All Chapters of THE SUBSTITUTE HUSBAND’S RISE TO POWER.: Chapter 31
- Chapter 40
49 chapters
031.
Elena’s eyes stung with every tear that she tried to blink back, but even with the effort, the tears came anyway as Alex’s absence and the empty room weighed on her chest.She stayed in his room, eyes fixed on the closed door, willing it to open, anything to make her stop feeling like this, anything to let her know that Alex hadn’t actually gone.In her mind, she saw him walking in, sheepish, ready to apologize for the overturned table, for the raised voice, for daring to leave. She would scold him, of course. She would even make him beg a little, but then she would let him stay.She kept her eyes glued to the door, but it never opened. The door remained shut, and the hallway beyond it remained silent. But then, her phone rang, the sound pulling her out of the thought she was lost in.She picked up the phone, and Halsey’s name lit the screen. Elena answered immediately, her voice raw as she spoke. “Halsey.”“You hung up on me,” Halsey pointed out, and Elena ran her fingers through her
Last Updated : 2026-07-29
032.
What if she had been too late? What if she eventually got there, and Alex was actually dead?The thudding of her heart in her chest, made it incredibly hard for her to hear anything else other than the thoughts raging wild in her mind.Beads of sweat clustered on her forehead, and her breath came in ragged gasps, causing her to clench her chest even as it tightened, and her ribs felt too small to accommodate her beating heart.What would she do if he was actually dead? Why—of all the things he could have chosen to do, of all the ways he could have sought her attention—did he choose this very dangerous way?What if something happened to him? How would she be able to live with herself? She had asked him to die, but that wasn’t something she actually wanted to happen, she had only said that so he could leave her alone.“Oh God…. Oh my…. No.” She muttered, the phone still pressed against her ear as her breathing paced, her vision swarmed with tears that she fought to hold back, but failed
Last Updated : 2026-07-30
033.
“Oh my god.” Elena’s knees gave out as she slumped on the couch. “Oh my god, are you—you’re saying that Alex is among the casualties?” She asked.“No, but I’m saying that there’s a possibility he might be one of them. I asked one of my connections on that ground to ID the bodies, I’ll let you know if Alex’s body is one of them.” He finished.A violent chill tore through her body despite the warmth of the room as her fingers flew to her mouth, but it did nothing to stop the sharp, uneven breaths escaping her. They came too fast, too shallow, each one scraping her lungs raw.No. Alex’s body couldn’t possibly be there. Her mind rejected the idea with a force so intense that it felt as though the private investigator had told her that Alex had, indeed, died.Her stomach lurched so violently she doubled over, one hand clutching her abdomen while the other dug into the couch cushion hard enough to whiten her knuckles.Every beat of her heart struck like a fist against her ribs, faster, loud
Last Updated : 2026-07-30
034.
Her eyes bore holes into the ceiling as she stared, keeping her gaze glued there. She needed someone to talk to, she needed someone to tell what she planned on doing, but there was a part of her that said Marcus wasn’t that person.Elena agreed with that part, she spent years of her life without Marcus, and it was agonizing, and although she wanted Alex back, she doesn’t want Marcus to leave her again.Sighing, Elena made her way slowly and quietly out of bed, taking her phone with her. She got to the balcony, and called the only person she could think of calling.“Hello.” Halsey’s voice was gruff as she answered. “Elena? Is something wrong? Are you okay?”Elena sniffled, rubbing her eyes. “I’m okay, I just…. I really needed someone to talk to.” She responded, and Elena could hear shuffling sounds.“Okay? Is this about Alex?” Halsey asked, already figuring out that the only reason her best friend might be calling her was because of the dilemma that was Alex disappearing.“Yes.” Elena
Last Updated : 2026-07-30
035.
Her hands shook, and her palms were so clammy that every time she rubbed them together, they almost stuck. Her chest heaved with each breath of the pungent air that she took.“No.” She murmured, she wanted to move, but her legs felt as though they’d been glued to the spot, she couldn’t move them. “No.” She murmured again as if they’d bodies would disappear if she said the word ‘No’ enough.Her eyes stayed glued on the still bodies on the ground, cold chills ran down her spine, and her body felt heavier than usual. “There’s no way Alex is going to be among them.”No way.She remembered the words of her private investigator, and her entire body went even more rigid as the thought slammed through her skull like a physical blow. Her knees locked, and the dusty air thickened until every breath scraped her throat raw.The tears spilled out of her eyes before she could stop them, heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her teeth, in the tips of her fingers, in the hollow behind her eyes.
Last Updated : 2026-08-04
036.
Elena looked through the crowd, her eyes searching for the person who had mentioned Alex’s full name, but no one had openly admitted to being the one who said the name.Soon, a younger man in a bloodstained scrub top lifted a hand, almost apologetic. “The only Alex any of us know around here is the medical genius. Dr. Alexander Thorne. He has performed so many medical miracles that we all know him.” He explained.Elena looked at him like she couldn’t understand what he was saying. Alex had performed so many medical miracles? She almost doubted if it was the same Alex she knew, but she’d heard his last name, and she was sure it was him.Her wide eyes grew even wider, she knew he used to be a doctor, but she didn’t think he was so much of a doctor that he would be regarded as a genius, she never let herself read any article written about him.To her, Alex would always be her househusband, the man she’d settled for because Marcus wasn’t around, but here…. Right now, he seemed to be a lot
Last Updated : 2026-08-04
037.
Alex blinked as he stared at the nurse as if she’d just told him that the sky was green, and she was sure about it too. “Wh—What are you talking about?” He finally asked when he found his voice.He wanted to make sure that he’d heard her right, that she had really just told him that someone who claimed to be his wife was here.There was only one person who could claim to be his wife, and he could bet his life on the fact that there was no way in hell that she was here.“Well, we were wheeling the bodies away, and she just came in and started frantically searching for you.” The nurse paused as if to make sure that Alex was listening.“I think she thought you were part of the people that was caught up in the bombardment, when she calmed down, she told us that she’s your wife.” She explained.Alex’s mouth hung open, but not a single word came out of his mouth. The information the nurse had just given him hung in the air of the tent like something heavy that refused to settle.He was too
Last Updated : 2026-08-06
038.
“Yes, Doctor.” The nurse responded, and with his shirt still open, Alex made his way out of the tent as he stepped into the heat.They hadn’t gone very far when he saw Julian already making his way towards him across the packed dirt, his face set, and he looked more like he was confused than mad.“Julian, I just heard that—” Alex started.But Julian cut him off. “I know. I just heard that too,” he sighed as he fell into steps with Alex. “Elena? What is she doing here, and that too at such a critical time as this?” He asked.Alex shrugged, and even though they were walking to where the nurse said Elena was, he wished they could just keep walking because he didn’t want to see her, but he also didn’t have it in him to send her off without seeing her.It was as though he had two minds, and both minds were waging a crazy war against each other. He had forgiven Elena, he wanted her to be happy even though he wasn’t going to be a part of her happiness.“I have no idea.” He eventually spoke.
Last Updated : 2026-08-06
039.
“I cannot believe you went through all of that and didn’t say anything to me.” Julian said, his anger evident in the way he spoke, and how his eyes glistened.“Well,” Alex sighed, “I didn’t think it was important enough for anyone else to know about it. I mean, I already filed for divorce, and our divorce is final now. I’m good.” He added.Silence stretched between them for what seemed like forever as they walked, Julian intentionally taking his time because he wanted Elena to wait.He couldn’t believe that while he thought his best friend was in good hands, he’d been wrong, and his best friend had been treated like a useless househusband.Julian thought about all the times when Alex still took his career seriously, he always thought Alex would end up with one of the more important people whose lives he’d saved, and when Alex had told him about Elena, he thought they were in love, and that was all that mattered.“You’re still angry.” Alex said when he noticed that Julian hadn’t said a
Last Updated : 2026-08-07
040.
The triage field exploded with Alex’s declaration. Whispers took over the ground as everyone kept airing their opinion without caring if Elena heard them.“I fucking knew it.”“No way in hell Alexander Thorne was married to that.”“Look at her. Elena Max? She might be rich, but she’s not even in the same stratosphere.”“The same man the world praised, if he hadn’t gone MIA the way he did five years ago, he would have gotten multiple recognitions from the president.”“Yes,” another voice chimed in. “I remember when the president wanted to honor him, but Doctor Alex didn’t show up, and no one knew what happened.”“She’s beneath him. Always was.”“Househusband my ass. That woman was lucky he even looked at her, and didn’t haul her ass out.”“Did you notice how proud she was to say that he was her husband, and he just came and looked at her like she was a stranger? Dr. Thorne would never treat his wife like that.”Alex stood still and let the words wash over him. He didn’t like the way th
Last Updated : 2026-08-08