All Chapters of The Contract Wife : Chapter 21 - Chapter 29

AlexanderI had built my life the way I built my business: systematically, without sentiment, with every variable accounted for. Bella Anderson was a variable I had dramatically miscalculated.I didn't see it coming. It was so hard to find all my hard work in ruins. She was my only solution. I had to put things together to make sure I saved my reputation. At midnight, my thoughts raced drastically without any end. I was uptight about having her around, and yet she had an irreplaceable value to being my wife. She was virtuous; this alone made my business partners see me differently. A man of respect and a man of his word. They always whispered, “Just look at his beautiful wife." It was always a proud moment for me. I was pleased and happy each time I heard comments like that or anything similar. Across my desk was a window which showed Bella's window too. I was taken aback when I saw her light was on across the corridor. I grabbed my pen and forced my head down. I tried to focus

Bella I could barely hear what Alex and Ethan said to each other in the study. But I heard the door. And a door can tell you everything a conversation hides.He walked in and stylishly pulled Ethan away from the garden. He held on to him till they got to the study. By this time, I had already got up to the kitchen. I was busy rinsing a glass that I didn't need to. I stayed there for a long time staring at the entrance of the door. They stayed longer than I expected them to. I mean nothing was going to happen, they have been friends for years. There was going to be absolutely nothing different behind the closed doors. Although it stretched longer than it should have, I wasn't ready to leave. I stayed there and counted the silence as I looked at the door.When the door opened again, I was still at the sink. Ethan came out first with a dazed look that had me questioning myself and what happened. His smile was uneasy. A slightly crooked one he always wore, but something behind it had

Bella He appeared at the edge of the charity luncheon like an afterthought. The type someone must have planned quietly and very carefully. I had learned that by then nothing in Alex Blackwood’s mansion was an accident. Nothing was an accident. Everything was quietly planned and looked at. After all the chaos, I was here properly dressed in the most luxurious gowns and jewelry from his brand and going solo at a women's in business luncheon. He made me a Blackwood Foundation representative. It was awkward that I wasn't here with him. He would have buried his eyes on me. He would have wanted to watch my every move. Tonight was totally…totally different. I was as free as a bird. No one was going to control where I was going and what I had to do. I could freely engage with anyone without feeling any sort of remorse. I wouldn't have to feel indebted at any point. It was such a glorious feeling, with no perfect description. Everyone sat on the Champaign table. I lingered with my thou

Bella This marriage was a business transaction. I didn't want to feel anything or plan to walk out of this chapter like it was something I badly wanted The four corners of the room had three different souls who knew exactly what they were doing. Alex, Valerie and myself carried the weight of the news in the air. It was so difficult to breathe because regardless of the fact that it concerned them, it was myself and Ethan in that photo. It wasn't any of them. We were the ones bearing the cross heavily. Silence sang out loud, so loud that I could hear my heart pound so deeply in my chest. My breaths went deeper as I tried to inhale, and the fake attention I was getting from Valerie—Nothing made sense. Was it all planned?“Are we just going to remain quiet?" Alex broke the silence. “What do you even mean? I have been waiting for Bella to say something…" Valerie cut in. Truly, she didn't change. Her opinion wasn't needed and it would have been better if she didn't say a word. I w

BellaThe Bracelet sat on the desk between us like a confession neither of us was brave enough to finish. The doctor checked me up and recommended that I avoid stress at all costs. I literally fainted. I backed out without any warning. What was Lucas doing? The things he did were already enough. Later that evening, Alex finally summoned Lucas to the mansion. They spoke so casually, almost like they already knew themselves. “He's coming and I'm going to set things straight," he added after the call ended. “What's that going to do? As much as you don't want to believe what I'm telling you, I wonder what you're going to do when Lucas finally tells you the truth." I understood. Alex picked it up the way a man might lift something that could still burn. His fingers closed around the thin metal with a care I had never seen from him. It was not with documents, not with glasses, not even with me. He turned it over once, twice, watching the light catch the small engraved edge. The roo