All Chapters of The Discarded Wife: Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

The hiss of the ventilation system was a low, insidious sound in the pitch blackness. The air immediately changed, turning heavy, dry, and smelling faintly of sweet chemicals.Panic flared in Elena’s chest, a primitive instinct screaming at her to draw a deep breath, but Killian’s massive hand instantly clamped over her nose and mouth. His palm was warm, smelling of cedarwood and slate, a solid barrier between her lungs and the invisible poison filling the elevator car."Shh. Small, shallow breaths, little bird," Killian growled into the darkness, his voice a low vibration right against her ear. He pulled her flush against his chest, his powerful arms wrapping around her like an unyielding cage. He used his bulk to pin her into the corner of the steel car, shielding her from the air currents dropping from the ceiling. "Don't fight me. Let me control your breathing.""I have the schematics up on the backup local drive," Rhys’s voice cut through the dark, tight and sharp. The faint, blu

The glowing screen of the dead assassin’s phone illuminated the sharp, blood-smeared line of Jaxon’s jaw. The draft text field blinked blankly, waiting for the command that would dictate the final movements of Arthur Dutta.Elena stared at the screen, her breathing shallow but entirely controlled. The shock of her uncle’s betrayal had solidified into a cold, heavy weight in her chest. Every lesson she had learned surviving Julian’s corporate psychological warfare now sharpened into a single instinct: absolute tactical precision. Arthur was waiting for a confirmation of her death. If they gave him silence, he would flee. If they gave him the truth, he would vanish into the international banking networks before the federal marshals could even process the boardroom warrants."He needs to think he won," Elena said, her voice dropping into a quiet, chilling register that made Rhys look up from his tablet with a flicker of dark approval. She reached out, her fingers steady as she took the p