The Return of the Neglected Wife

I couldn't stop thinking about the message. It gnawed at me like a splinter embedded under my skin, too deep to remove but constantly reminding me of its presence. The idea that Selene had once again wormed her way into Nixus' life—manipulating him with her charms, her promises, her web of lies—wasn't just infuriating. It was terrifying. But it wasn't the first time she had tried to control him, and it wouldn't be the last. I had to outplay her. I had to be smarter than both of them.

But despite my determination, I couldn't ignore the truth that was becoming clearer by the day: Nixus wasn't just my ex-husband. He was a problem I needed to solve. And it seemed like he wasn't going to leave me alone, no matter how hard I tried to rebuild my life.

The knock on my office door interrupted my thoughts.

"Malia?" Sarah's voice was light but concerned. She stepped into the room with a cautious look on her face. "There's someone here to see you."

Before I could respond, the door swung open, and I looked up, expecting to see a client or business partner. Instead, I was met with a sight I had been dreading for weeks.

Nixus.

He stood in the doorway, tall and imposing as always, his dark eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made the air between us feel thick. His jaw was set, his hands clenched by his sides, but his posture was rigid, like he was holding himself back from something—something dangerous. He didn't say anything immediately, just stared at me with that same cold, calculating look. The look that had been a constant in my life for far too long.

"Malia," he finally said, his voice as smooth as silk, but with an edge that I knew all too well. "We need to talk."

I didn't want to talk to him. Not after everything that had happened. I had no desire to sit in a room with him and listen to his hollow apologies or his empty promises. But I couldn't exactly throw him out, not without risking everything I had worked for. So I nodded curtly and motioned to the chair in front of my desk.

"Have a seat," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "But make it quick. I've got work to do."

Nixus didn't sit. He stayed standing, his posture still tense, his eyes never leaving mine. There was a brief moment of silence before he spoke again, his words like a sharp blade cutting through the air.

"I'm not here to play games, Malia," he said, his voice low and measured. "I need to know something."

I raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. "What's that?"

"Are you out for revenge?" His gaze never wavered. "Is that what this is? Everything you've done, everything you've built—has it all been to get back at me?"

I felt the anger flare inside me. This wasn't just some casual question. He wasn't asking out of curiosity. No, he was accusing me. Accusing me of something I had no interest in. I knew how this would go—he wanted to paint me as the bitter ex-wife, the scorned woman out to ruin his life. But I wasn't interested in being a pawn in his game any longer.

I stood up from behind my desk, locking eyes with him. "Revenge?" I said, my voice low but firm. "You think I've spent the last few years building my life, my career, just to get back at you?" I scoffed, shaking my head. "No, Nixus. I don't need revenge. What I need is to take control of my own life again. What I need is to never have to depend on you, or anyone like you, ever again."

The words hit him harder than I expected. His eyes flashed, a moment of something almost like pain flickering behind them before he quickly masked it with that familiar smirk.

"You always were a little too proud, weren't you?" he said, his voice colder now. "That's your problem, Malia. You've never been able to accept that I was doing what was best for both of us. For you."

I couldn't help it. My laugh was bitter, sharp. "Best for me?" I said, stepping closer to him, my voice steady but cutting. "You abandoned me when I needed you most. You cared more about your little fantasy with Selene than you did about the woman you promised to love. Don't talk to me about what's 'best for me,' because you don't have a clue."

He flinched at my words, but he didn't show it. Instead, his jaw tightened, his posture stiffened, and the air in the room seemed to grow heavier.

"I've always known what's best for you, Malia," he said, his voice low, dangerous. "I've always known what's best for everyone around me. And I'm telling you right now—everything you've done, everything you're building—it's just an illusion. You're not fooling anyone."

I could feel the weight of his words pressing down on me, but I refused to let him break me. Not again. "You don't get to control me anymore, Nixus," I said, my voice hard. "You don't get to decide what's best for me. You had your chance, and you blew it."

The silence between us stretched out, thick with tension. He seemed to be weighing my words, his expression unreadable. But then, in a move that startled me, he took a step forward, closing the distance between us.

"You think you're in control?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper now. "You think you can just walk away from everything we had? From everything I gave you?"

"I didn't ask for it," I snapped, my temper flaring. "I didn't want any of it."

For a moment, it felt like we were locked in some kind of standoff—two people who had once been bound together by love and now stood on opposite sides of a battle neither of us could win. But I wasn't backing down.

Nixus took another step closer, his face mere inches from mine. "You're still mine, Malia," he said, his voice dangerously calm. "You always have been. And no matter how much you try to pretend otherwise, you always will be."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. For a moment, I thought I might crumble under the weight of them. But I refused. I wasn't going to let him have that power over me again.

"I'm not yours, Nixus," I said, my voice a cold, cutting declaration. "And I never will be. You lost that right the moment you chose her over me. So don't come here pretending like you still have any claim on me."

His eyes narrowed, the coldness in them deepening, but before he could respond, the door to my office swung open with a force that startled both of us.

And there, standing in the doorway, was Selene.

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. Her presence was like a sharp blade to the atmosphere, cutting through the tension that had built up between Nixus and me. She stepped inside the room, her gaze flicking between us like a predator circling its prey.

"Well, well," she said, her voice dripping with sweetness. "It seems I've walked in at an... interesting moment."

Her smile was the kind that could make a person's skin crawl. It was all charm, all allure, but I could see the venom in her eyes. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Nixus didn't even glance at her. His attention was still on me, but I could feel the shift in the air—the way he tensed at her presence, like a child caught doing something he shouldn't. Selene, however, was unbothered, completely in control.

"You two have a lot to talk about, don't you?" she said, her gaze moving between Nixus and me, her voice playful but laced with malice. "But maybe now isn't the best time for such... delicate conversations."

I wanted to say something, to tell her to leave, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, I stood there, fuming with frustration and anger, knowing that this was just the beginning of whatever game Selene was about to play.

Selene looked at me then, her eyes narrowing, a small smile curling on her lips.

"You know, Malia," she said, her voice low and silky, "there's something you need to understand. You can't beat me. You never could."

I didn't have a response for her. But deep down, I knew she was right. Not because I was weak, but because she was playing a game I didn't even fully understand yet.

As she stepped closer to Nixus, I could feel the shift in the room. The walls felt like they were closing in around me, and the quiet threat in Selene's eyes only grew more pronounced.

"I think it's time you two take a little... break," she said softly, before turning to leave.

But as she walked out, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. That the trap she had set was only now springing into place.

And I was already walking straight into it.