Not Your Double: I'm His Bride Now

Three years ago, my father marries me off to Evan Blackwell, the CEO of Blackwell Group, for the family's interests. Everyone thinks I'm done for because Evan is known for being ruthless and cruel.

Yet, he's nothing but gentle to me, and he never raises his voice at me. He even has my initials, SH, tattooed on his chest.

Every year on our anniversary, fireworks bloom across the city right on the dot. They spell out my name and the loving words he dedicates to me.

On our third anniversary, the fireworks suddenly replace my name, Selena Holloway, with Serena Harroway.

Before I can ask about it, Evan immediately calls his subordinates and tears into them. "What's going on? How could you mess up my wife's name? Do you want to lose your jobs?"

I hastily tell him it's fine and that the thought is what truly matters. In the end, he lets them off the hook. However, he pushes me until my legs are shaking and my voice is gone that night.

When I wake from the night that leaves my whole body humming, he's already seated at his desk and buried in work. He asks me to grab a folder for him, yet I open the wrong drawer and stumble upon an old photo album.

It contains intimate photos of him and a young woman who looks strikingly like me. There's a confession on the back of every single picture. "I miss you so much, Serena."

Selena's Point of View

While I was bringing some documents to my CEO husband, I accidentally stumbled upon his secret. It seemed another woman had always lived in his heart.

So, that was it. My hand trembled as I held the photo.

"Selena? Did you not find the documents?" Evan Blackwell's voice rang out from outside the room. I came back to my senses, put the photo album back in the drawer, and pulled out the documents from the correct one.

When I handed them to Evan, he kissed the back of my hand like he always did. Yet, I couldn't force a smile. I simply left the room in silence.

Evan froze for a moment. He wanted to chase after me, but after glancing at his watch, he stopped in his tracks.

I was well aware of the reason he hesitated. Serena Harroway was returning to the country that day.

I saw the last sentence in the photo album. "Serena, you're finally back. I won't let go of your hand again."

He had written a promise about a future with someone else on the day of our third wedding anniversary. I felt a dull ache in my chest, and I immediately asked my lawyer to draft a divorce agreement.

After hanging up, I ran into Evan, who was hurrying out the door. He had changed into a bespoke suit and was tugging anxiously at his tie.

I had never seen him like this. He looked like a teen who was getting ready for his first movie date with his girlfriend.

The entire Blackwell residence was in a frenzy. The estate had never been this lively.

"Why does Mr. Blackwell suddenly want the whole yard planted with lavender? Doesn't Mrs. Blackwell like white roses?"

"Right? Mr. Blackwell even ordered us to prepare crab tonight. Do you remember how Mrs. Blackwell had an allergic reaction last time after consuming crab? Mr. Blackwell nearly drove us mad."

"What's going on? Does Mr. Blackwell not care about Mrs. Blackwell anymore?"

The housekeepers whispered among themselves until Evan's secretary, Gale Larson, chuckled. "It's not that Mr. Blackwell doesn't care about Mrs. Blackwell anymore. It's because the real lady of the Blackwell family is back. If Ms. Harroway hadn't insisted on studying abroad and if she hadn't dumped Mr. Blackwell right before she left, he wouldn't have been so devastated that he traveled the world looking for a substitute.

"Mrs. Blackwell still has no idea that Mr. Blackwell was the one who approached her father back then. He only wanted her because she resembled Ms. Harroway. They might've called it a marriage alliance, but in truth, he was selling his own daughter."

He sighed before continuing, "To be honest, Mrs. Blackwell has her own charms; she's gentle and sweet, but she's not Mr. Blackwell's type. He doesn't want a woman who centers her entire life around love. Ms. Harroway's the only woman who can rouse his desire to conquer.

"The moment he heard she was coming back, he panicked and started preparing everything. Why don't we make a bet? How many days after Ms. Harroway returns do you think it'll take for Mr. Blackwell to kick Mrs. Blackwell to the curb?"

No one knew the full story, but everyone perked up at once.

"I'm betting three days!"

"One day!"

"A month!"

Leaning against the wall, the light slowly drained from my eyes.

All of a sudden, the sound of an engine came to life outside. Evan was getting ready to leave.

I let out a heavy sigh before walking toward him with the freshly printed divorce agreement in my hand. "This is a gown order form. I need your signature."

Without taking a look at it, Evan signed his name. He did it so fast that I couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to read it first, Evan?"

He patted my shoulder. "I don't need to. I already told you that you can buy whatever you want. I can afford it." With that, he got into his car and sped away.

I had devised numerous ways to trick Evan into signing the divorce agreement, because he had always been such a cautious man. I hadn't expected things to be so easy. Serena really was his exception.

The thick exhaust fumes burned my nose, and I found myself clutching the divorce agreement even tighter. After returning to our room, I packed all of the gifts Evan had given me over the years, as well as the love letters he had ever written to me, into a box.

Gale said Evan didn't like women who lived only for love. However, he was sorely mistaken.

I loved Evan, but that didn't mean I didn't know when to walk away. I was capable of giving my all and letting go when I had to.

By the time I finished packing, night had already fallen. All of a sudden, a car horn blared downstairs.

I looked out the window just in time to see Evan step out and hurry to the other side of the car to open the door for a woman. Her red dress shone brightly in the night.