The Contract Wife

THE CONTRACT WIFE Chapter 1: The Crash The impact wasn't loud. That's what Mia would remember later. Not the screech of metal or the shatter of glass. Just silence. A crunch. A sigh. The world folding in on itself like paper. Then nothing. Then everything. --- She woke up in pieces. Hospital lights burned through her eyelids. Machines beeped. Antiseptic smell filled her nose. And pain—deep, throbbing pain that started in her ribs and radiated everywhere. Where am I? What happened? The last thing she remembered was rain. So much rain. Her hands shaking on the steering wheel. Crying because Leo had let that b***h pour champagne down her dress and done absolutely nothing. Again. Always nothing. Nine years of loving a man who couldn't say it back. She'd been driving too fast. She knew she was driving too fast. But the rage was still hot in her chest. The image of Eve kneeling in front of her, looking up at Leo like he was a prize she'd already won—it wouldn't leave. His hands didn't move. He just stood there. Watching. Calculating. Like she wasn't worth the effort. Like nine years meant nothing. "Easy." A nurse appeared. Kind eyes. A name tag that said Sofia. "You've got three broken ribs and a concussion. You need to rest." "Where am I?" "St. Mary's. Car accident. Hit a truck at fifty miles per hour." Mia closed her eyes. How the f**k am I still alive? "Your husband's been here since you arrived," the nurse said. Husband. Leo. Of course he was here. He was always here when things got bad. But never when it mattered. Never when she needed him to choose her. "I don't want to see him," Mia said. Before the nurse could respond, the door opened. Leo walked in. His suit was rumpled. His tie was loose. His hair was a disaster. And his eyes—f**k, his eyes. Red-rimmed. Hollow. Like he hadn't slept in days. He hadn't. She could tell. "Mia." His voice cracked. "You're awake." "I told her to make you leave." "I'm not leaving." "Watch me." She tried to sit up. Pain exploded. She gasped and fell back. Leo crossed the room. His hands reached for her shoulders. "Don't. You'll hurt yourself." "I don't care." "I care." "Since when?" Mia's laugh was hollow. "Since when do you care about anything except your image and that b***h hanging off your arm?" Leo flinched. "Eve is nothing." "Then why did you let her pour champagne down my dress?" His jaw tightened. "I—" "You were calculating. Waiting to see if I'd make a scene." She stared at him. "You know what I realized, Leo? When I was lying on that road, bleeding? I realized you've been doing that our whole relationship. Watching. Calculating. You've never been with me." "Mia—" "Page 412." Leo froze. His face went white. His hands started shaking. "What did you say?" "Page 412." She repeated it slowly. "The warehouse. The fire. Eve holding your hand while I burn." Leo stared at her like she'd punched him. "How do you know about—" "Because I remember." --- The room went silent. Machines beeped. Fluorescent lights hummed. Somewhere down the hall, a patient was crying. "Remember what?" Leo's voice was barely a whisper. "Everything." She pulled away from him. Sat up slowly. "The book. The plot. The ending. I remember the whole f*****g book, Leo. I'm the villainess. I die. You hold her hand." "Pages aren't real." "The fire is real." "It doesn't have to be." "It's already written." Leo's composure shattered. He fell to his knees beside her bed. His hands cupped her face. His thumbs brushed away tears she hadn't even realized were falling. "No." His voice was broken. "That's not the ending. I won't let it be the ending." "You can't change the book." "Watch me." He kissed her. It wasn't gentle. It was desperate. Brutal. The kiss of a man terrified of losing something he'd never really had. Mia kissed him back because she was weak. Because nine years of loving him didn't vanish just because she'd seen her death sentence. But when he pulled back, she saw the truth in his eyes. He knew about the book. He'd always known. "You read it," she said. "Before the accident. You knew." Leo's forehead pressed against hers. "I knew you were mine." "That's not an answer." "It's the only answer I have." Mia pushed him away. "Get out." "Mia—" "I said get out." --- An hour later, her lawyer arrived. Angela Reid. Sharp suit. Sharp eyes. "You want a divorce from Leo Cross?" "Yes." "Five-year contract. You're three years in. You walk away with nothing." "I know." Angela studied her. "Are you sure?" Mia looked at the door. At Leo's silhouette through the glass. At the man who'd let her almost die because he was too scared to love her. "Yeah," she said. "I'm sure." --- Leo burst through the door. "A divorce? You're divorcing me?" "Sign the papers." "No." "Then I'll file without you." "One year." His voice cracked. "That's all we have left. One year, and then the contract ends. Just give me one year to prove I'm not the man in that book." Mia looked at him. At the desperation in his eyes. One year until the fire. One year until she was supposed to die. "One year," she said slowly. "And then I'm gone." --- That night, Mia couldn't sleep. She kept seeing the fire. Page 412. The warehouse. Her lungs burning while Leo held Eve's hand. At midnight, the door opened. "It's just me." Leo. He was in sweatpants and a t-shirt. His eyes were red. He looked broken. "I read the whole book," he said quietly. "I know exactly what happens to you." "Then you know I die." "I know you die in the book." He sat beside her bed. "But you're not in a book, Mia. You're here. You're real. And I'm not going to let you burn." "How can you promise that?" "Because I love you." Mia's breath caught. "Don't," she whispered. "Don't say that." "Why not?" "Because it's not real. It's just guilt." "No." His hand reached for hers. "I've loved you since we were seven. I was just too much of a coward to say it." "Nine years, and you never—" "I was scared." His voice broke. "My father was cold. My mother was dying. Everyone I loved left me. So I pushed you away. I told myself if I didn't love you too much, losing you wouldn't hurt." "Did it work?" "No." He squeezed her hand. "It didn't work at all." Mia looked at their joined hands. She should pull away. She should keep her walls up. But she was so tired. "One year," she said quietly. "Prove it." Leo lifted her hand to his lips. Kissed her knuckles. "I will," he said. "I'll spend the rest of my life proving it." --- The next afternoon, the door opened again. It wasn't Leo. It was Eve. Mia's blood turned cold. "You look terrible," Eve said. "What are you doing here?" "I heard about the divorce." Eve sat down. "I came to warn you." "Warn me?" "The book." Eve's voice was barely a whisper. "It's real, Mia. The fire. Page 412. It's all real." Mia stared at her. "How do you know about the book?" Eve's face went pale. "Because my father wrote it." --- The room spun. "Your father?" "He's been planning it for years. The fire. Your death." Eve grabbed Mia's hand. "You need to run." Before she could finish, the door opened. Leo stood in the doorway. His face was thunder. "What the f**k are you doing here?" "I came to help—" "Get out." "Leo, I'm trying to—" "Now." Eve looked at Mia. "Page 412," she whispered. "Remember." Then she left. --- The door slammed. Leo's hands were shaking. "What did she say?" Mia stared at him. "The book," she said. "She said her father wrote it. She said it's real." Leo's face went white. "Mia—" "Is it true?" He didn't answer. "Leo. Is it true?" "Yes," he whispered. "It's true." END OF CHAPTER 1