Chapter 1 Ending A Marriage
Mia took a deep breath and opened the door to her new apartment. She stepped inside and set her bags on the small table behind the door. She barely had a second to breathe when suddenly a hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her back.
She gasped.
Her back hit the wall, and in the very next heartbeat, a tall figure closed in on her, blocking her in completely. He stood right in front of her, his chest rising and falling as if he had run straight here, his presence overwhelming the small entryway.
He caught both her wrists and pinned them against the wall near her head. Mia’s head jerked toward him, and her eyes widened when she finally saw his face—his intense eyes locked on hers, burning.
“Mr. Graves…” Mia whispered, almost breathless.
Alexander leaned closer, his face dipping toward hers, eyes fixed on her lips. Just as his mouth was about to meet hers, Mia blinked, coming back to the present, and sharply turned her head away.
His lips grazed her cheek instead—missing her mouth entirely. The missed kiss made his jaw clench, irritation tightening hismouth. Yet he pressed a soft, almost possessive kiss to her cheek before pulling back slightly.
But he didn’t stay away for long. Stubborn as ever, he leaned in again, aiming for her lips. Mia turned her head sharply once more, and again his lips met her cheek.
Mia turned fully, pulling back. “Mr. Graves… don’t kiss me.”
His gaze dropped to hers, dark and unbothered, swallowing her whole with a possessive intensity that made her stomach tighten.
Mia shut her eyes for a brief moment, drawing in a trembling breath before speaking. “How did you find my address?”
Alexander didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his face dipped again, brushing from her cheek to her ear, his voice a low, dangerous murmur. “You’re my wife. You can’t run from me.”
He pulled back again and leaned in once more, aiming for her lips—but once again, she turned her face, dodging the kiss, her chest rising and falling sharply. Then, she tilted her head slightly, meeting his gaze.
“I don’t want to be your wife anymore,” she said, her voice trembling yet sharp, cutting through the thick tension in the room. Her eyes didn’t waver from his. “Let’s get a divorce.”
In the next instant, his hand shot up, gripping her jaw with a force that made her swallow back a gasp. His thumb brushed against her cheek, pulling her face fully toward him. His eyes were now blazing. It was an intensity she had never seen before, and it sent a cold shiver slithering down her spine.
Alexander’s lips hovered over hers, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. His voice dropped to a low, serious growl, vibrating against her skin. “Mia… even if youspend the next hundred damn years hating me, you’ll still be my wife.”
The next moment, his lips crashed onto hers, stealing her breath completely. His mouth engulfed hers, claiming her lips as he drew them into his mouth, sucking slowly, hungrily. His tongue traced her lower lip, teasing before pulling it in, sucking gently as his heavy breaths brushed against her skin. The fresh mint of his breath flooded her senses, making it impossible to focus on anything but him.
Heat spread through her, sharp and overwhelming, until she felt like she was burning everywhere. Breathing became difficult, her chest tight as his kisses grew rougher, more desperate. His teeth caught her lower lip, tugging it lightly before his tongue soothed over it again and again hungrily.
She tried to pull her hands free, but he didn’t let go. His grip tightened instead, pressing her harder against the wall, trapping her between his body and the cool surface as he devoured her mouth, leaving her dizzy and breathless.
Her thoughts scattered like shattered glass inside her mind, jagged pieces stabbing at her heart. But one refrain kept slicing through the chaos:
‘He doesn’t love me. He never loved me.’ The thought burned through her. ‘Then why is he still clinging to me?’
Fury flared through her veins once again. Acting purely on instinct, she sank her teeth into his lower lip.
Alexander jerked back, a sharp hiss escaping him as blood welled and dripped. The abrupt break left him staring at her, surprise flashing across his features—anger nowhere to be seen.
“I told you, I don’t want to have anything to do with you. Can you just leave me the fuck alone?” Mia shouted, her voice cracking but fierce, echoing through the apartment. Her fists curled, nails digging into her palms, her whole body trembling.
Alexander blinked in surprise at her outburst. Then, a slow, almost imperceptible smile curved his lips. He lifted a thumb and gently wiped the blood from his lip, his gaze never leaving hers.
And just like that, he leaned in again—but this time, his lips pressed softly against hers, almost tenderly. When he pulled back, the heat in his gaze was almost unbearable, his chest still rising and falling with the force of his own pulse.
“Two weeks,” he murmured, voice low and steady, the raw edge of desire barely restrained. “I haven’t seen you in two weeks… and my Mia has learned how to curse?”
His smile softened, the hard edge in his eyes easing just slightly. At last, he let go of her wrists, and her arms dropped weakly to her sides, almost trembling. His hand rose to her face again, fingertips brushing over her cheek with an almost predatory gentleness.
“Go to bed for now. I’ll come see you again.”
