Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband-Chapter 266: Seduction

She walked around him then and watched as he took in her attire. She’d let the gown covering her fall to the floor... and was now dressed only in her lacy baby doll. She watched his eyes darken and then his hand moved...

He cupped her face then and she leaned into his touch, her heart jumping with triumph. Yes. She was winning. "Aiden... can I... kiss you?"

But then the next moment was a blur.

Her smile vanished as she gasped, her back slamming into the window frame behind her. Before she could process what was happening, her feet left the ground, and she found herself halfway out of the window, the cold night air biting at the exposed skin of her shoulders and arms. Her legs flailed in the air and her lacy attire doing little to protect her from the sudden rush. She tried to balance herself but she had no purchase.

Aiden’s hand was like iron around her throat, holding her in place effortlessly and making it unable to breathe. She looked frantically at his face, trying to tell him that he she could not breathe. His leaned in close then and his expression dark and unreadable, but his eyes burned with a dangerous intensity. For the first time, Kim felt as if he could kill her.

"You think I’m weak, Kim?" he hissed, his voice low and lethal, his breath warm against her ear. "You think I’d fall for your pathetic little tricks? Let me make one thing very clear to you." He leaned in closer making heart hammer in genuine terror. "I am in hell. And I have no qualms about dragging others there with me, especially anyone who played a part in what happened."

Kimberlee’s eyes widened, and she instinctively shook her head, or at least tried to, her movements restricted by his iron grip. Her hands scrabbled at his wrist, desperate for some semblance of control. If he let her go now, the fall would be catastrophic. Even from the second floor, she knew the impact could shatter bones—or worse.

"I didn’t—" she gasped, her voice barely a whisper of panic.

"Save it, Kimberlee," he snapped, his voice cutting through her denial like a blade. "For your sake, I hope you had nothing to do with what happened to Serena. Because if I find even the smallest trace of evidence linking you to her pain, you will wish you had never crossed paths with me. No—" his tone dropped to a menacing growl, his lips brushing dangerously close to her ear. "You will pray for death, and I will make damn sure it doesn’t come quickly."

Without waiting for a response, Aiden pulled her back from the edge with the same sudden, brutal efficiency that he had pushed her with.

Kimberlee crumpled to the floor, coughing and gasping for air as she scrambled away from the window. Her hands flew to her throat, her mind reeling from the sheer force of his fury. She pressed herself against the wall, lest he try to throw her down again.

Aiden," she rasped shakily. "I told you, I had nothing to do with Serena’s disappearance. I—I’m innocent."

Aiden scoffed, the sound dripping with disdain. "The fact that you’re even here, standing in her place, is proof enough that you’re far from innocent. So let me give you some advice. Stay away from me if you value your life."

Kimberlee switched tactics then. Instead of pleading her innocence, she let tears fall.

"Aiden, I’m your wife," she said, her voice trembling yet desperate. "You promised to love me, to be with me. What’s so wrong with me trying to bring some intimacy between us? If it helps, you can even pretend I’m Serena. I won’t hold it against you. But she’s gone, Aiden. She’s dead. You need to let her go—"

Her words died in her throat as his hand lashed out again, wrapping around her neck with terrifying precision. This time, there was no hesitation in his grip, no room for even the faintest whisper of defiance. He hauled her closer, his eyes blazing with a fury so intense it left her paralyzed.

"YOU," he said, his voice cold and deliberate, each word landing like a hammer blow as he let her go. "ARE. NOT. MY. WIFE."

"But I am. Even if I’m just her replacement, you stood there. You went through the motions. You made vows, Aiden! That makes me your wife!"

Aiden’s lips curled into a cruel smirk, one that didn’t reach his eyes. "But I never said ’I do,’ to the vows," he said softly, "Or have you forgotten that little detail?"

Kimberlee froze, her defiance faltering. His statement hit her harder than anything else he could have said. Her hands fell from her bruised throat, her mind racing. "What are you talking about?" she whispered, her voice cracking with uncertainty. "You’re lying. That’s not possible. I said the vows and then you did and then he asked you if you accepted me as your wife..."

Aiden gave a mocking laugh then, " You really don’t remember, do you? Let me paint the picture for you, Kimberlee. You said ’I do,’ all bright-eyed and eager, didn’t you? But, in your eagerness, you forgot to disguise your voice and made me suspicious. So, when it was my turn..." He paused, letting the memory hang between them like a noose. "I waited."

Kimberlee’s heart sank, "No," she whispered in denial, shaking her head, "You said it. I heard you—everyone did!"

Aiden’s laugh devoid of humor. "You didn’t hear me say a damn thing. I lifted your veil instead, remember? Didn’t you hear the priest say that at least speak the vow before wanting to kiss the bride?" His lips curled in disgust.

"Everyone assumed we were married," Aiden interrupted sharply, "Because they wanted to believe in the illusion. A perfect wedding, a perfect union. They didn’t know that the bride had been replaced. But I didn’t say the words, Kimberlee. And after lifting your veil, I pulled it back down and walked out of that farce of a ceremony. Do you remember now?"

Kimberlee’s breathing quickened as the events of that day came rushing back. The whispers, the confused applause, the murmur of guests wondering what had just happened. But she had never realized... "No... That doesn’t make sense. If you didn’t say it, why didn’t anyone—"

"Because I made sure of it," Aiden said, "I told my assistant to handle it. The guests were told to leave, with a very clear warning to keep their mouths shut about that evening. And they did. No one dared question me, Kimberlee. Not then. Not now."

Her throat tightened, her fingers trembling as she tried to comprehend what he was saying. "But the marriage certificate—"

"Was never signed by me," Aiden said, "You’re not my wife, Kimberlee. You never were. And you never will be."

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om