Chapter 1
Wisteria Cove.
By the master bedroom window, two blurred silhouettes intertwined, eventually falling back onto the large bed.
A soft flush colored Maeve Sinclair’s radiant cheeks. She hadn’t fully come down from the intense high of their intimacy, her back still tingling from the soft mesh of the window screen.
She lay on her back, admiring the lean, powerful muscles across the man’s broad shoulders. His arms were solid, exuding an undeniable raw tension.
Just moments ago, those very arms had hooked under her long legs. His tall frame had pinned her against the window, completely enveloping her as he took her with a fierce urgency, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
The scorching, out-of-control passion felt exactly like the early days of their romance.
A sweet smile graced Maeve’s lips, and she reached out to wrap her arms around his lean waist.
But in the very next second, Frederick Fairchild’s phone suddenly rang. He reached over, glanced at the screen, and his body visibly stiffened. He immediately got up to put on his clothes, leaving Maeve’s hands awkwardly hovering in mid-air.
Watching Frederick quickly get fully dressed and ready to head out, Maeve’s smile slowly vanished.
“Who is it p>
Frederick’s hand paused as he buckled his belt.
“It was a text from my assistant. An emergency came up at the company. I need to go handle it p>
Maeve stared at him for two seconds before suddenly lunging forward to snatch his phone.
The name ‘Zoe’ flashing on the screen pierced her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to read the message beneath it, but Frederick abruptly snatched the phone back. His cold words slammed into her.
“Maeve, can you respect my privacy p>
Maeve’s eyes reddened. “Is it privacy, or a guilty conscience? Frederick, didn’t you just say it was your assistant? Since when did your assistant change his name to Zoe p>
Frederick locked the screen, shoved the phone into his pocket, and stood by the bed, looking at her with stark displeasure.
“Charlie has a fever. Zoe is pregnant and can’t manage it on her own. As family, it’s completely normal for me to go help. If you’re wondering why I felt the need to hide it from you, maybe you should took in the mirror p>
Maeve clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white as a suffocating wave of frustration washed over her.
“Look in the mirror? Frederick, your accompany her to her prenatal checkups. Whenever she says she’s in a bad mood, you drop everything to take her on a vacation abroad without a second thought. When she has a fever you stay right by her side to nurse her. And now, on our third wedding anniversary, you literally just got out of my bed and you’re already running off to her. And I’m not even allowed to be the slightest bit upset p>
Her pace quickened unconsciously, tears welling up in her eyes. The last sentence was practically a scream.
“Don’t you forget, I am your wife, not Zoe Zane p>
“You’re completely out of your mind!” Frederick scoffed, turning on his heel to leave.
Maeve quickly grabbed his arm. “Let me make this clear. You’re not going anywhere today! You are going to stay here and celebrate our anniversary p>
Frederick tried to pull his arm away, but her grip was desperate. Failing to shake her off, his brows furrowed tightly.
“Maeve, can you be reasonable for once? Does this so-called anniversary matter more than Charlie’s health p>
Maeve stared at him in sheer disbelief, her lips trembling violently.
“So-called anniversary? You promised me that today would be entirely mine. You lied p>
“This isn’t the time to bring up the past, Maeve.” Frederick’s frown deepened. He looked at her as if she were a toddler throwing a tantrum, his voice growing increasingly distant.
“My brother is gone, and it hasn’t been easy for Zoe. I don’t expect you to step up and care for her like the rest of the family does, but as my wife you should at least have the basic decency to be understanding.
As their eyes locked, Maeve saw nothing but a somber, frozen gaze in Frederick’s eyes—an icy wasteland that offered her absolutely no warmth.