Все главы The Wife He Never Chose: Глава 1 - Глава 10

The rain started before Alina Virelle’s plane landed in Viremont.Cold droplets streaked across the airplane window, blurring the city lights beneath the dark sky.Nine twenty-three at night.Alina lowered her eyes to her phone the moment the signal returned.The screen lit up instantly.Messages flooded in one after another.Happy birthday, Alina! Wishing you happiness always! Have an amazing day! Miss you! Don’t work too hard!Dozens of notifications.Friends. Business partners. Old classmates.Even distant relatives remembered.Her thumb moved slowly across the screen.Then stopped.There was nothing from Lucien Drax.Not even a single word.The small smile on her lips faded quietly.For a moment, she stared at his chat box.Empty.Still, she typed first.Alina: I landed.She looked at the message for a few seconds before locking the screen.Maybe he was busy.That was what she told herself.Again.An hour later, the car stopped in front of

Alina Virelle woke up in a place that had no memories of him.That alone felt like silence she could finally breathe inside.The apartment was simple, clean, and unfamiliar. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed a city that didn’t know her name yet. No servants. No Drax Villa staff. No expectations waiting behind every door.Just her.She sat up slowly, brushing her hair back, letting the morning light touch her face.For a moment, she didn’t move.Not because she was sad.But because she wasn’t used to mornings that didn’t belong to someone else’s schedule.Her phone lay on the table nearby.It had been turned on again.And the notifications were still there.Dozens.Missed calls.Unknown numbers.Lucien Drax.Again and again and again.She stared at the screen without expression.Then placed it face down.And walked away.Viremont — Drax CorporationLucien Drax had not slept.His office lights were still on even though morning had already broken across the city.Reports were scattered acr

Alina Virelle didn’t expect him to come again so soon.But Lucien Drax had never been patient with things he considered his.And that was the problem.She was no longer one of them.She stepped out of her office building late in the evening.The sky was dim, the city lights already awake.Her assistant followed slightly behind.“Miss Virelle… there’s a car outside. It’s been waiting for you.”Alina didn’t stop walking.“Send it away.”A pause.“Ma’am… it’s Mr. Drax.”That made her slow down.Just slightly.Not surprise.Not fear.Recognition.Then she continued walking.“I said send it away.”Outside, Lucien stood by his car.Still.Patient in appearance.But the air around him was not patient at all.When Alina finally stepped out, their eyes met instantly.He didn’t smile.He never did when things didn’t go his way.“You’re avoiding even sight of me now?” he asked.Alina closed her coat slowly.“I’m not avoiding you,” she said calmly.“I’m living.”That answer made something tighten

Lucien Drax did not sleep that night.The words Alina left behind stayed in his head long after her car disappeared into the city lights.“You don’t miss me, Lucien.You miss access to me.”It irritated him more than it should have.Because part of him wanted to deny it immediately.But another partthe quieter part he hated acknowledgingcouldn’t.The penthouse remained dark as he stood near the windows overlooking the city below.His tie hung loose around his neck, untouched since evening.His phone vibrated again.Messages.Business updates.Three missed calls from Seraphine.He ignored all of them.For the first time in years, his attention wasn’t on work.It was on a woman who no longer cared whether he came home or not.And somehow…that bothered him more than anger ever could.The next afternoon, Alina attended a private investor event hosted by the Virelle Group.The ballroom glowed under crystal chandeliers while soft music flowed through the room.Business elites moved caref

The Drax estate felt different.Lucien noticed it the moment he walked through the front door.Not because anything had changed.Everything was exactly where it had always been.The paintings hung in the same places.The furniture remained untouched.The lights glowed warmly against the walls.Yet somehow...the house felt empty.For the first time, he understood that emptiness wasn't about space.It was about a person."You're home."Mara appeared from the dining room.Lucien gave a brief nod.His eyes moved around the foyer.Without meaning to.Without thinking.Searching.For someone who wasn't there.The realization irritated him immediately.He loosened his tie."Where's Elowen?""In her room."Lucien started toward the stairs.Then Mara spoke again."Sir."He stopped."Yes?"Mara hesitated.As if debating whether she should continue.Then quietly said,"Mrs. Drax used to wait here every night."Silence.Lucien slowly turned."What?"Mara looked uncomfortable."I just thought you