The Cherished Wife



Henry was out of patience with Layla's drama. "Jordan, she's your wife now, which makes her part of the Langford family. You know what to do." He gave Jordan a look of regret.

If only Tania had chosen Jordan back then, he would have been a decent choice. Too bad he and Anna were not meant to be.

"Got it!" Jordan agreed. "I won't bother you anymore." He took Layla's hand firmly. "Come on, we're going home!"

"I won't go, Dad. Please listen to me. I've always been your daughter! You... Tania left us three years ago and never treated us like her real parents. She didn't even come home when her mom was dying..."

"Stop! Just stop. I'm done listening to you trash-talk Anna. I've done more than enough for you," Henry declared. Without his help back in the day, Layla would never have had a shot at marrying Jordan considering her background. Sure, the Langfords were not the top dogs in Brookville, but they were a respected literary family, and Jordan was a catch.

However, Layla was not ready to throw in the towel, even though Henry was done playing games. He shut the door in her face, severing ties for good.

"Get your hands off me!" Layla snapped, jerking away from Jordan's grip and shooting him a death glare. "You think you're so great? Why can't you put in a good word with my dad for me? Jordan, you..."

"I'm over it!" Jordan, clearly annoyed, stormed off, leaving Layla fuming and stamping her foot, muttering, "Tania? Yeah, right, like she's ever coming back."noveldrama

"What did you just say?"

Layla nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice that came from nowhere. She stumbled, caught herself against the wall, and turned to look at Sean with a look of sheer panic. "Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith..."

Sean gave a sly grin, casually stroking his chin, looking as innocent as can be. "Mr. Smith? You imposter! You don't remember me?" "Sean Smith..."

Panic-stricken, Layla pressed against the wall, desperate to run though her feet would not budge. She swallowed hard, tears threatening to spill.

Sean chuckled, giving Layla an innocent look that did not quite reach his eyes. "Why so shocked? Did you just realize how good-looking I am? Can't contain your excitement?"

His words sounded light, but Layla

felt a chill run down her spine. She knew all too well what Sean was capable of. Years ago, she had watched in horror as a man trapped with her in a dark room met a grisly end at Sean's hand, with nothing but a surgeon's scalpel.

From that day on, Layla made it a point to steer clear of anywhere Sean might be. Then, she walked right into his domain—the Smith family's hospital.

"Sean... Mr. Smith, I've got to go, I have... I have..."

"What's with the stuttering?" Sean's

gaze lingered on Layla's face,

n

watching the fear flicker across her features before he drawled, "It's been ages, hasn't it? How about we catch up somewhere more private?"

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"No, really, I've got things to do, Sean..." Layla stumbled backward, nearly tripping over her own feet. She braced herself against a chair by the wall, gasping for air. "I've got... things to do..."

Once upon a time, 'Sean' was what

et

Layla called him when she was just another face in the crowd, often seen hovering around Charles. However, after her true identity and the terrible things she did to Tania came to light, the niceties were dropped. Sean's tone grew distant, and Layla could no longer bring herself to use his name so casually.