The Wife You Never Wanted

Just like that, the heat vanished.

On the way to the hospital, Lucia finally got the tea.

Someone outed Alice online—not Michael and Joanne's real kid. Just a poser heiress.

Even though the parents scrambled to explain, the leaker dropped a paternity test. Solid receipts.

The internet? Lost its mind.

Alice had over ten million followers. Her whole brand? Rich girl energy. Now she was exposed as a fraud, and people were pissed.

The comments went feral. She'd never faced hate like this—and snapped. Tried to end it with poison.

By the time they rolled up to the hospital, Jared had just wrapped a call with PR.

He didn't move. Just turned to Lucia.

"Lucia." His tone was all command. "You need to go public. Say Alice is your sister."

She let out a dry laugh. "Why would I?"

"Because it works better coming from you." He sounded fed up. "If I say it—or your parents—no one buys it. They'll think we're covering for her and feel bad for you. But if it's you, they'll believe it."

She got the logic. Didn't mean she liked it.

She sneered. "I said—why would I?"

She was the real daughter, but her parents picked Alice every time.

She was the wife, but Jared's heart? Always Alice's.

She lost everything—yet somehow Alice stayed the victim, shoving her out of her own life.

Jared's expression turned cold. "Fine. I get it. You don't do favors for free."

He tugged at his tie. "How about this—help Alice, and I'll finally do my husbandly duty."

Lucia stiffened. "What duty?"

"To sleep with you," he said flatly. "Don't act like I didn't notice what you pulled with that foreign guy. Trying to bait me into your bed."

Now that he'd cooled off, it all clicked.

Lucia didn't really want someone else. She loved him too much.

Everything she said at the club? Just a ploy to get a rise out of him.

The worst part—it nearly worked.

That pissed him off even more. He kept going, annoyed. "So yeah. Help Alice, and I'll sleep with you. Regularly. That good enough?"

Lucia went pale.

She looked up at him, voice shaking.

"Jared Dawson... what do you think I am?"

He'd actually tried to trade sex like it was some deal.

Was that all she was to him? That worthless?

Jared saw her pale face—and something twisted in his chest. Sharp. Unfamiliar. It made him twitchy.

He snapped. Patience gone, he grabbed her and kissed her hard.

If he could just break her in bed, she'd stop fighting him.

With that sick thought, he gave in—crushing her lips, stealing every breath—until—

Pain ripped through his tongue. Blood hit his mouth.

He pulled back, stunned.

"You bit me?"