All Chapters of He wanted an heir, not a wife. : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Elara's povIn the vast silence of the dining room, the silk of my emerald dress whispered against my legs, a gentle, mocking sound. I chose this color because six months prior, Adrian had given me a three-second gaze that was longer than usual and said that it suited me. For six months, I lived for those three seconds.I moved the crystal water goblet just a little bit to the left. Everything had to be flawless. It was our first anniversary today, 365 days after I had walked down the aisle of St. George's, filled with a terrifying, innocent hope that I could be the warmth to melt the ice of the Kingsley legacy.The grandfather clock in the entry chimed nine o'clock. Following that, ten. The roasted lamb on the table was now a corpse rather than a dish. The rosemary infused juice had solidified into a drab, gray layer. As Victoria had instructed me, I kept my posture impeccable at the head of the table. "A Kingsley woman never slouches, Elara. Even when she is alone. Especially then.

Elara's pov After Victoria left, I remained in the morning room for a while. The sun moved, creating long, bony shadows of the window frames on the floor, and I remained there until the tea became sludge.‘Serena is back.’The name was familiar to me long before I ever met the person. I made the mistake of Googling him in an effort to close the distance between us during the first few months of our marriage. I had hundreds of images of them. Serena Vale, who had a grin that made her seem to own the air she inhaled and blonde hair. Adrian appeared differently in those images. His jaw was looser. He resembled a man who was still living, not a working machine.I got up, my legs feeling heavy. If I didn't take action, the walls would have eventually crushed me. The little conservatory with glass walls in the back of the house is where I spent the afternoon. The only location where things were permitted to grow without a plan. As I was repotting a dying orchid with my hands covered with

Elara's pov I sat on the cold tile of the bathroom floor, the plastic stick trembling in my hand. Two pink lines.​It was the very thing I had prayed for six months ago, believing a child would be the bridge to Adrian’s heart. Now, looking at those lines, all I felt was a cold, paralyzing terror. I wasn't carrying a baby; I was carrying the Kingsley's most valuable asset.​I heard the heavy click of the bedroom door. Adrian was back from his late-night study session.​Panic surged. I stood up, looking for a place to hide the test, but there was nowhere. The trash was too obvious. The cabinets were too shallow. I shoved the plastic stick deep into the pocket of my silk robe just as the bathroom door swung open.​Adrian stood there, his shirt unbuttoned halfway, looking tired and strikingly handsome in a way that usually made my breath hitch. Tonight, he just looked like a predator.​"You're still up," he said, his eyes narrowing as they tracked my pale face. "You look like you've seen