My wife, my rules

In a world where men make the rules and women learn to live in their shadow, Tess does not belong anywhere. She is afraid of people. She looks at the ground when she has to speak, and in company, she would rather disappear into the floor. If she could, she would live in silence. Alone.

But she cannot, and the world finds her anyway. And in it, a man who is not used to asking permission.

Aiden is everything Tess fears: strong, uncompromising, and never one to look away. And yet… he is kind, patient, and very persistent. He knows what he wants. And the moment he sets his eyes on Tess, he knows without a doubt.

The fact that the fragile young woman trembles with fear just looking at him does not strike him as an obstacle. Tess has no idea what to expect from him.

And he is in no hurry to show her.

Aiden standing among the overgrown stone ruins of an old castle with a book in his hand

My Wife, My Rules – 1. chapter

“Hello!” A woman’s voice cut through the silence like a drop striking still water. Aiden startled. He had been sitting…

Tess with long red curls in a flowing white dress standing inside ancient castle ruins

My Wife, My Rules – 2. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. The following day, when Aiden set out once more to search for and…

Aiden looking up at Tess as she sits reading beneath a tree above the castle ruins

My Wife, My Rules – 3. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Tess sat on the battlements, her back resting against the trunk of a…

Tess in a red evening gown with Aiden behind her in an elegant candlelit dining room

My Wife, My Rules – 4. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. As Aiden dressed in more formal attire, his fingers slowed of their own…

Nervous Tess standing against an old tree while Aiden watches her among the castle ruins

My Wife, My Rules – 5. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. As Aiden walked toward the ruins beneath the midday sun, he turned over…

Shirtless Aiden lying on a simple bed in a rustic room beside a candle and glass of wine

My Wife, My Rules – 6. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. The inn breathed with the heavy stench of smoke, spilled wine, and old…

Aiden gently lifting Tess's bridal veil during their wedding ceremony inside a church

My Wife, My Rules – 7. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. He stood before the altar, watching the priest’s preparations with a distant mind….

Aiden helping nervous bride Tess step out of a dark carriage after their wedding

My Wife, My Rules – 8. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Tess woke into muted silence. It took her a few seconds to understand…

Aiden holding Tess protectively in his arms beside a copper bathtub in their private room

My Wife, My Rules – 9. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. The following days passed in strained silence. Tess took to sitting in a…

Tess sitting in a large copper bathtub while Aiden waits nearby on a wooden bench

My Wife, My Rules – 10. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Tess nervously tugged the torn blouse tighter against her body as if the…

Tess struggling to fasten a long skirt while Aiden watches from their bed

My Wife, My Rules – 11. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. When Aiden opened his eyes that morning, he saw Tess struggling with a…

Shirtless Aiden fastening the back of Tess's long skirt as she stands beside their bed

My Wife, My Rules – 12. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. After they returned from riding, not even the discovery that she had gotten…

Tess kneading dough at a flour-covered kitchen table while an older woman watches

My Wife, My Rules – 13. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Morning sunlight woke Tess. When she rolled onto her side, she found Aiden…

Aiden standing close to flour-covered Tess and holding her arm in the kitchen

My Wife, My Rules – 14. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. “Good God!” Tess cried out and covered her mouth with both hands in…

Aiden and Tess sitting opposite each other with books in an elegant sunlit bedroom

My Wife, My Rules – 15. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden sat in his chair with a book, just as Tess did across…

Smiling Tess wading barefoot through a shallow stream while Aiden watches from the bank

My Wife, My Rules – 16. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Tess dressed before the mirror, checking her overall appearance. Aiden stepped behind her,…

Tess watching from a doorway as Aiden laughs with an elegant dark-haired woman in red

My Wife, My Rules – 17. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Tess was alone. Aiden had already gone downstairs to see to his guests….

Aiden kneeling before Tess as she sits with a book in an ornate bedroom chair

My Wife, My Rules – 18. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Dawn had already broken, yet Tess could not tell whether she had managed…

Aiden leaning over distressed Tess as she braces herself on a bed in a blue dress

My Wife, My Rules – 19. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden swung down from his horse, let it be led away, and walked…

Tess and Aiden facing another elegantly dressed couple beside a grand piano

My Wife, My Rules – 20. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Tess stood by the window without seeing what lay beyond it. She did…

Tess, Aiden and two guests sharing wine and conversation in an elegant drawing room

My Wife, My Rules – 21. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. „“Port?” Aiden asked casually into the room as he moved toward the cabinet…

Tess in an emerald green gown facing Aiden as he rolls up his sleeves in their bedroom

My Wife, My Rules – 22. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden opened the chamber door and waited until Tess stepped inside. She stopped…

Aiden standing close to seated Tess and gently touching her chin in their bedroom

My Wife, My Rules – 23. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. After returning home, as he passed the salon, something seemed off to Aiden….

Tess standing close to seated Aiden and touching his face beside a hidden bookshelf doorway

My Wife, My Rules – 24. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Silence ruled the room, night outside. Embers still glowed faintly in the hearth….

Concerned Aiden lifting the sheet to examine bruises on sleeping Tess's hip and thigh

My Wife, My Rules – 25. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. The room was still wrapped in dimness. Light filtered slowly through the curtains,…

Tess watching Aiden from bed while he calmly reads a book in an armchair beside her

My Wife, My Rules – 26. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden sat in the chair beside the bed. He had not moved for…

Aiden holding Viktoria's wrist as she confronts him in an emerald evening gown

My Wife, My Rules – 27. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. When Aiden was returning home, the salon drew him in once more. He…

Tess in a pale blue dress speaking privately with an elegant red-haired woman in burgundy

My Wife, My Rules – 28. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. It did not take long, Tess thought bitterly the next morning. Aiden had…

Tess helping Aiden on a grand staircase while a stern woman watches from above

My Wife, My Rules – 29. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden returned earlier than she had expected. From outside came the heavy thud…

Aiden standing face to face with a red-haired woman in burgundy beside a fireplace

My Wife, My Rules – 30. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. He woke to a strange silence. Not unnatural. Something like the stillness before…

Aiden gripping a red-haired woman's shoulders as a shocked maid enters the dining room

My Wife, My Rules – 31. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden’s morning began even worse than the day before. The first thing he…

Aiden watching Viktoria from an upper staircase as she mingles with guests at a grand ball

My Wife, My Rules – 32. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. The noise woke him. Not the kind he was used to. Not the…

Aiden holding frightened Tess from behind in an open field with a saddled black horse nearby

My Wife, My Rules – 33. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden locked his chamber from the inside and slipped down to the stables…

Aiden holding bound and gagged Tess on a bed as she sits wrapped in a gray cloak

My Wife, My Rules – 34. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. The carriage turned off the road, slipped into the shadow of the estate…

Aiden tying Tess's bound wrists to the carved headboard while she lies on the bed

My Wife, My Rules – 35. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. The sky had not yet paled. It was gray. The chamber lay in…

Aiden supporting a weak Tess by the arm as she stands beside their bed in a white nightgown

My Wife, My Rules – 36. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. When Aiden returned to the chamber, he locked the door behind him automatically….

Aiden holding frightened Tess on the bed while a serious doctor stands nearby with his bag

My Wife, My Rules – 37. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden woke first. Tess lay beside him, turned away. She slept deeply, peacefully….

Aiden standing before a heavily reinforced wooden door inside a narrow stone passage

My Wife, My Rules – 38. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden turned to Tess and felt a strong need to make her relax….

Shirtless Aiden wearing a towel while Tess sits nearby in a pink dress reading a book

My Wife, My Rules – 39. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden stepped out of the small chamber with damp hair and nothing but…

Aiden leaning over seated Tess and placing his hand over hers and the book in her lap

My Wife, My Rules – 40. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden looked at her for a moment. With love. Lovingly. Especially when she…

Aiden reading on the bed while Tess sleeps peacefully beside him in a soft pink nightgown

My Wife, My Rules – 41. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Aiden lay on the bed, reading. At least he acted like he was,…

Aiden and Tess standing hand in hand on a sunlit terrace overlooking a garden celebration

My Wife, My Rules – 42. chapter FINAL

First time here? Start with Chapter 1. Later, when silence settled over the room again, Aiden slowly sat on the…