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.

Layla was not ready to throw in the towel, even though Henry was done playing games. He shut the

and shooting him a death glare. "You think you're so great? Why

clearly annoyed, stormed off, leaving Layla fuming and stamping her foot, muttering,

did you

from nowhere. She stumbled, caught herself against the wall, and turned to look at Sean with a look of sheer panic.

"Sean Smith..."

run though her feet would not budge. She swallowed

reach his eyes. "Why

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,