Seavora, Carmoria

After seven years of a long-distance marriage, I was finally transferred to Leah Lambert's city.

On Valentine's Day, I crossed Carmoria with my transfer papers, a big bouquet of roses, and a new diamond ring hidden in the bouquet.

I waited outside her office, ready to surprise her.

"Babe, where are you?"

The second she walked out, I video-called her.

I'd been counting down to this moment for years.

Her voice was as gentle as ever. "Just got off work. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just miss you. Do you miss me?"

"Of course I do."

A smile tugged at my lips.

Thinking about her reaction when she saw me, I stepped toward her.

"Really? Then turn around and—"

My voice cut out.

I froze.

Her arm was wrapped around a man in a suit.

Then she lifted her head and kissed the man.

"If it's not urgent, I'll call you when I'm free. I have something important to do right now."

She hung up.

I stood in the cold and heard the man tease, "Babe, what's so important?"

The woman I'd loved through college and seven years of marriage didn't hesitate. "Being with you."

Tears hit the roses.

I stared at the diamond ring nestled in the bouquet and let out a bitter laugh.

So that's all I am to you? Someone who only matters when it's convenient.

My pulse pounded in my ears.

Then everything went dark.

My exhausted body hit the floor hard.

Right before I lost consciousness, I vaguely heard the man shout. For a split second, I caught Leah's shocked expression.

Then nothing.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital.

Leah sat across the room on a couch, reading a report.

She looked polished and elegant, every bit the poised, wealthy woman she was. Nothing about her resembled the ordinary office worker she'd always pretended to be.

When that man saw I was awake, he stepped forward. "I'm Shawn Fulton. You passed out from low blood sugar last night. The doctor said your stomach's in pretty bad shape and you need to rest for a while.

"When we found you, you were holding roses and a diamond ring. Where's your wife? Why isn't she here?"

He had sharp features and an effortless confidence.

Even though he wasn't arrogant, there was something about him that screamed privilege.

He was obviously born into wealth.

Nothing like me.

I was the guy who stayed up past midnight waiting to charge a used scooter just to save a few bucks on electricity.

"She's dead."

Dead to me.

Dead the moment I saw the truth.

The second the words left my mouth, I felt a burning stare from across the room.

I turned away and said nothing.

I didn't want to look pathetic.

My eyes still stung.

"Hey, don't cry. Stress messes with your stomach. You've gotta take care of yourself." Shawn sighed. "I have stomach issues too. Leah's always telling me not to bottle things up, not to skip meals, not to drink cold drinks, and not to..."

He frowned, trying to remember.

Then he looked at Leah.

"Babe, what was the last one again?"

The word hit me like a punch.

Something flickered across Leah's face before she smoothed it away.

"You dummy." Her voice softened. "No spicy food. No cold drinks. And definitely no coffee every day."

"Coffee?" Shawn shot her a look. "I don't even drink coffee. I drink tea."

But I understood.

That wasn't for him.

It was for me.

I'd spent years living on coffee, staying up late writing reports so I could climb the ladder faster and transfer to her city.

Now it all felt ridiculous.

Even her concern wasn't mine.

Just a passing comment she'd made while loving someone else.

My chest tightened.

I didn't want to stay another second.

"Thanks."

I threw back the blanket and got out of bed.

Leah shifted but didn't move.

Instead, Shawn stepped in front of me. "Where are you going? Don't tell me you're worried about the hospital bill.

"Relax. My wife is the richest woman in Seavora. This much money is nothing to her."

"The richest woman in Seavora?"

I froze halfway out of bed and stared at him.

The woman drowning in debt.

The woman who'd kept me a thousand miles away for seven years while I worked and took care of her sick father.

She was the richest woman in Seavora?

"Yep."

Shawn looked almost proud.

He pulled up an old news article on his phone and handed it to me.

"Seven years ago, when our families arranged our marriage, she was already the richest woman in Seavora. Though I deserve a little credit too. My family put a lot on the table to make it happen."

My hand shook as I took the phone.

The headline stabbed straight through me.

[Real-Life Fairy Tale! Billionaire Heiress Marries Wealthy Heir in Wedding of the Century!]

[Power Couple Leah Lambert and Shawn Fulton Become Seavora's Most Talked-About Newlyweds]

At the bottom was a date.

The exact date she'd insisted on moving to Seavora for work.

The same time we'd had the only real fight of our entire marriage.

So it had all been planned.

While I'd spent sleepless nights clutching my phone and crying over her...

She'd been in another man's bed.

In this marriage, I was the outsider.

Bitterness crawled up my throat.

I doubled over and retched.

Across the room, Shawn suddenly grabbed his stomach.

"Honey..."

Before he could finish, Leah was already at his side.

"Doctor! Somebody get a doctor!"

She threw her arms around him.

A team of doctors rushed in with a wheelchair and hurried him out.

The room fell silent.

I threw up until nothing came out except bile.

Tears dripped onto the floor.

The hospital door swung slowly behind them, almost mocking me.

I remembered our wedding.

Standing in front of my mother's grave, Leah had sworn she'd take care of me for the rest of her life.

Turns out that was a lie too.

I sank back onto the bed.

After who knew how long, Leah finally returned.

Alone.

Like nothing had happened, she sat beside me and blew gently on a bowl of oatmeal.

"Eat something. It'll help your stomach."

The sweet smell drifted over.

All I tasted was bitterness.

She'd probably learned that from taking care of Shawn.

"Who are you?" I looked at her and laughed softly. "Do I call you Leah? Or Ms. Lambert?"

Silence.

A few seconds later, she answered.

"Yeah, I lied. So what?"

Her voice stayed calm. "I'm the Lambert heir. You're a self-made nobody from a town nobody's heard of. No money. No status. No connections. We were never supposed to happen.

"This is the best outcome you could've had. I still love you. I still play the role of the perfect wife. Why can't you stop making things difficult and try to understand me for once?"

Perfect wife?

I stared at her.

For a lie, she'd made me give up a senior executive position in Seavora.

For a lie, she'd kept me trapped in a small town for seven years.

That was her idea of being a perfect wife?

Letting people laugh at me.

Keeping me stuck in the kitchen.

Treating me like some fool whose only dream was being a househusband.

What a joke.

She reached up to touch my hair.

I pulled away.

Fighting another wave of nausea, I said, "We're getting divorced. Today."

"No."

Not a second of hesitation.

"Then I'll sue you for bigamy!" I snapped. "I'll send you to prison!"

The words tore out of me.

Leah only shook her head.

Her voice was calm.

Almost gentle.

"Wystan Wren, you can't."

"Why?"

I gripped the sheets.

Deep down, I already knew the answer.

And sure enough—

"Because the County Clerk's Office was fake. The marriage certificate was fake. The parents were fake. The relatives at the wedding were fake too.

"I arranged all of it. So tell me, how exactly are you going to sue me?"

She sounded like we were discussing lunch plans.

My heart sank even lower.

How could this be the same girl who'd begged every neighbor in our building for half a tablet of ibuprofen when I got sick during the outbreak?

The same girl who spent three years caring for my hospitalized mother?

The same girl who always gave me the sweetest slice of watermelon?

Who stayed by my side through depression?

Who folded the pages of my books ahead of time so I wouldn't have to see pictures of snakes and bugs?

And now she was telling me—

None of it had been real.

"Fine. Then I'll leave. I'll stay as far away from you as possible for the rest of my life. That works, right?"

Leah stared at me for a long moment.

Then she suddenly grabbed my collar.

Before I could react, she crashed her lips against mine.

The kiss was fierce.

Desperate.

Like she wanted to force me to stay.

I shoved at her, but she wouldn't let go.

Not until a knock sounded at the door.

"Mr. Fulton is awake."

Leah finally pulled back.

"Mm."

I raised my hand.

For a second, I wanted to slap her.

But under her steady gaze, I forced myself to stop.

A faint smile touched her lips.

Her eyes were red.

She kissed my palm. "What happened between us stays between us.

"Don't tell Shawn. You can't handle the consequences."

Then she added,

"He wants you there tomorrow for our anniversary photos. Be good and go. If you don't, he'll be upset."

Every word sounded like an order.

She straightened her clothes and walked out.

Bodyguards stood outside the door.

A moment later, my phone buzzed.

[Bank Transfer Received: $200,000]

Once upon a time, that amount would've been unimaginable to me.

Now it was nothing more than pocket change she used to keep Shawn happy.

***

The next morning, I was taken to a photo studio.

The second I walked in, I saw Leah sitting on Shawn's lap, rubbing his stomach while the staff looked away, embarrassed.

I froze.

A long time ago, she'd spent days watching videos and learning massage techniques for me.

Every night, she'd rub my temples and shoulders whenever my headaches got bad.

Back then, I thought that tenderness belonged to me.

I thought we'd grow old together.

I never imagined I'd end up standing here like the other man, watching her love someone else right in front of me.

The pressure in my chest made it hard to breathe.

I lowered my head.

My eyes burned.

"Mr. Wren!" Shawn waved me over. "You're finally here. Help me out. Which set should we shoot?"

I pointed at a random photo in the album.

Shawn frowned.

"Huh? You like this one? I prefer another set."

The moment he said that, Leah took the album.

Rip.

She tore the photo out without hesitation.

Then she leaned over and kissed his neck. "It's okay. What he thinks doesn't matter. What matters is what you like.

"Now let him choose again."

Shawn grinned and pushed the album back toward me.

Waiting.

Expecting.

I looked down at the photos.

Slowly, I raised my hand.

'What he thinks doesn't matter.'

The words echoed in my head.

My feelings didn't matter.

That's why Leah could lie to me for seven years.

Why she could order me to accept it.

Why she never cared whether it hurt.

In her eyes, she'd always been above me.

And I'd never really had a choice.

Shawn went to change clothes.

I sat on the couch and watched the shoot.

Leah kissed his forehead while he smiled at the camera.

She lifted his hand and proudly showed off their wedding rings.

She wore cute outfits she'd never worn around me and played along with all his ridiculous poses.

The studio was full of laughter.

Flash after flash.

And suddenly, I remembered my own wedding photos with Leah.

There weren't many.

Just a few pictures taken on a phone.

I wore a cheap coat.

She wore an inexpensive veil.

We stood outside in the cold, shivering while our breath fogged the air.

And she looked happier than I'd ever seen her.

Snow landed in our hair.

For one perfect, stupid moment, I thought we'd grow old together.

Back then, that was enough.

That was happiness.

But now, the dream I'd held onto for seven years had finally shattered.