No Love Blooms Where You Walk

Chapter 1

After ten years of marriage, Alexander Steele woke up one day and forgot I existed.

And like sharks smelling blood, the women came circling.

A rising pop star swore he'd bought her a private island, their forever love nest.

Miss World showed up flaunting a ten-carat diamond, claiming she was his real wife and they'd been secretly married for years.

Then came the flight attendant, a stunning, fresh-faced twenty-something, leaking photos of Alexander half-naked in bed. She called him babe. The tabloids called it "the affair of the year."

The internet ate it up. Everyone was waiting to see me crash and burn.

But I didn't flinch. I still handled every family crisis, every boardroom war, every Steele scandal, because I was still Mrs. Steele.

Until the day Emily Davis appeared.

She limped into our home, holding the hand of a little boy who looked just like Alexander.

Tears streamed down her face as she said, "Mrs. Steele, I know you hate me. You can break my other leg if you want. I won't fight back.

But Tommy's nine now. He deserves to be acknowledged… as the heir."

And Alexander? He reached out and touched the boy's head like he'd done it a thousand times.

Then he looked at me, with eyes full of ice, not a trace of the man I'd loved for a decade.

That's when it hit me.

The mistresses, the scandals, the media circus, they were all just a distraction.

The truth was far worse:

He'd been hiding a whole other family. And protecting her all along.

If that's what being "Mrs. Steele" really meant,

Then I'm done playing the dignified wife in someone else's twisted fairytale.

...

In the ten years I'd been married to Alexander Steele, his reputation was spotless.

No scandals, no rumors.

Everyone said he respected me more than any man had ever respected a wife.

That he loved me most.

I believed that too.

But now… the staff in the Steele mansion avoided my gaze.

Their eyes were full of pity, like they were watching a queen being dethroned.

They were all waiting to see how the once untouchable Mrs. Steele would handle being replaced.

Emily Davis showed up crawling, literally crawling, up the marble steps.

She was sobbing, her clothes paper-thin against the biting wind.

By the time she reached me, her knees were scraped raw and bleeding.

"Mrs. Steele," she cried, "you once said that if I disappeared, you'd only break one of my legs."

"But you shut every door in my face. I can't find work. I can't take care of Tommy. He's nine years old and still hasn't stepped foot in a school."

"Please, Mrs. Steele, I'm begging you, just give my son a chance to live. Even if you want my arms and legs, I won't fight back."

And then, with bloodied hands, she grabbed the hem of my pants.

Instinctively, I stepped back, not wanting her anywhere near me.

That was all it took.

She let out a shriek and fell backwards, rolling down the long stretch of stone stairs in front of the mansion.

"Mom!" Tommy shouted, his little voice shaking as he lunged forward.

But Alexander held him back.

Even without his memory, his posture was that of a man used to power. Cold. Commanding.

He looked at me with complete disdain and asked,

"Rachel, when did you become so cruel?"

Then he walked down the stairs and picked her up himself.

Emily collapsed into his arms like she belonged there. Blood stained her forehead and smeared across his custom-made suit.

He didn't flinch.

"Are you hurt? Don't worry, I'm taking you to the hospital," he said gently, like she was made of glass.

Emily clutched his shirt collar with trembling fingers.

Her voice was weak, but just loud enough for me to hear.

"Alex… don't blame Rachel. She only did it for your sake, for the Steele family's image. I know I don't deserve you. I was never good enough."

"These ten years… I never once resented her. It was right for her to hit me… to scold me…"

Alexander cut her off, his tone soft but firm.

"Don't say another word. I understand everything now."

Then he looked at her with the kind of devotion I hadn't seen in years and said,

"I won't let your ten years of pain be for nothing."

He picked her up, turned to me, and added without hesitation,

"Rachel Mace, I will settle this ten-year debt, for her."

He carried her to the car like a prince rescuing his damsel.

Tommy scrambled in after them.

The driver, sensing the mood, quickly started the engine.

And just like that, they left.

The picture was perfect. A man, a woman, and a child.

A ready-made family that had existed behind my back all along.

As the car disappeared down the driveway, I stood motionless.

The wind picked up, slicing through my coat. I didn't move.

Ten years of marriage vanished like a leaf in the wind, no trace, no weight.

Behind me, the servants whispered.

"Ten years and not even one child. She just took up space in the Steele family."

"Shh! Keep your voice down. What if she hears?"

Let them talk. I didn't care anymore.

I walked back upstairs, calm as ever, and called my lawyer.

"Draft the divorce agreement," I said. "Make sure not a single cent of what's mine goes missing."

The lawyer hesitated.

"Most of the assets are easy to split, but the private airport in the north suburbs, Mr. Steele was gifting it to you for your tenth anniversary. It'll be fully operational soon. Should we wait?"

"After all… independent flying was your dream before you got married."

Ah, yes. Before the Steele name swallowed me whole, I used to be someone with dreams.

I wanted to fly. I wanted freedom.

I wasn't just a woman bred to carry the Steele legacy.

"How long until it opens?" I asked.

"Seven days."

I nodded slowly.

"Then we wait seven more days."