All Chapters of My Husband's Unwanted Wife: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Alice’s POVThe cold sank into my bones so fast it felt personal, like the night itself had decided I deserved punishment. I pounded the door again, then pressed my forehead to the wood, my breath fogging the glossy finish. “David,” I called, keeping my voice low at first, like I could shame him into opening it. Then I tried louder, because humiliation clearly wasn’t enough. “David, open the door. Please. Stop this.”Nothing.No footsteps. No latch. No irritated sigh from the other side. Just silence that felt deliberate.I fumbled for my phone, already knowing the answer, but panic makes you check anyway. My hands went to my bag next, and my stomach dropped harder. My bag and my mobile phone were both in David’s car. I’d left them there like an idiot, or like a wife who still believed her husband would come back for her.A wind cut down the front steps and snatched at the thin fabric of my dress. I wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing my hands along my bare arms, trying to create f

Alice’s POVMy best friend stepped in front of me again before I could even process what was happening, her shoulders squared, her jaw set like she was ready to go to war. She spread her arms slightly, instinctively shielding me, even though we both knew she couldn’t protect me from a man like David.David’s laugh was low and sharp, the kind that carried no humor at all. His eyes flicked over her dismissively before settling into something far colder. “The Neighleys’ affairs are none of the McKains’ business,” he said. His tone dropped, dangerous and deliberate. “Especially not the youngest daughter who’s done nothing but cause trouble. Or do you want me to tear up every contract your father lands next season?”I felt it immediately, the shift in the room. When David mentioned business, he wasn’t posturing. He was furious.I saw my best friend stiffen. Her lips parted, then pressed together again. Her fists clenched at her sides, knuckles whitening, and for the first time since we’d b

Alice’s POVDavid held me in his arms, carrying me out of Adam’s cottage in a huff. “Let go of me,” I said firmly, pushing against him. “You’re embarrassing me and yourself.”No reaction – a clenched jaw and tightened grip. I could tell he was annoyed with me, my words were nothing but background noise. “David,” I snapped, kicking once out of pure fury. “Stop!”“Shut up,” he hissed, goosebumps raising on my arms. It wasn’t because he was sexy or because I was secretly thrilled to be in his arms. It was simply a reminder of how dangerous he was when his pride was wounded. I was surprised when he set me in the seat firmly, not cruelly or gently, but like a child.With precision and efficiency, he leaned in to stop me from trying to get out and buckled my seatbelt around me. He was quick, harsh, and slammed the door in my face. It was intimate, deliberate, and anyone watching could mistake it for tenderness. They’d think I was loved but they’d be wrong.He got in on the driver’s side,

Alice’s POVDinner felt like theater.David sat beside me at the long ancestral table, his posture immaculate, his hand resting lightly against the small of my back whenever a servant approached, as if he needed the audience to believe in us. The table glittered with crystal and silver, candles throwing soft light across polished wood. Grandpa presided at the head, watching everything with sharp, satisfied eyes. Lily was nowhere to be seen. Exiled upstairs, humiliated and silenced. The victory tasted bitter.“Have some more,” David murmured, lifting my glass slightly as if encouraging me. His smile was gentle, practiced. The same smile he used at galas, in boardrooms, in front of cameras. The attentive husband. The devoted Neighley heir.I took a sip because refusing would have drawn attention. The wine was richer than usual, warmer going down, carrying a faint unfamiliar spice that lingered on my tongue. The air itself felt heavy, perfumed with incense that curled lazily through the

Alice’s POVSunlight woke me before memory did.It poured through tall windows in warm, unapologetic sheets, catching on the carved headboard, the heavy drapes, the gilded edges of a room that felt far too large for one person. I lay still for a moment, my body heavy, my limbs sore in a way that wasn’t pain exactly, but unmistakably intimate. The sheets were tangled around me, cool against my skin, and when I shifted even slightly, sensation flared everywhere at once.I sucked in a breath.My hand slid instinctively to my collarbone. My fingers brushed tender skin, then paused. I lifted the sheet slowly and stared down at myself.Love marks bloomed across my neck and chest, dark and unmistakable. Bruises, too, faint but there, like fingerprints I couldn’t erase. My lingerie was gone. Not folded neatly. Not discarded nearby. Gone.A pulse of heat shot through me, followed immediately by a rush of cold.Did it really happen?I sat up too fast, the room spinning briefly. My head throbbed