Can I Read 'The Mere Wife' Online For Free?

She married him because of a contract. He married her because she was convenient. To the world, Alice Neighley is the perfect wife—graceful, obedient, invisible. Married to a powerful heir, she lives in a luxurious cage built on indifference and silence. Her husband never touches her heart, never defends her position, and never hides the truth: she was never the woman he wanted. When his first love returns, Alice becomes a placeholder—easy to replace, easier to discard. Even worse, the betrayal doesn’t come only from her husband, but from the people she once called family. But Alice is done begging for love. As the contract nears its end, secrets surface, loyalties shatter, and the woman everyone underestimated begins to wake up. She will walk away from the marriage they thought defined her—and from the man who believed she would never leave. What they don’t know is this: Alice is no longer the wife he never wanted. She is the one he will never get back.

**"Is that really her?" Someone asked. "I thought the photos were edited." Another person added. "She looks even larger in person." Someone else said and then snickered “I give the marriage six months." All the while, Elara kept her gaze on the tablecloth. White silk. Perfectly ironed. She counted the tiny patterns woven into the fabric to distract herself. One. Two. Three.** Elara Hart knew marrying billionaire heir Aaron Blackwood would never be a fairytale… but she never expected to become the unwanted wife living in the shadow of another woman. Cold, powerful, and impossible to read, Aaron keeps Elara at a distance while the world watches their marriage crumble under gossip, humiliation, and the constant presence of the woman he once loved. Yet beneath Aaron’s ruthless exterior lies a broken man haunted by a past he refuses to speak about—and somehow, against all logic, Elara becomes the only person capable of reaching him. Just as their fragile relationship begins to change, a shocking scandal tears everything apart. Betrayed, heartbroken, and pushed to her limit, Elara disappears from Aaron’s life overnight. But some secrets refuse to stay buried. As Aaron searches desperately for answers, hidden truths surrounding the Blackwood family begin surfacing—truths tied to obsession, betrayal, and a tragedy from years ago that may not have been an accident after all. Now the woman Aaron once rejected may be the only person who can uncover the truth. If it doesn’t destroy them both first. Because in the world of the Blackwoods, love is dangerous… and someone is watching Elara far more closely than she realizes.

“What do you think you’re doing? Let me go!” I hissed in fear. Someone might see us like this. “Happily married? I don’t think so” he said instead of releasing me. His voice carried anger now. “I’m a married woman!” My voice trembled with fear and nervousness as I struggled, but it was useless. He easily caught both of my hands in one of his. “Married, yes. But not happily,” he said, not caring about my desperate pulling. “Please… let me go. Someone will see us,” I pleaded in a low, shaking voice. “You have beautiful eyes,” he said suddenly, his voice deep and strange, making my pulse quicken. Marceline never imagined she would experiment with betrayal. But after seeing her husband tangled in the arms of her closest friend, she let herself taste what it felt like to sin. What began as one night of reckless desire soon turned into many nights of fiery passion and dangerous obsession—an affair she could not escape. Yet even while indulging in forbidden pleasure, Marceline swore never to grant her husband what he wanted. Divorce. Philip would never be free. Anastasia would never have the happiness of standing by his side. If they wanted to play with her heart, she would play with their lives. In this game of marriage, passion, and betrayal...only she decides who wins.

She became his wife by obligation. He married her with resentment in his heart. When ruthless businessman Ethan Blackwood is forced into a marriage he never wanted, he makes one thing painfully clear—his wife will never have his love. Trapped in a cold mansion and a colder marriage, Lydia Blackwood endures life as a woman bound by vows but denied affection, respect, and warmth. To the world, she is Mrs. Blackwood. Behind closed doors, she is invisible. Lydia enters the marriage hoping time might soften Ethan’s heart, but instead she faces rejection, loneliness, and the shadow of another woman who still holds his love. Every cruel word and silent night chips away at her spirit, yet beneath her quiet obedience lies a strength Ethan never expected. As secrets unravel and truths surface, Ethan begins to see the woman he cast aside—the sacrifices she made, the loyalty she showed, and the love she gave without being asked. But regret comes late, and wounds cut deep. When Lydia finally chooses herself over a loveless marriage, Ethan must confront the terrifying possibility of losing the one woman who truly belonged to him.

“I don’t love you and I will never love you, Isabelle Yang!” I froze as the hatred in his eyes held me captive. I knew he wasn’t happy with this arrangement. Neither was I. “But I am your wife, Emerson.” “Wife?” He scoffed, stepping closer until my back hit the wall and I was trapped in-between his arms. “Wife? or the woman who sneakily found her way into my room and got herself pregnant with my child?” His words weren’t the truth. I hadn’t planned to end up in his bed that night—far from it. “You hurt my girlfriend by coming into our lives,” he continued icily. “And I plan to make you feel twice the pain you caused her.” Then he did something worse than yelling—he sanitized his hands after touching me, as if I disgusted him. He walked away, leaving me heartbroken. … Isabelle Yang never imagined her life could spiral into even more darkness after waking up from a one-night stand—the result of catching her boyfriend and twin sister in bed on the night meant to celebrate their two-year anniversary. Before she could even recover, a call from home changed everything. Her Mom had somehow found out not just about the one-night stand, but also the unexpected pregnancy that followed and her marriage had now been arranged with the Winters—one of the most powerful families in Europe. And her husband? Emerson Winters, the ruthless heir who cared about only two things; Power and his childhood sweetheart, Salma Hayden. But what happens when his love isn’t enough to bear an heir, and he is forced into a marriage with Isabelle—a woman he sees as a mistake. What will become of two hearts trapped in a marriage where resentment and hatred rule every day?

She thought she was just a contract wife, a convenient arrangement to keep his reputation spotless and his empire stable. But when Duke Austen’s billion-dollar empire begins to crumble, he turns to her, the woman he once treated like a business deal, and suddenly, his coldness melts into obsession. He protects her like she’s his only weakness, kisses her like he’s afraid to lose her, and holds her like she’s the only thing keeping him alive. Until she discovers the truth. She was never just his contract wife. She’s been his real wife all along. And she’s the only one who didn’t know. Now, between love, lies, and a hidden marriage certificate that could destroy everything, she must decide if she will fight for the man who deceived her, or finally walk away as the woman he can never own?