrying too much for too long. And they were shivering. The air conditioning in the waiting room didn't care tha

Alicia's POVThe room felt impossibly large in the quiet of the morning. Light filtered through drizzle-smeared glass, the rain now behind it. The city beyond looked washed clean, but it didn't reach me. Inside, the room smelled of antiseptic, stale coffee, and exhaustion.They'd been up once before, yet still sat, curled close together, faces slack with sleep. Their hands stayed entwined, my father's arm around my mother's shoulders. The thin jacket I'd given her and the scratchy hospital blanket I'd tucked around my father kept them warm.I crouched beside them, adjusting the blanket. My mother's hand was cold. She stirred but didn't wake. My father's breathing was shallow and tired. They had waited through the night while I paced, while my mind went wild with Elena's words.Edward was at the Avalon with Lucy. They weren't just talking. How he stared at her.I ran my hands over my face. My hair clung cold to my neck, eyes red and raw. I hadn't slept. I couldn't shake the thought—Edw

Edward's POV The afternoon light cut through my office windows in precise angles, illuminating the stack of newspapers Leo had arranged on my desk like evidence in a trial. Each headline was a variation of the same theme: speculation, innuendo, carefully worded questions about my marriage and Lucy's sudden reappearance in my life. "The Herald is running a follow-up piece tomorrow," Leo said, his fingers flying over his tablet as he scrolled through his notes. "They're calling it 'The Valentine Triangle: Business or Pleasure?" I leaned back in my leather chair, studying the headlines with the same detached analysis I applied to quarterly reports. The photos from the hotel were everywhere—Lucy leaning against me, laughing as if we belonged in that private, warm corner together, me looking relaxed and smiling in a way I apparently never did with my wife. The contrast was stark, intentional, and damaging. "Stock price?" I asked. "Down three percent in early trading. The board's been c