All Chapters of His Contracted Wife: When Revenge Meets Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Lydia tilted her head, studying Nina's pale face with clear amusement. For a moment, she said nothing, letting the silence stretch between them like a taut wire. Then she laughed. Not a polite laugh. Not even a mocking chuckle. A full, cruel laugh that made Nina's stomach twist and her skin prickle with dread."Well," Lydia said slowly, crossing her arms with deliberate satisfaction, "look at you. Standing there like you still have the right to be angry."Nina's fingers curled into fists, her nails biting into her palms. "Just say what you came here to say.""Oh, I will." Lydia's smile widened, revealing teeth that seemed too white, too sharp. "You deserve to hear the truth, after all. Every last word of it."She leaned closer, lowering her voice to something almost intimate, almost sisterly. The mockery in her tone made it obscene."That night… the wine you drank? I made sure it had a little kick to it."Nina felt the ground tilt beneath her, the walls of the room seeming to close in.

For a long moment, the boy didn't move. His wide eyes remained fixed on Nina, tracking her every movement with the careful caution only frightened children possess. The wariness in his gaze spoke of experiences no child should have. He looked ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.Nina noticed. She'd seen that look before… on her own face, years ago, reflected in bathroom mirrors after particularly difficult nights.So instead of moving closer, she lowered herself to the floor several feet away and leaned her head back against the wall. The cool surface offered some relief from the pounding in her skull."There," she murmured quietly, keeping her voice soft and unthreatening."See? I'm staying right here."The boy's shoulders remained tense, drawn up almost to his ears. But when she didn't approach him, when she simply sat there in the dim light, his breathing gradually steadied. The rigid set of his small frame began to ease, just slightly.Nina closed her eyes, grateful for the

The moment the storage room door swung open, the air seemed to shift. Everyone crowded in the hallway stared at the unconscious woman sprawled on the cold concrete floor. But Lucas Grant wasn't looking at the crowd.His gaze had already moved past them… straight to her. For several seconds, he simply stood there, absorbing the scene with the practiced eye of someone who'd built an empire on reading situations in heartbeats. The ladder positioned beneath the skylight. The narrow opening above, still gaping like an accusation. The faint night air drifting in, carrying with it the chill of what had happened here.And the woman. Pale.Unmoving. Vulnerable in a way that made something tighten in his chest.The arrangement told a story so obvious it might as well have been written in blood. Someone had locked her in. Someone had forced her to risk everything just to escape. Lucas's eyes shifted briefly to the manager hovering near the doorway. Her ashen face revealed everything… guilt, fear