All Chapters of CEO's UNEXPECTED WIFE : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Maddison's POVHer thumbs hovering over her phone screen and her was mind blank; what could she say to him? The truth is that I currently stand in your office, about to break your trust because of a seed of doubt planted by my dear ex. A lie, even though it was simpler, just looked worse. She finished typing and the response felt very weak and false when she hit send.Maddison: Just enjoying the view. Be out in a sec.The lie was sent, the line was crossed and there could possibly be no going back. She had to know what was on the other side. Taking a last, shallow breath, she set the phone down, face down, cutting the connection to the other room. Her hands, now strangely steady, returned to the folder. With one firm tug, she opened it.The first pages inside were hers, and at the sight, a wave of something like relief washed over her. It was her application to the North Carolina Engineering Excellence Scholarship; the paper which had felt like a key to her whole future. She lifted th

Maddison's POV“Explain?” The word was a rough, unbelieving sound at the time in Maddison’s ears.Her trembling hand pointed to the papers, to the plan of her life that he had laid out in secret.“Explain what? What part? The part about paying for my education? Or the part about watching me when I was only seventeen and deciding that I needed to be your project?”“It wasn’t like that,” he said. His voice was starting to sound hopeless. “It wasn’t a project. It was… respect. Just respect.”“I’m telling you what happened,” Grant leaned forward, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the desk.“I was no more than a guest judge at the State Engineering Competition as I had been each year. I was doing a favor for a former teacher…A friend. I was bored. I couldn’t wait to get out of the place as soon as the competition finished. I’d already judged a dozen speeches. They were alright…they were smart kids. Nothing more."He stopped, his gaze digging into hers as if drawing her back into

Maddison’s POVMaddison’s new office as LEAD ENGINEER, the one that had been fought for, that had represented her victory over Marcus Vance, had a prison-like perfection that came with a stunning view of a place that no longer meant a thing to her. The office was expected to be filled with the scent of victory but it felt as if it was a carefully built trick.Twenty four hours. It had only been a day since Maddison had stood before the balcony of Grant’s penthouse apartment, the coolness of the air having been no more than a small relief from the aching pain of his betrayal. It had only been a day since the warning message of Tyler’s accident had shown on her phone, a hint of a long forgotten past that Maddison had been convinced had been pushed far away.Last night had been a silence that ached. No tears, no shouting. Only a great, empty gap that had opened between Maddison and Grant in his suite in his penthouse high over the city. She had moved her things into one of the guest room

Maddison's POV"He had to go back to working on the rigs," she could hear herself say. The words came out no more than a flat, toneless whisper. "His company failed.""Oh, yes. I see," Grant whispered, placing his hand on her shoulder.Her head jerked up. "You know?""Oh?" he repeated. "Yes. It is my business to be well-informed. It's needed knowledge. "His business was deeply in debt. Too much wasteful spending. Too many risks taken with projects that hadn't been tested. It is a huge failure."It is in the way Grant had said it, as if he were giving some sort of market report. It was simply not a statement of triumph but a statement of fact. There was no boasting here. It is simply…stating truth.And the truth is that although her star had been on the rise in Grant's carefully built world, in the real world, what was left ofTyler's star had continued to fall.The silence fell once more in the room. But this time, it was different. Not quite so awkward. More thoughtful. Maddison's eye

Maddison's POVThe photo she had received moments ago burned itself into her mind.Maddison's hand shook as she watched the image on her phone; Grant and the pretty woman from the first unknown message, sitting far too close to each other in a dimly-lit bar.As she opened the second image she hadn't noticed came through, Grant's hand rested on the lady's breast. They were like lovers caught in a private moment with their bodies turned towards each other with the closeness that came with many meetings.Her office seemed to have no air in it at that moment. The plans spinning on her computer screen blurred to meaningless streaks as she focused only on the horrible proof in her hand. A cold and sick feeling swept through her stomach and rose up her throat as if she might vomit.“No,” she whispered, her words spilling out like a prayer and a beg at the same time. “Not again.”Everything in her life had been brought into question; job, successes, her relationship with Grant, since she had