The Billionaire Regretted Losing His Invisible Wife novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9 The Sketch

Mia’s POV

The book I’d thrown lay open on the floor between us, pages bent. My palm still tingled – not from striking him, but from wanting to. Kyle’s kiss burned on my lips, a ghost of passion that meant nothing. That had always meant nothing. The taste of expensive scotch lingered on my tongue, bitter like the memories we’d shared.

“Don’t touch me again.” My voice came out steadier than I felt, ice coating each word. Inside, my traitorous heart still raced from his proximity, from the familiar scent of his cologne, from the way his body had pressed against mine. Old habits die hard, it seems. “I’m not your toy anymore, Kyle.”

Storm clouds gathered in those grey eyes I’d once found so captivating. The slight tick in his jaw betrayed his anger. I knew all his tells by now, every minute expression that revealed the emotions he

tried so hard to hide.

“You’re being ridiculous,” he growled, taking a step toward me. “This tantrum needs to stop.”

I backed away, my legs hitting the edge of the bed. “Tantrum?”

Kyle’s jaw tightened, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “Mia-”

The shrill ring of his phone cut through the tension. Taylor’s ringtone – that custom chime he’d set just for her. He had sent her to voicemail once tonight. She had simply called again.

Then again. She would call until he answered; she always did. The sound felt like needles in my chest, each note a reminder of my place in his life.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. “Right on time.”

He answered. Of course he answered.

“Kyle!” Taylor’s voice carried through the speaker, syrupy sweet and trembling with fake vulnerability. Even through the phone, I could picture her perfectly made-up face, the calculated way she’d arrange her features into distress. “The doctor says my leg injury is serious. From when… when Mia pushed me down the stairs…” A perfectly timed sob. “I keep having nightmares about it…”

I walked to the window, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. The city sprawled below, lights twinkling like nothing was wrong, like my world hadn’t just imploded. Behind me, I could hear Kyle’s footsteps moving restlessly across the hardwood floor.

“I’ll be right there,” he said into the phone, his voice softening the way it only did for her. “Just stay calm.”

“Please hurry,” Taylor whimpered. “I’m scared to be alone…”

I turned back, unable to stop myself from watching as concern transformed Kyle’s face. The same face that had remained stoic while I lay bleeding at the bottom of those stairs. “You should go,” I said quietly. ” Your beloved Taylor needs you.”

His eyes snapped to mine, something unreadable crossing his features. “This isn’t finished, Mia.”

“I think it is. It has been for a long time. I was just too blind to see it.” I gestured around the half-packed room.

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