The Stranger's Wife

chapter- 20

The low hum of the private jet was the only sound in the cabin. Arthur sat in the leather seat, elbows resting on his knees, staring at the floor as if it held all the answers he had been searching for these past six months.

The phone call from Vivienne still echoed in his head.

“Arthur, we need to talk. If you don’t come back now, I’ll make sure everything you’ve been hiding goes public.”

She had sounded calm, almost sweet — a tone that would fool anyone who didn’t know her as well as he did. But Arthur knew better. That voice wasn’t love. It was a trap.

He dragged a hand down his face, exhaling sharply.

This was supposed to be over.

Six months ago, he had finally filed for divorce, ending ten years of a marriage that had been broken long before it ended. Vivienne had been beautiful, charming, the perfect Hollliwood wife on the outside. But on the inside, she had been cold, distant, and worst of all — unfaithful.

The night he had found out still haunted him.

🔥 Flashback

He had just returned from a grueling three-month shoot in Europe. He’d been exhausted but excited — he had bought Vivienne a rare vintage necklace from Paris, something she’d always said she wanted.

He’d entered the penthouse quietly, wanting to surprise her. The first thing he saw was two wine glasses on the table, half-full.

And then he heard the laughter.

Cole Harper’s laughter.

Arthur’s best friend since high school. The man who had been his groomsman at his wedding.

He froze in the hallway, every muscle in his body going rigid as he heard Vivienne’s soft voice — the way she used to speak to him when they were young and in love.

He had stepped into the living room, and the sight hit him like a sledgehammer.

Vivienne, in one of his shirts, sitting on the couch. Cole beside her, their legs touching, her hand on his.

Arthur’s voice had been low, dangerous when he spoke:

“Get your hands off my wife.”

Vivienne had jumped, startled, but Cole… Cole had the nerve to smirk.

“Arthur, it’s not what it looks like—”

Arthur had punched him before he could finish the sentence.

The next few hours had been a blur of shouting, broken glass, and accusations. Vivienne had cried — but not out of guilt. No, she cried because Arthur had threatened to end everything.

And he had.

✈ Back to Present – The Flight

Arthur snapped out of the memory, his fists clenching against his knees.

He hated thinking about that night, but he couldn’t escape it.

Even now, part of him still hurt — not because he loved Vivienne anymore, but because she had been someone he trusted, someone he had believed in.

And Cole…

He had been more than a friend. He had been a brother.

Arthur had cut him out of his life completely after that night, but the wound had never fully healed.

Now, Vivienne was calling him back.

Not because she loved him — Arthur knew that. She loved the life he gave her. The money. The fame. The red-carpet appearances.

She didn’t want him back. She just didn’t want to lose.

Arthur wasn’t going back for her.

He was going back to finish this once and for all.

By the time the jet touched down at JFK, Arthur’s resolve was like steel.

A black car was waiting to take him straight to his Manhattan penthouse. As he entered, the air was filled with a familiar floral scent — Vivienne’s favorite perfume.

She was sitting on the white leather couch, legs elegantly crossed, a glass of wine in hand. She looked every bit the movie star she was — poised, stunning, dangerous.

“Arthur,” she said softly, rising to her feet. “You came.”

Arthur didn’t return the smile.

“Cut to the chase, Vivienne. What do you want?”

She tilted her head, letting her hair fall over one shoulder, her expression one of practiced innocence.

“I already told you. I want us to try again. We had ten years together, Arthur. You can’t just throw that away.”

Arthur laughed — short, bitter.

“You threw it away the night you slept with Cole.”

For the briefest moment, guilt flashed in her eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

“You were never here!” she snapped. “You were always on set, always traveling, always choosing your career over me. I was lonely, Arthur. What was I supposed to do?”

“Not sleep with my best friend!” His voice rose, echoing through the room.

There was silence for a moment.

Vivienne’s voice softened.

“I made a mistake. But we can move past it. We can fix this. We can be what we used to be.”

Arthur stepped closer, his expression ice-cold.

“What we used to be was a lie. And I’m done living in lies.”

Arthur didn’t stay long.

He left Vivienne standing there and went straight to his lawyer’s office, where he spent the next several hours reviewing every piece of evidence they had gathered.

Vivienne had been stalling the divorce for months, trying to bleed him dry with legal fees and ridiculous alimony demands.

But Arthur had the upper hand now — proof that she had been siphoning funds from one of his charity foundations, proof that she had struck deals with tabloids to plant stories that damaged his reputation.

He would use every bit of it if he had to.

This time, she wouldn’t win.

Later that night, Arthur stood on the balcony of his penthouse, the lights of Manhattan stretching out like a field of stars.

He should have felt victorious.

He was so close to ending this chapter of his life.

But all he felt was tired.

He leaned on the railing, staring at the skyline.

And then, as if summoned by his thoughts, Aaira’s face appeared in his mind.

The way she had looked at him yesterday, her laughter in the game zone, the way her fingers had brushed against his when he guided her at the claw machine.

He could still feel the touch of her hug against his chest.

Arthur’s throat tightened.

He wanted to call her. To hear her voice. To tell her why he had left so suddenly.

But he didn’t.

He couldn’t.

Not yet, he told himself. First, finish this. Then go back to her.

Far away, in Lavenham, Aaira sat by her window, clutching the appointment letter Arthur had left for her.

She had cried earlier, but now there were no tears left.

She didn’t know why she felt so hollow.

This was what she wanted — a chance to chase her dreams.

So why did it feel like Arthur had taken something from her when he left without saying goodbye?

She traced her finger over the note he had written.

“This is the first step to your dreams. Best of luck, Arthur.”

Her lips trembled.

“Why does it feel like you’re so far away from me, Arthur?” she whispered into the night.

Arthur stayed on the balcony long after midnight, the city alive beneath him.

When he finally turned to go back inside, his reflection in the glass looked like a man at war with himself.

But there was no turning back now.

Tomorrow, he would face Vivienne again. Tomorrow, he would take the first step toward finally cutting her out of his life — completely.

And when he did… he would go back to Lavenham.

Back to the woman who had unknowingly healed a part of him that he thought was beyond saving.