All Chapters of The Forgotten Wife's Comeback: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

[Isabella Hayes]I took a cab to the brunch spot Adrian had suggested we meet at. Sweet Cakes. He’s not exactly a big fan of sweets, although he has an unhealthy obsession with anything strawberry-related; meanwhile, I don’t like strawberries. No allergies; I just don’t like the taste of anything strawberry.We’re opposites in more than just our backgrounds.I was expecting a small cafe-style place from the name, but the actual spot was located in this large building that held other stores, restaurants, and many more. It was more of a mall than most malls I’d been to. Just extremely bougie. Everything there, from the kids' clothing store I spotted as I approached, had a price tag that was ridiculous no matter how I looked at it.Who would spend one grand for a onesie?My fingers were tingling around the strap of my bag.Sweet Cakes wasn’t a bakery or a cafe, in fact, the name was very deceiving. It was more of a bar than a bakery. With bright lights, multi colored flashing lights, a l

[Isabella Hayes]I cannot explain my reaction back there. I truly have no words for why I acted that way. I thought I was over the incident.Well, no, I knew I wasn’t over it. But I didn’t think it had affected me this badly. It reminded me of how my Alda used to hurt me physically. She was never content with just words like Chloe. Alda needed me to bleed one way or the other.I’ll never forget hiding out in my room and actually learning to love being at boarding school because it meant I was far away from her abuse and everything else that went down at that house.Adrian was my peace. Yeah, I never got into the full details about what was happening to me at home. I told him my family just wasn’t great, and he seemed to catch the hint, so he never pressed me for more information.The man I’d met in college would never have pushed me into the wall. I would like to think he’d be disgusted with this current behavior. But what if… what if the signs were always there and I had just missed

[Adrian Cole]I slept alone in the master bedroom for the first time since I got married. Isabella was usually always right there. Lying so close, I could feel her chest moving as she breathed. Her soft curls would have fallen over her face, and I would always brush them to the side, exposing her beautiful face.She was always right there. When I'd roll over, she'd be right there for me to pull into my arms.When I'd return late from a busy day, I could crawl into bed and know that she’s there.This time, I was very much alone. And I couldn’t understand why.Why was Isabella holding a grudge? She’s never been a spiteful person. She forgives a lot of things that people have done, and yet this time she’s chosen to punish me. I know I'm not perfect, but neither is she. I overlook her flaws, and I never bring them back to rub in her face. Olivia pointed out to me that Isa is just not meant for my world. Sooner or later, she was going to crack under the pressures of being a Cole wife. I d

[Ethan Blake]I couldn’t even remember what I’d said or done.Whatever it was, it had earned a laugh from her.A real, full belly— can’t hold yourself back— laughter.Not the polite smiles she gave to strangers in our social circle, or the soft chuckles she used when she was trying to be kind. This was different. It burst out of her before she could stop it, bright and unguarded.Her hand flew to her mouth immediately, as though she could somehow shove the sound back in.The gesture shouldn’t have affected me, but it did.God, it did.Her shoulders shook as she tried to contain herself, eyes watering slightly from the force of it. The restaurant’s warm lighting caught the blue flecks in her irises, making them seem brighter somehow.Beautiful.The thought arrived before I could stop it. I hated myself for it.Because she wasn’t mine to call that.She would never be mine. Not in this life.And every time I looked at her for longer than I should, every time I memorized another tiny deta

[Ethan Blake]“Call Callum, Ethan. Your older brother is hanging around this woman, who is clearly a gold digger. You need to advise him. Tell him the joys of being like you. Being single and careful.”Joys of being single? I’m not sure what my mother means by that. And no, I won’t be calling my older brother. What the hell does a forty-five-year-old man need from his thirty-two-year-old brother? The answer is nothing.Callum doesn’t listen to anyone. He’s never listened to anybody besides our late father, and that man was a piece of shit. They did not abolish the whole monarchy because the royal family was saints doing what’s best for the country of Valoria. They were assholes, planning to drag the entire nation to the ground.Callum isn’t as bad as our father. In fact, he’s not bad at all. Just stubborn and angry at me for being the one to help our mother survive the social and financial pitfall people tried to put her in.We’re not close. I don’t worry about him, mostly because I’m