Sleeping With the Wrong Man: Uncle vs. Nephew novel Chapter 1

The Nephew Lost Me; The Uncle Won Me

Chapter 1

The icy seawater engulfed Liana Wade instantly, the salty sting burning her nose and mouth, triggering violent coughs.

She struggled, but her right foot was wedged tight in a jagged crevice among the rocks.

“Help! Somebody help me!”

“Mr. Young! Mrs. Young is drowning!” a household staff member yelled, rushing toward Logan Young on the shore.

Logan’s face tightened. He was about to dive in when a more desperate cry rang out from

nearby.

“Logan, save me! I’m terrified!”

It was his foster sister, Olivia Chase.

Submerged in the water, Liana’s disbelief curdled into sharp betrayal. Logan, whom she expected would rescue her, executed a jarring, immediate pivot and sprinted, without a second thought, to another woman.

It felt as though an invisible hand crushed her heart so fiercely she barely registered the pain.

Lost in a thick, paralyzing haze, she couldn’t summon the basic, desperate instinct to struggle.

Had her husband truly abandoned her?

Just as panic choked her, strong arms snatched her from the rocks’ lethal grip and lifted her to

the surface.

Liana’s eyes fluttered open in a hospital room, instantly assaulted by a skull-splitting headache. Every inch of her skin felt like it was alight, and her throat was so raw and

desiccated it offered a terrifying premonition of combustion. A violent fever was clearly running its course.

The room was empty, and her husband, Logan, was nowhere to be seen.

“Water…” she croaked faintly.

Her voice barely reached her own ears.

She called again, but only her own ragged breathing answered back.

She was parched.

Gritting her teeth, Liana mustered every ounce of strength and forced herself upright.

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The fever spun her head, and every bone ached as if gnawed from within.

Three years ago, a single phone call was enough for the hospital director to bring her water personally. Now, for the sake of a man, she had been reduced to this-a helpless woman

unable to fetch a single glass of water for herself

How utterly pathetic.

She steadied herself against the wall and staggered forward.

The door to the next room was slightly ajar. Through the crack came muffled sobs and a man’s gentle, comforting voice-Logan.

An unbidden curiosity compelled Liana to freeze and peer through the crack. What she witnessed in that single flash was enough to leave the blood in her body feeling like liquid nitrogen.

Olivia clung to Logan like a frightened little bird, burying her face in his chest as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Logan, I was so scared… I thought I’d never see you again…”

Logan gently patted her back, his voice filled with a tenderness Liana had never heard before.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s over now.

“It’s my fault. If I had stayed with you, you wouldn’t have fallen into the water.”

“It’s not your fault, Logan,” Olivia whispered, eyes blurred with tears, meeting his gaze. “I was the one who insisted on dragging Liana to the beach. By the way, how is she doing? You should go check on her first.”

Logan furrowed his brow at the mention of Liana’s name.

“She’s fine. She is resting in the next room. A hired hand is looking after her,” he responded with clinical detachment.

The indifferent calm in his voice struck Liana like a knife.

Her own husband cared for his foster sister, but hadn’t glanced once at his unconscious wife.

Over the course of their three-year marriage, Logan’s entrepreneurial pursuits led him to sever ties with the Young family.

Liana poured her focus into nurturing his welfare, ensuring his midday meal was always warm and hand-packed.

To shield his confidence from potential setbacks, she covertly deployed her resources to bolster his finances, executing the aid with precision that ensured her involvement remained untraceable.

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How laughable.

“Logan, you should really check on Liana. If anyone finds out you’ve been here, they’ll gossip.”

Logan remained fixed, his face set like concrete. Are you trying to send me away? Lia, are you still upset that I didn’t stop your wedding three years ago?”

Olivia turned her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.

That wounded, fragile look struck a chord in Logan’s heart.

He sighed and pulled her close again. “I’m sorry.

“All these years, Liana and I kept things respectful and proper. Our marriage exists only in name. You’re the only one I’ve ever loved.”

Outside the door, Liana pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp.

So that was it.

Three years ago, Olivia had been forced into a business marriage.

Logan, drunk out of his mind at a bar, had clutched a bottle, shouting “Lia” again and again.

Liana, secretly in love with him for years, had been there too. She had foolishly believed he was calling her at that time.

The next day, she accepted his proposal with overwhelming joy-even though the stench of alcohol lingered on him and his eyes were bloodshot and weary.

She had thought her long-hidden love had finally borne fruit.

Now, looking back, it was nothing but a colossal joke.

On their wedding night, Logan claimed he was tired.

Later, when Liana tried to draw close, he coldly pushed her away.

She had thought he was simply reserved. But in truth, he had been guarding himself for the woman in his heart-his first love.

So what did that make her?

A joke?

“Logan, I’m already a divorced woman, and I have a child. We-”

“I don’t care!” His voice was gentle yet firm. “Tree years ago, I was too weak to protect you. From now on, I’ll raise your son as my own, and take care of you for the rest of your life.

‘Because you will always be the one I love most…

Liana couldn’t bear to hear another word. She turned and slowly made her way back to that

Chapter 1

cold room, each step pressing down on her shattered heart.

Strangely, not a single tear fell.

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All she felt was that the devotion and sacrifice of the past three years had been discarded like nothing.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before the door opened.

Logan finally appeared, still carrying the faint scent of Olivia’s perfume.

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