The Spare Wife by Nadia Gordon

Chapter 1

‘Your husband has cheated on you.‘

When Abigail Quinn received the text message from her best friend, she had

just taken an ovulation injection and was resting on the bench of the

outpatient clinic, trying to suppress the piercing pain in her abdomen. Her

hair was dark and her skin as fair as snow, but there was no trace of blood on

her face now. Even so, that didn’t overshadow her stunning looks and

passersby kept turning their heads to look at her.

Then, she inhaled deeply and tapped with a trembling finger, and opened the

picture on her cell phone to take a look. It was a picture of Sean Graham

holding a woman in a pink haute couture dress while walking out of a hotel.

The man’s usually cold and stoic face looked tender as he lowered his head

at the woman in the picture.

Abigail knew who that woman was, Sean’s first love, Joan Palmer.

After a while, she snapped back to her senses, searched for Sean’s number,

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Chapter 1 Let’s Divorce

and called him. She waited for a long time for the busy dial tone to end and

the man’s aloof voice finally echoed from the other end of the call. “What’s

the problem?”

2/8

“Are you coming home tonight?” Actually, she wanted to ask if he even

wanted to return home.

Alas, it was clear that her call itself had already caused Sean to feel annoyed.

Thus, after a few seconds of silence, he said impatiently, “Is there an

important issue we need to discuss?”

Tears immediately welled up in her eyes, his indifferent voice stabbing her

heart like a knife, but she expertly masked her sadness. “Did you forget what

day it is today?”

They had been married in secret for three years, and except for that monthly

coitus, they rarely met with each other. Today was their wedding anniversary,

the day when he should return home. When they were in bed last month, he

promised her that he would spend the day with her.

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Chapter 1 Let’s Divorce

7

he only cut her off and grumbled in annoyance,

later. Don’t worry.”

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3/8

that, he wasted no time hanging up. Abigail’s heart sank to the pits

listened to the monotonous dial tone. Then, he

by taking a few deep breaths. Finally,

come and

hurried footsteps

corridor. The woman appeared cool and eye–catching as her

in blue with streaks of

as she briskly

the astonished looks that greeted her were no longer

her bushy brows as she went straight

pale that she could rival a ghost at this rate,

sorry but couldn’t stop herself from reprimanding her

life of his dreams with Joan. What’s the point of you taking

ovulation injection?”

Sept

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Chapter 1 Let’s Divorce

hung her head without a word. Her marriage with Sean was not

4/8

because it was his grandfather, Colby, who forced

marriage when it was proposed

nobody knew that she had held a torch

only after their marriage did

a first love named Joan Palmer,

That was

her give up.

was too embarrassed to acknowledge Abigail

marriage from the public for

and thought that she would one day be

heart. She hoped that one

genuinely want to spend his

returned, Abigail realized just

she arrived, she took a shower and stared at the

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Chapter 1 Let’s Divorce

night with a bitter

it’s for myself or for Sean, this will

5/8

middle of the night, a pair of big, cold palms

the waist. The man’s hot breath was right

burning from the warmth. She blinked

instinctively. Before she could do anything,

Then,

above her

were still groggy from slumber, she

arms around

arching her back to

eyes swept over her clothes, and his breath raised

called me back just for

turned rigid for a second, but she

“Yes. I just came

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Chapter 1 Let’s Divorce

together, she was always the one taking

injections, supplements, and even sexual positions; as long

was anything that could help to conceive,

6/8

Sean was reminded that everything she was doing was

a baby, he lost all interest in continuing.

a piece of wet wipe from the bedside

hands slowly, thoroughly cleaning them as though he

He didn’t miss any joints