Second Chances Denied: From Dull Housewife To Comic Icon

Morning light seeped through the curtains when Rylee Evans surfaced from a heavy, bone-deep sleep, every inch of her body throbbing as though she'd been crushed.

Blurred shapes slowly sharpened into the messy outline of a hotel room, and in the next heartbeat, fractured memories from the night before surged through her mind.

She remembered the crowded ballroom, the clink of glasses, the moment she accepted a drink... and then the fog-thick, dizzying-before a greasy, chubby man tugged her into the shadows.

A cold wave washed over her. She folded her trembling hands against her chest, knuckles whitening.

That man...

There had been something in that drink.

Someone had set her up!

Rylee forced herself to breathe, pushing through the ache in her limbs as she slipped out of the tangled sheets and searched blindly for her phone.

When she finally found it, her trembling fingers stabbed the number of her husband, Alec Bradley, again and again until the call went through.

He picked up with a clipped, icy tone. "What is it?"

Tears tightened her throat as she murmured, "Alec... something happened. I'm at the Maple Hotel. Can you come get me?"

A brief, hollow pause followed before his voice returned-flat and distant. "Rylee, why would you think I care? I warned you already-stop dragging me into your mess."

With that, the line cut off.

Her lungs seized, a sharp gasp scraping out of her as despair rose like a black tide, choking her from the inside.

Three years as his wife, yet Alec had never once truly seen her-never touched her, never offered even a hint of warmth.

And now, after another man had violated her in a way that stripped her of every ounce of dignity, he still refused to come.

Did Alec despise her so deeply that even this wouldn't move him?

Would he really feel nothing, not even when she'd been raped?

Soft, helpless tears streamed down her face before she could stop them.

She remained frozen on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing, until her phone's alarm chimed sharply and dragged her back to the present, reminding her she had an appointment today.

Only then did it hit her-she was supposed to meet her childhood friend, Claire Murray.

Claire's company was now facing trouble. Rylee had promised to help without hesitation.

She brushed her tears aside and pushed herself upright, each step toward the bathroom sharp with pain.

Inside, cold water poured over her shoulders, soaking her hair and skin as the shock of it forced her thoughts into motion again.

The assault-humiliating, terrifying-could never be made public. Exposing it would only drag both the Bradley and Evans families into scandal.

Since Alec refused to lift a finger, she would take matters into her own hands. She would make the people who did this pay.

A bitter smile tugged at her lips at the thought.

Alec had once been the only glimmer of light she clung to in her darkest years.

At last, she knew this marriage-begged into existence-needed to be severed for good.

After the long shower, she got dressed, collected her things, and hurried out of the hotel room.

Luckily, her meeting was set in a private suite on the twelfth floor of the same building.

By the time she reached the corridor outside the room, she was already ten minutes late.

A man stationed there kept glancing at his watch, his expression tightening with each passing second.

Once he spotted her, he let out a visible breath. "You must be Ms. Cooper. Please, head in."

He rapped on the door before opening it slightly. "Sir, Ms. Cooper has arrived."

Rylee stepped inside and stalled mid-stride. A tall man stood by the window, set in the faint shimmer of daytime glow. His tailored dark suit traced clean lines along a powerful frame, and his sharply cut features carried both an effortless elegance and a cool, distant air.

With Rylee rooted to the spot, her thoughts scattered in a frantic rush.

How the hell could it be Alec?

He had been right there in the same hotel, yet he couldn't even be bothered to show up for her.

Catching sight of her, Alec's eyes sharpened with a quick, irritated glint. "What on earth are you doing here? I already said I'm done dealing with your problems. Live however you want-just don't show up with some bastard child and stain the Bradley name. Go get yourself some emergency meds before this turns into a bigger mess."

The man standing in the doorway stiffened as realization struck-this woman was Alec's wife!

He quickly stepped forward, flustered. "Mr. Bradley, this is on me. Ms. Cooper hasn't arrived yet. I'll go double-check."

Alec cut him off with a dismissive flick of his hand, "Forget it. Leave."

A dry, almost bitter chuckle left Rylee before she could stop it. "With you acting like that, there was no way Eva would ever want to work with you."

Eva Cooper was the name she used in the industry.

Alec had never bothered to learn anything about her work, so of course he didn't know.

She certainly hadn't expected him to be the one negotiating with her today.

Maybe this had something to do with Claire...

Her thought barely formed before Alec snapped in again, his voice edged with frost. "Rylee, do you actually think you're Mrs. Bradley? Since when did you start talking to me like that?"

His gaze dropped to his watch. They were already fifteen minutes past the agreed time, and the cartoonist known as Eva Cooper still hadn't appeared.

Alec's patience reached its limit and crumbled. Without another glance, he strode past her and walked toward the door.

As he walked, he lifted his phone and dialed someone, his voice shifting into a warmth Rylee had never once received from him. "Claire, Eva hasn't turned up at all. I'm on my way back. If you're serious about expanding into anime, I can pull together a list of stronger titles for you. Just say the word-whatever you need, I'll take care of it."

The softness in his tone hollowed her out. In that single moment, Rylee understood-Alec's heart had already drifted toward Claire while she was in the dark about it.

He had once been the only warmth in a life that felt endlessly cold.

Growing up unwanted, she had always been the child pushed aside, mocked, and cornered by those born into privilege.

Whenever Alec happened to be nearby, he shielded her without hesitation.

But the moment he wasn't there, the cruelty always returned twice as fierce-taunts, blows, and vicious scolding that left her trembling.

To survive, she forced herself to train, to fight, to build enough strength to defend the little dignity she had left.

After years of grinding effort, she had shaped herself into the kind of woman who could stand at Alec's side, eventually marrying him exactly as she'd once dreamed.

Only later did she discover how impossible it was to win a heart that had never opened to her.

Whatever love she'd clung to had withered away.

She made up her mind to walk away and give herself a chance to breathe again.

Her voice drifted after his retreating silhouette. "Alec, let's get a divorce."

He halted mid-stride and turned, amusement flickering across his face as though she'd told a joke. "Rylee, you drugged me all those years ago and forced your way into my bed so I'd marry you. And now you're saying you want to walk away from me? Doing something like this is utterly revolting."

Tears burned behind her eyes, but she kept them from falling.

In Alec's mind, no amount of explanation could wash away the stain he'd already painted on her-an ambitious woman willing to claw her way upward by any means.

Trying to defend herself now felt meaningless.

Meeting his gaze squarely, she spoke with quiet resolve. "Believe whatever you like. I'll speak to a lawyer and have the divorce agreement prepared soon."