All Chapters of Bullied Wife In A Contract Marriage : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

~ Gideon ~I sat in my study, the leather chair creaking as I leaned back. The clock on the mantel read 1:00 AM. Amara's words still hung in the air, even though she had left two hours ago."I am done being the price other people pay."I picked up my pen, then set it down. I reached for the scotch instead. The liquid burned going down, but it didn't erase the look in her eyes. She had been angry. Not the quiet, shrinking anger I was used to. Something sharper.I told myself she was being dramatic. Overly sensitive. The contract was clear. She had security, status, everything a woman from Linden Row could dream of. And she wanted to throw it away because of a seating chart?But the way she said her name. Amara Rose Kline. Not Moore. She had never done that before.My phone buzzed. I ignored it. I didn't want to hear Adrian's voice asking if I had "handled the domestic situation." I didn't want to explain that I had handled it exactly as I always did—by making her feel small enough to d

~ Amara ~I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my suite and smoothed the front of the black evening gown. The fabric felt heavy against my skin. It looked perfect, just like Helena wanted. The neckline sat high, the sleeves long, and the cut made me look taller than I felt. I turned sideways and checked the hem. No wrinkles. No loose threads. Everything in place.My hands moved slowly over the material. I had practiced this look for hours earlier. Hair pulled back neat. Makeup light but even. Lips a soft neutral color. I looked like the wife Gideon needed for the Moore Family Foundation Gala tonight. Calm. Put together. Invisible in the right way.But inside, my stomach twisted. The packed bag waited in the library, hidden behind the heavy law books on the bottom shelf. The job offer sat in my secret email folder. The first paycheck had already hit my private account. Everything was ready. Tonight would be the last time I played this role.I picked up my small clutch from the

~ Gideon ~“She didn’t join the final toast,” I said to Adrian as we stepped off the small stage.Adrian adjusted his cufflinks and gave a short laugh. “Maybe she went to the powder room. Or maybe she finally had enough.”I ignored the jab and scanned the ballroom. The crowd still clapped for the Kline Logistics announcement. My mother stood near the bar, smiling at donors. Selene laughed with a group of cousins. But Amara was nowhere in sight.I checked my watch. “She knows the schedule. We need her for the photos.”Adrian sipped his drink. “You sure about that? She looked ready to leave when Selene whispered in her ear earlier.”I frowned. “Selene was just being Selene. Amara handles it.”We moved through the crowd. People shook my hand and congratulated me on the subsidiary expansion. I nodded and smiled the right way. Inside, something felt off. Amara usually stayed close during these events, quiet but present.I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick text. “Where are you?”No r

~ Gideon ~I walked into Helix Tower at six in the morning with my tie already loose. My head felt heavy from the scotch I drank last night. The security guard at the front desk nodded at me like always. I did not nod back. I went straight to the private elevator and hit the button for the top floor.My phone buzzed again. Another message from my mother. I did not open it. I already knew what it said. Fix this. Do not let the name suffer. I stepped out on the sixty-fourth floor. The office was quiet. Only a few lights were on. My assistant jumped up from her desk when she saw me."Mr. Moore, the board called twice already," she said fast. "They want to know about the Kline announcement and why Mrs. Moore was not at the final photos."I stopped at her desk. "Tell them I will handle it. Get me Adrian in my office in five minutes."She nodded and picked up her phone. I walked into my office and shut the door. The city looked gray through the big windows. I dropped my briefcase on the cha

~ Gideon ~I pushed open the door to Amara’s old room in the east wing. The hallway light spilled in behind me and made long shadows on the floor. I stood there for a second before I stepped inside. The air felt still. Too still.My shoes made soft sounds on the carpet. I walked to the center of the room and looked around. The bed was made with tight corners, like Maribel’s staff had already cleaned it. But they had missed some things. Dust sat on the nightstand in a thin layer. A small smudge of charcoal marked the edge of the windowsill.I opened the closet doors again. The fancy dresses still hung there, neat and untouched. But her simple blouses and jeans were gone. Only empty hangers swung a little when I moved the door.I turned to the dresser. The velvet box with the diamond necklace sat exactly where I had left it weeks ago. She never opened it. I picked it up, felt its weight, then set it back down.My eyes moved to the floor. A small piece of paper lay under the bed, half hi