The Unwanted Wife’s Genius Comeback

The Unwanted Wife’s Genius Comeback.

NOVEL STATUS: ON GOING

PUBLISHED CHAPTERS: 200+ CHAPTERS

The Unwanted Wife’s Genius Comeback – Sneak Peek

Corinne’s POV

“I’m home.”

I had rehearsed that line for a long time as my opening greeting.

Today was my birthday. I had flown back from a brief visit with my family in Boston to our penthouse in Manhattan, the marital home I shared with my husband, just to spend the evening with the people I loved.

But the laughter drifting from the living room caught the words in my throat and choked them. I stood at the door, the heavy wood cool against my fingertips. My heart beat like a frantic drum against my ribs, a chaotic rhythm of long-haul exhaustion and fragile hope.

My husband, Blake Carlisle, was hockey royalty, a sports icon. That severe, almost arrogant face was a permanent fixture on the covers of sports magazines. He was one of the NHL’s elite defensemen, the kind of player fans called a “wall,” the kind the league built its marketing campaigns around.

Tonight he was leaning back on the sofa, a soft smile I rarely saw playing on his lips. His gaze wasn’t on the door. It was fixed on the floor.

𝘕е𝘄 ch𝗮𝗉𝘵e𝗿𝘀 𝖾𝘃𝘦𝘳𝘆 𝘄𝖾ek 𝗈𝘯 𝘨alո𝗈𝘷𝖾𝗹𝘴.𝘤о𝘮

My daughter, five-year-old Lily, was giggling as she tried to balance a Lego block on a teetering tower. And she wasn’t alone.

Dayna Nixon, ESPN’s darling sports commentator and my half-sister, knelt beside her, one perfectly manicured hand steadying the shaky structure.

“Dayna,” Lily chirped, her voice syrupy sweet.

“Lily,” Blake said, his voice laced with a warmth I had been starving for. “Don’t knock over Dayna’s masterpiece.”

His ice-blue eyes reflected the two of them, a perfect little scene.

I stood in the shadows of the entryway, an intruder in my own home. They made a perfect family portrait, and I, the woman of the house, was the one who didn’t belong.

I retracted the handle of my suitcase. The soft click finally drew their attention.

Lily looked up first. The smile vanished from her face.

“Mama,” she said, the word flat and reluctant.

Dayna rose gracefully, a picture of effortless perfection in her cashmere sweater and blond waves. She offered me a flawless smile. “Corinne, you’re back. We were just keeping Lily busy.”

Blake’s eyes finally met mine. The warmth in them evaporated instantly, replaced by the familiar, chilling distance. He gave a single nod.

“Hey.”

That was his entire welcome after my flight back from Boston. It was a cold plunge, extinguishing the last flicker of hope.

I forced a stiff smile onto my face. “Yeah, I’m back.”

I moved toward Lily, my arms open for a hug, my other hand holding the small wrapped box I had carried from Boston: a limited-edition musical snow globe from Atelier No. 9 in Beacon Hill. Only a hundred had been made, and I had spent three months on the waitlist. It was hand-blown glass, with a tiny ballerina inside playing Brahms’ lullaby.

“Lily, I brought you something.”

She shrank back behind Dayna’s legs. “I don’t want it now. Dayna and I aren’t finished playing,” she mumbled.

Then she ran to the coffee table, picked up a crayon drawing, and held it out to Dayna. “I made it for you, Dayna! With a crown!”

My hands froze mid-air, then dropped awkwardly to my sides.

I could feel Dayna’s gaze on me, a mixture of pity and quiet triumph. I turned to Blake, searching for some sliver of support, but his attention was already on the tablet resting on the armrest, PK numbers highlighted in red, his thumb scrolling. He hadn’t even noticed.

“It’s okay,” I said to no one in particular. “They were just deep in their game.”

I pulled my suitcase toward the bedroom, my back ramrod straight.

The moment the bedroom door clicked shut, sealing off the sound of their laughter, the world went quiet.

– Continue in A The Unwanted Wife’s Genius Comeback chapter 1 –