Home / Romance / The wife they never expected / CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Unsteady

Share

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Unsteady

last update publish date: 2026-05-05 23:02:37

Anna’s POV

The Problem

The problem with kissing Xavier Cortez is that afterward—

Everything changes.

Not loudly.

Not obviously.

But enough.

Enough that now I notice everything.

The Office

The executive floor feels exactly the same this morning.

Quiet.

Polished.

Controlled.

But I don’t feel the same walking through it.

Because now—

Every step toward Xavier’s office comes with awareness.

My Thoughts

I kissed him.

No—

He kissed me.

And somehow that distinction matters.

Worse

What’s worse is that I
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

    The GiftXavier's POVNo one spoke.The message remained on every phone in the room.Check your garage. I left you something instead.A cold feeling settled in my chest.This wasn't a threat.It was an invitation.And I hated invitations from people who hid behind anonymous messages.Dominic broke the silence."It could be a trap.""It probably is," I replied.Clara folded her arms."Then we don't go."I looked at the silver key resting in my hand."No.""They want us to go.""They also want us afraid.""I'm done letting them control the game."Anna stepped closer until she was standing beside me."I'm coming."I didn't even look at her."No."She sighed."We've already had this conversation.""And my answer hasn't changed."She gently touched my arm."Xavier."I finally met her eyes."I'm not asking to protect you.""I'm asking you to trust me."For a moment...The room disappeared.There was only her.The woman who had somehow become my greatest strength.And my greatest fear.Becau

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

    Locker 317 Anna's POV Nobody spoke. The tiny silver key rested in Xavier's palm, catching the light from the chandelier. It looked ordinary. Too ordinary. How could something so small carry the weight of five years' worth of secrets? Dominic was the first to break the silence. "I'll have my team search every storage facility in the city." Xavier shook his head. "No." Dominic frowned. "Why not?" "If someone has been watching us this closely, they'll be watching every move we make." He closed his hand around the key. "The moment they see security searching for locker 317, they'll know we found it." The room fell silent. He was right. Whoever had sent the file wanted us to find the key. But someone else wanted us dead before we could use it. Clara stepped closer. "So what do we do?" Xavier's gaze swept across the room before stopping on me. "We go ourselves." Immediately, I shook my head. "Absolutely not." Four pairs of eyes turned toward me. "If they're watch

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

    The Hidden KeyXavier's POVSilence settled over the study.Not the peaceful kind.The heavy kind.The kind that arrived after the truth changed everything.No one spoke.Mrs. Alvarez sat quietly with tears glistening in her eyes.Dominic stood beside the fireplace, reviewing every page of Elena's file for what had to be the tenth time.Clara leaned against the bookshelf, her arms folded tightly across her chest.Anna...Anna hadn't left my side.I wasn't sure if she had moved closer to me...Or if I had unconsciously moved closer to her.Either way, our shoulders touched.Her presence steadied me more than I wanted to admit.Five years.For five years I believed Elena's death had been a tragic accident.Now every page in front of me suggested something far worse.Someone had hidden the truth.Someone had protected a killer.Someone had spent years making sure no one asked questions.My jaw tightened."They've been planning this for a long time."Dominic nodded."They're always one st

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR The Promise

    Anna's POVSleep never came.I lay awake staring at the ceiling while the events of the evening replayed over and over in my mind.Elena.Marcus.Mrs. Alvarez.The photograph.The message.She was always the real target.Those six words refused to leave my head.What if they were true?What if someone had been watching me long before I ever met Xavier?The thought made my skin crawl.I quietly slipped out of bed, hoping a walk would calm my thoughts.The mansion was silent.Moonlight spilled through the tall windows, painting silver patterns across the marble floor.For a moment, everything looked peaceful.Too peaceful.I wrapped my arms around myself and walked toward the balcony.The cool night air greeted me immediately.I closed my eyes.Trying to breathe.Trying to think.Trying to convince myself I wasn't afraid."You should be sleeping."His deep voice made me jump.I turned to find Xavier standing in the doorway.He wasn't wearing his suit anymore.Just black sweatpants and a

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE You Are Not Facing This Alone

    Xavier's POVI couldn't take my eyes off the photograph.Anna.Standing outside the publishing office.Smiling to herself.Completely unaware that someone was watching her.The photograph couldn't have been taken by accident.It had been deliberate.Patient.Calculated.My jaw tightened.Someone had been watching my wife long before she ever became my wife.The thought alone was enough to make every protective instinct inside me come alive.I turned the photograph over again.The words hadn't changed.She was always the real target.A dangerous silence settled over the study.Dominic was the first to speak."We'll have the photograph analyzed."I nodded without taking my eyes off Anna.She looked calm.Too calm.Anyone else might have mistaken it for courage.I knew better.She was thinking.Putting the pieces together.Trying to understand why someone she had never met would spend years watching her.I crossed the room until I was standing in front of her."Look at me."Her eyes slow

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO The Truth She Hid

    Anna's POVThe study fell into complete silence.No one moved.No one spoke.Every pair of eyes settled on Mrs. Alvarez.She stood frozen beside the tea tray, her trembling hands clutching the edge of the table.For the first time since I had known her, she looked... afraid.Not nervous.Terrified.Xavier slowly lowered his phone.His face was unreadable again.Cold.Controlled.But I knew him well enough now to notice the tiny signs.The tightness in his jaw.The rigid set of his shoulders.The way his fingers curled slightly around the phone.He was angry.Not at Mrs. Alvarez.At whoever kept pulling us deeper into this nightmare.Mrs. Alvarez swallowed."Where... did that message come from?""No answer," Xavier said quietly."It came from the same number that's been contacting us."She closed her eyes for a moment.Almost as though she had expected this day to come.When she opened them again, they looked older somehow."I knew this wouldn't stay buried forever."The words settled

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER THIRTEEN : Under Observation

    Xavier & Anna’s POV---XavierThe board does not like surprises.And I have given them one.I sit at the head of the long conference table, hands resting calmly against polished wood, listening to quarterly projections without interruption.Numbers.Forecasts.Growth margins.All of it is presente

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER TWO:Three Weeks Earlier

    Anna’s POVMadison said red was his favourite.I stare at my reflection in the mirror for longer than necessary.The dress hugs my waist more than I’m used to. The fabric is soft and fitted, nothing like the oversized blazers and loose skirts I usually wear to work.“You never wear things that show

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER THREE:The Man in the Black Car

    Anna’s POVMy head feels heavy when I wake up.For a moment, I don’t remember where I am.It’s quiet.Too quiet.Not Maxwell’s apartment. Not my small bedroom.Leather.That’s the first thing I notice.The scent. Smooth. Expensive.I open my eyes slowly.Dark interior. Soft lights. Tinted windows.

  • The wife they never expected    CHAPTER ONE: Mrs. Cortez

    Anna’s POVI have never been this close to running again.The cathedral doors open slowly, and the sound of a hundred people rising to their feet crashes against my ears like thunder.For a second, I can’t breathe.The train of my gown feels heavier than it did five minutes ago. The air smells like

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status