All Chapters of Mr Ex, Call me your uncle's wife now.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Vivian’s POVI wanted a drink. In fact I needed the whole bottle. I sat at the sticky bar counter, the thumping bass of the club vibrating in my teeth, and I just wanted the world to stop spinning. Derek Blackwell--the man I'd foolishly loved--was getting engaged tomorrow morning. To another person. The thought tasted like heartbreak and bile. I wanted to drown every memory of his smile, his laugh, and his stupid lies in the strongest liquor the bartender could pour.And for a while, it worked. The edges of the world got soft and blurry. The pain in my chest finally died.Then someone had an arm around my waist and was leading me upstairs. I didn't battle it. I didn't even see who it was. Mad dizzy circles wheeled in the hallway. My knees went from under me and I staggered forward, completely off balance. I didn't hit the floor, I fell right into the arms of a man sitting on a big leather couch.I ended up sitting on his lap, my hands immediately finding his shoulders to keep me from

Vivian’s POVAt last Richard looked up from his big mahogany desk. He had been ignoring me for ten minutes in a row, pretending to read a file, but I just stood in the middle of the study. I watched the deep ugly anger move across his well-maintained face. He spent thousands of dollars every month on skin treatments and expensive doctors to look young, but at the moment the hard lines of pure rage were visible around his mouth and eyes."Don't look at me like that, with that disrespectful stare," he snapped loudly, slamming his silver pen down onto the leather blotter. "I am your father, Vivian." Just remember that before you open your mouth."I try very hard not to forget it," I said softly. I didn't shout. I didn't weep. I was perfectly calm in my voice. “But you make it awfully hard to remember, Richard. Just look at this family. Just look at us. With you and Mom it's just a cold, dry business deal. No love. No respect. No loyalty. And there is surely nothing in this house that rec

The bathroom door clicked shut and the sound hit me right in the center of my chest."Ethan?" I called into the quiet room. My voice came out smaller than I wanted it to."Practice makes perfect." His voice floated back through the door. Dry. Unhurried. Like I was a task he had already checked off his list.I sat there on the edge of his massive bed. Something inside my chest turned itself into very fine powder. Not a crack. Not a break. Just a slow, silent collapse, the kind you feel in your bones but can't name out loud. My fingers curled tight into the expensive sheets. My throat burned.I picked up my clothes from the floor and put them on without looking back at the bathroom door.The cab ride home was a blur. The apartment was cold. The bath was too hot. I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling and told myself I was fine. Sleep was close, so close I could almost taste it on my tongue. My eyes were finally getting heavy.Then the phone rang."Miss Clarke, your mother has been admit

Ethan was already on his phone when I opened my mouth.He sat on the sofa like a man who had never once in his entire life been cornered by a situation. His long legs were stretched out in front of him. His thumb scrolled lazily across the screen. He didn't even look up."Mr. Blackwell." I pushed the covers off and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The room tilted slightly but I grabbed the nightstand and held myself steady. "Please reconsider."His thumb stopped moving. His dark eyes lifted to mine. "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?""No." I stood up. My temple throbbed where it had hit the bar but I wasn't about to show him that. "Where is Sophie? Is she okay?""The Nguyen family collected her an hour ago." He slid his phone into his jacket pocket and stood up from the sofa in one smooth motion. His height filled the room immediately. "She's fine. Rest well, Vivian."He moved toward the door.I got there first.My back hit the wood and my hands pressed flat against it behind m

Megan was still holding her cheek. Her fingers were trembling against the red skin. I could see the exact moment her brain caught up with what had just happened because her whole body went stiff like a board.She had spent weeks being lifted up by everyone around her. Sandra praised her at breakfast. Richard threw her parties. Derek's family treated her like royalty at every gathering. Maids, drivers, assistants, everyone bowed and smiled and told her how wonderful she was until she forgot that the word "no" existed in the English language.The idea that the girl who got kicked out of the house could actually raise a hand to her face had never once crossed her pampered little mind. Not until the sting was already burning in her cheek."My father." Megan's voice came out shaky but she was already rebuilding her walls. She straightened her back and lifted her chin like Sandra taught her. "Wait until my father hears about this. You think you can lay your hands on me and walk away? Are yo