All Chapters of The Wife He Replaced : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

CHAPTER 72 Rita's pov The cold damp air of the basement parking garage rushed into the elevator car. It instantly broke the suffocating heat that had trapped us against the mirror wall. The heavy silver doors had slid completely open with a hiss*. They revealed the dark concrete pillars and the long row of black security SUVs waiting in the light.I pulled my mouth away from Victors. My lips were burning, swollen and tingling from his kiss. I was breathing fast. My chest was heaving up and down in gasps. My lungs were desperately trying to pull in the air. My heart was hammering hard against my ribs. It felt like a trapped bird trying to break through the bone. I stood there. My back was pressed flat against the glass panel. My fingers were slowly sliding out of Victor's dark hair.Victor didn't step back away. His large left arm was still wrapped tightly around my waist. His fingers were digging into my dress. He was terrified that if he let go I would disappear into the ceiling. H

CHAPTER 74Rita's pov The wooden door of the playroom did not just open it flew back against the wall with a loud crack that made the white trim splinter.I stood in the doorway my chest moving up and down fast as I stared at Victor. My hands were clenched into fists at my sides, my fingernails digging into my palms so hard. I had spent twenty minutes sitting on the edge of Aria's small bed listening to the sound of Victor's roaring voice coming from his private study downstairs. The fury in his tone had sent a line of dread down my spine making it impossible for me to sit still for another second.Victor was pacing back and forth outside the playroom door. His face was completely white his skin looking like a sheet of paper. His left hand was clutching his cell phone tightly that his knuckles were turning purple and his dark eyes were wide and frantic. He looked like an animal that had been backed into a corner."Victor!" I whispered, my voice dropping to a whisper so Aria wouldn't

CHAPTER 76Rita's pov The rain hit the windows of the study hard, making a loud drumming sound. It was like the chaos in my head. I sat on the leather sofa with my hands clasped together tightly.. Across the room Victor stared out at the driveway. He was still wearing the wet clothes from the morning. He didn't seem to notice.The room was silent and heavy. My father-in-law came to our gate. Threatened to tear our family apart. He didn't bring guns; he brought a lawyer and a smile."Hes going to do it " Victor said quietly. He didn't turn around. "Hes going to file the petition in the morning. He has judges on his side. Judges who haven't seen his money in years because they know he's coming back to power."I stood up. My legs felt heavy. I walked over to the desk. Picked up the phone. My fingers didn't shake. I was scared for Aria. The fear was turning into something hard."He thinks he can buy this court " I said firmly. "He thinks because I hid for five years that I have no voice.

CHAPTER 78Rita's pov The silence in my bedroom was really loud. It hurt my ears. I sat on the edge of my bed my hands squeezed between my knees staring at the jewelry box on my nightstand. The jewelry box had the band Victor gave me a long time ago inside it. It felt like forever since I last wore the band. My mind was spinning, repeating Victors words over and over. *Marry me again Rita.*Victor said it like a businessman making a deal. He said it was a plan. He said it was a way to protect Aria from his father.. Victor was right. On paper it was a plan. We would be a family. We would be a stable and unbroken family. The judges would look at us. See a strong family. They would look at a mother and see a weak person.My heart was beating really fast and it hurt my chest. I pulled my legs up onto the bed. Hugged them tightly against my chest burying my face in my sweatpants. I could handle a fight in court. I could handle Michael Vales lawyers saying bad things about me.. I did not k

CHAPTER 80Rita's pov The television screen on the wall of the living room was flashing with an aggressive red banner. I stood in the center of the rug with my hands wrapped around a mug of coffee that had gone hours ago. The noise coming from the speakers was a mix of reporter voices overlapping each other. "A secret courthouse wedding, a midnight rooftop romance and a huge empire hanging in the balance " a woman with blonde hair shouted into her microphone standing right in front of our downtown corporate building. "Is it love or is it a legal shield? Sources tell us that the reunited Vales are facing a huge internal custody battle behind closed doors."I pressed the power button on the remote. The screen went black. My chest was tight, my breathing coming in gasps. The gold ring on my finger felt like an iron weight. "They have the photos from the rooftop " I whispered, my voice cracking as I turned to look at Victor. "They have every angle, Victor. They are showing the pictur