No Wife, No Life

At three in the morning, Harper Orsini was dead asleep when the creak of the door jolted her awake.

The only light in the room was a soft, warm amber hue from the nightlight.

Harper strained her eyes, spotting a man by the window, unbuttoning his shirt.

The dim light highlighted Alex Lavien's sharp, delicate features, giving a softened the fervor in his eyes.

This was their first meetingafter a month of giving each other the cold shoulder.

Harper, her voice still thick with sleep, said, "Oh, you're home."

"Yeah," Alex replied indifferently, his looming figure already leaning over her. He bent down and kissed her lips, his other hand skilfully unfastening her nightgown.

His large hand covered her chest, teasingly massaging, trying to arouse her desire in a short time.

Harper, was paralyzed for a moment, then began to struggle.

"Alex, we have been at odds for a long time, and you come back just for this?" Her voice had a note of resentment she couldn't conceal.

She was a person, not just an means to satisfy his desires.

A flash of irritation crossed Alex's eyes. He grabbed her chin, looking down at her.

"You're my wife. It's well within my rights and proper to find intimacy."

"The discussion isn't finished..." Harper began, but Alex had already taken her.

He moved without any tenderness, focused only on his own desire.

The pain flared, mixed with a evanescent pleasure that made her shiver.

"Alex, I'm not a object. Did you come back just for sex?"

Alex's eyes flared with annoyance. He stifled her protest with a kiss.

Five years of marriage had made them intimate with each other's bodies and sensitive spots.

Harper quickly yielded, her cheeks burning, unable to resist as he lifted her legs and driving into her again and again.

The heat between them was simmering when a phone rang, shattering the moment.

From her angle, Harper couldn't see the caller ID.

But she saw the momentary flicker in Alex's eyes. He deeply affected.

Alex stopped immediately, answering the phone with his left hand while muffling Harper's mouth with his right.

As she gasped for air, Harper heard a melodic voice on the other end.

"Alex, I'm at the airport. When are you picking me up?"

Harper's expression clouded.

Three in the morning, and a woman was calling Alex in such a coquettish lilt?

Alex kept her mouth covered, clearly not wanting her to utter a word.

"Okay, I'll be there shortly," Alex said.

"Drive safe, I'll be waiting," the voice on the other end chirped gleefully.

After the call, Alex got out of bed without hesitation.

The flame of passion that had started in Harper was suddenly quenched, as if pelted with cold water. She balled her hands firmly.

Alex was usually relentless. Every time they had sex, it was never just once.

This was the first time he'd abandoned her halfway.

Particularly for a call from another woman.

A sharp pain pierced Harper's heart.

She sat up, watching Alex hurry toward the dressing room. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Alex frowned, his eyes full of impatience. "I don't like people interrogating me about my business."

His frigid demeanor was a sharp departure to the warmth he'd shown on the phone.

Harper's nails bit into her palms. She tried to keep her voice steady. "I'm your wife."

Alex offered no reply.

The door thudded closed, followed by the sound of a car engineroaring to life in the yard.

Harper sat on the bed, her complexion ashen.

The sweet voice from the phone call echoed in her mind.

only a handful had Alex's private number.

The caller's sweet and pleasant tone intimated they were close.

The fact that he left in the dead of night showed how important this woman was to him.

Harper suddenly recalled last month when she was struck from behind by a speeding truck. If it weren't for the airbags and seatbelt, she wouldn't have survived.

She had limped out of the mangled wreckage, and the first thing she did was call Alex.

Shaken and trembling, she held the phone, craving comfort.

But all she got was Alex's curt retort.

"Call insurance and the police."

He remained indifferent for her at all, and didn't even ask if she was okay.

Harper covered her eyes, huddling in the blanket.

Memories of her years with Alex haunted her like a sad movie.

She screwed her eyes shut.

The next morning, when Harper woke up, she groped for the spot next to her.

Cold.

Alex hadn't come back all night.

At that moment, she got a clip on her phone.

It was from Caden Elikin.

Caden: [Doesn't this count as your husband being unfaithful?]

Harper opened it. Her already pale face turned even ghostly when she saw the content.

The video was at the airport, with Alex as the center of attention, and a slight woman beside him, chatting flirtatiously.

Alex was handling her bags with one hand and holding her hand tightly with the other.

Their exchange was filled with an undeniable intimacy.

The media had even plastered with a sensational headline: [Mr. Lavien picks up a mysterious woman late at night, suspected romance exposed.]

Harper felt like her heart was being clutched by an invisible hand.

Was this the woman Alex had gone to pick up last night?

Even though Alex and Harper were married, it was a clandestine union.

To the public, Alex was always single.

Harper: [Maybe they're just friends.]

Caden: [Harper, he's gone this far, and you're still making excuses for him. Have you gotten used to being a coward? Why not leave him and be with me instead?]

Harper's eyes welled with unshed tears.

Harper: [Has this video gone viral?]

Caden: [Yeah, a lot of people are saying she's Mrs. Lavien. It's sickening to see a bastard like Alex.]

Harper: [Got it.]

She put down her phone and took a deep breath.

She could never stop Alex from doing what he wanted.

Especially since Alex seemed to care a lot about this woman.

After getting up and washing up, Harper went to work as usual.

She had been working on a project until one in the morning the previous day.

And because of Alex, she had insomnia until dawn before finally falling asleep.

Her head was groggy, and many colleagues were gossiping about the video of Alex picking up the woman during their break.

Harper, holding her thermos, intended to get some warm water, but as soon as she took a step, she suddenly felt dizzy, and darkness swallowed her.

When she woke up, she was already in the hospital.

The strong scent of medicine filled the air, and the last memory before she fainted came rushing back. She turned her head with difficulty and saw Alex beside her.

Her eyes lit up with hope. "Alex..."

As soon as she spoke, Alex looked at her with a stony gaze. "Let's get a divorce."