Alex Harrington thought control was his birthright. He built empires, commanded boardroom and crushed hearts without blinking. Including his wife's. Iris Harrington gave Alex everything her heart, her loyalty, her dreams. He repaid her with cold indifference, too blinded by guilt and obsession with his past love, Zeya Blackwood. When Iris silently files for divorce and walks away, Alex realizes too late that he didn't just lose a wife he lost the only woman who ever truly loved him. Now Iris is rising stronger, untouchable, admired. But in a world of ruthless business deals, broken vows, and manipulation, is it ever truly possible to reclaim a love once lost? Or will Alex's regrets be the only thing left in the ruins of their shattered marriage?
Chapter 1 Substitute
"Ma'am, you need to call a family member or a friend to sign the documents before we can proceed with the surgery."
The nurse's voice felt distant, like a whisper muffled through thick fog.
I stared at my phone.
No missed calls. No messages. Nothing.
My hands trembled as I dialed his number again. For a moment, silence. Then-
He picked up.
"Ayi has a fever, and I'm with her at the hospital. Can you stop pestering me?"
Beep.
The line went dead before I could speak.
I wanted to tell him-to whisper through my pain-that I was the one in the hospital. That I had been hit by a car. That our baby... didn't survive.
But he didn't even give me the chance.
Still, I clung to a final thread of hope.
I lost our baby.
I hit send.
A red exclamation mark blinked back at me.
Blocked.
Something inside me shattered, quietly, completely.
For ten years, I had loved him. Devoted myself to him. What did I get in return?
I washed his clothes by hand. Cooked his meals from scratch. Chose his suits, polished his shoes. Every night, I stayed up, waiting. Hoping he'd look at me-not as a burden, not as an obligation-but as his.
But to him, I was invisible. A placeholder.
I remembered the boy I had once adored-the one who shielded me from bullies, who gave me warm milk when I cried. That boy disappeared the day his first love did.
So when she left five years ago, and he asked me to marry him, I said yes.
I thought I was his second chance at love.
But I was only his second option.
He needed someone to soothe his bruised ego. And I? I foolishly believed that if I loved him enough, he'd eventually choose me.
Now she was back.
And our baby was gone.
There was nothing left to hold onto.
I called my childhood friend-Winston. He didn't hesitate. He arrived within minutes, signed the papers, and stayed by my side as they wheeled me into surgery.
And when I woke up, clarity dawned with the ache in my body.
This wasn't an accident.
Someone wanted me gone.
My phone buzzed.
A message. Unknown number.
I opened it.
It was a photo.
Alex Harrington, kneeling before her, gently wiping her feet with a warm towel.
Below it, a message:
He will always choose me. You were only a substitute. Hurry up and give him back-your services are no longer needed.
A sharp pain stabbed through my chest.
Tears fell silently.
I thought back to every time I had begged him for attention, every time I was sick and called for soup, only to hear:
"Stop being petty and unreasonable."
And when I asked a friend to help, he called me shameless for bringing another man into our home.
Yet here he was-on his knees, smiling as he served her like a devoted husband.
I wiped his fevered forehead for years. He never once bent down for me.
I was the villain in their love story.
Later that night, the doctor spoke gently.
"Your injuries were severe. If you don't rest, you may not be able to conceive again."
I nodded, emotionless.
When I returned home, I took a long bath. The mirror reflected a stranger-sunken eyes, pale lips, skin dull and worn.
I was twenty-four, but looked a weary thirty.
And just like that, I decided.
No more.
I picked up the phone.
"I'm taking a sick leave," I told my workplace.
No one even knew I was Alex's wife.
That's how much I mattered to him.
Later that night, the door creaked open.
He entered. Alex Harrington.
He paused when he saw me lying in bed.
A flicker of something in his eyes-was it shock?
Then it was gone.
"I heard you're on leave. Good. Rest," he said gently. "Zeya said she can fill in for you until you're better."
His voice was soft, full of warmth-for her.
I stared at him.
That's when it clicked.
I was never his wife.
I was a placeholder.
I sat up slowly. My voice didn't shake.
"Alex Harrington," I said, "let's get a divorce."
His hand, midair, froze.
For once, he had no words.
Then he chuckled. Shaking his head.
"You're just upset I ignored your call. Zeya has no one here. I promised her parents I'd look after her."
His phone rang.
A custom ringtone for her.
Without another word, he walked out, answering her call.
He didn't even look back.
I lay down and closed my eyes.
And for the first time in years...
I slept in peace.
Because I finally understood.
No matter what I did he would never choose me.
But now?
I was choosing myself.