The Stand In Wife's Revenge novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10

With its sleek black frame creating a long shadow across the driveway, the car’s engine purred to a halt in front of his mansion.

Alex remained motionless in the driver’s seat for a moment, the only sound that slipped into his mind was the soft hum of the engine.

The magnificent of his estate and the towering stone pillars that ought to have occupied his thoughts were all far from his mind.

Instead Ava was all he could think about. His mind kept drifting back to her, lost and alone on the road, she had been a mystery ever since he had found

her.

All day long he had been haunted by the vision of her frail vulnerable body, her eyes wide with doubt.

He had been attracted to her for reasons other than just her apparent need for assistance. Something more profound. Despite his inability to pinpoint it he sensed a connection between them.

The way she talked and her voice were tentative and quite similar to Fiona’s. It had hit him at once. There was an eerie similarity…same curly dark hair. She exuded the same delicate aura as if she were also lost.

Then there was the way she had regarded him when he attempted to assist her. Although she hadnt spoken there was a flicker of recognition in her eyes. Although she hadn’t really remembered who she was, there had been a brief moment when it appeared as though she might have knowledge of him or Fiona.

Fiona.

He was plagued by the name. The pain of his wife’s absence was still acute like a new wound even though it had been months since she had been lying cold on that bed.

He had looked everywhere for answers but he had come up empty. Not a single solution, no hints. Now here was Ava who spoke in a way that made him think of the woman he had loved and looked a lot like her.

A glance at the passenger seat broke his train of thought. The brown envelope that had been left there forgotten in the day’s chaos caught his attention.

The envelope was the same one that had fallen from Ava’s suitcase during his hasty hospitalization. It seemed to call out to him now in the quiet of his car but he hadn’t opened it at the time because he was too preoccupied with everything else going on.

His hand moved slowly almost reluctantly toward the envelope. As his fingers touched the glossy surface he could feel the weight of whatever was within. The envelope had no name, no markings and no indication of what was inside. But he was aware of its significance.

As if it contained the answers to the questions that had been bothering him ever since he had found Ava, it kept drawing him in to tear it open and know what was in it.

He was lost in thoughts for a moment as he looked at it. Something stopped him from opening it now, right here. He didnt want to jump right into it. He didn’t want to draw conclusions too quickly or assume anything based just on a gut feeling.

This document had a certain feel to it. As if there would be no turning back once he opened it a little. Either Ava’s mystery will be solved or it will get even more complicated.

After taking a deep breath Alex put the envelope back on the passenger seat. Waiting would be necessary. He couldn’t let this consume him. Not when there were other things to do, the meeting. The three days he had left before everything would be lost.

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01:56 Sun, Mar 8

Chapter 10

The weight of his duties pressed down on him like an unrelenting tide and his hand tightened on the steering wheel. It was oppressive. He needed someone to represent Fiona at the next meeting with possible investors.

The consequences would be severe if he failed. Everything he had worked for including his business and reputation might be in jeopardy. But it felt wrong to ask Ava for assistance–to ask her to act like someone she wasn’t.

She had no memories. She was unsure of her identity, much less that of Fiona. Despite the fact that she was just as lost as he was, he was still thinking about using her to protect himself.

There was no other option though. He sighed deeply, his mind going back to the document. Is there a deeper reason why Ava ended up in his life at this particular moment? What was it? Why had it been in her suitcase? Could it be related to her relationship with Fiona?

Numerous questions remained unresolved. He had a lot of things to learn. He could only wait for the time being though. He needed to come up with a strategy. He needed to persuade Ava to assist him by acting as his wife even if it was only temporarily.

He might be able to give her the time she needed to heal and recollect her identity. Alex’s eyes returned to the mansion in front of him.

This place which he had constructed from the ground up is a testament to all that he has achieved. Tonight though it felt empty. He couldn’t stop thinking about Ava, Fiona and the impending crisis he had to deal with.

Alex experienced a profound sense of uncertainty as the engine’s sound faded and the vehicle became silent. He had this persists sensation that he was standing at the edge of something far bigger than he can imagine.

But then, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for whatever it was because the bridge between the past and the present were becoming thin.

Then he looked at the envelope again.

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