Chapter 1 CHA

"Congratulations, you're pregnant!" I shook my hands, hugging the pregnancy test result to myself, the doctor's words still echoing in my head. Three years of trying finally paid off. The thought of holding our child one day filled me with excitement, even as an old ache lingered. Frank's emotional distance had been a constant, unspoken presence in our lives, but tonight, I hoped things would change. Maybe a child could be the bond that brought us closer together.

Frank's voice pulled me back to reality. "What're you thinking about?" he asked, his hands busy unbuttoning his shirt. I stared at his chest, my cheeks flushing. Three years of marriage, and his looks still took my breath away-but not in the way they once did. Before I could respond, he stepped into the shower.

The water hissed to life, and I waited until the steam blurred the bathroom door before pulling out the report. My smile faded. How would Frank react to this news? The shower turned off, and Frank emerged, water dripping from his hair.

"Frank, I have to tell you something," I said, taking a step forward. My heart raced. "After all these years, I'm finally-"

His phone shrilled, cutting me off. He glanced at the screen, his jaw tightening. "Hold that thought," he growled, stepping out onto the balcony. I lingered in the doorway, listening to his low, agitated voice. When he returned, his usually calm expression was gone, replaced by a tense set line on his face.

"I gotta go," he said, grabbing his keys.

"Wait-Frank! It's midnight. Can't this wait?" I pleaded, the report crumpling in my hand. He didn't look back.

"Something came up," he said, and the door shut behind him.

I collapsed onto the couch, the paper slipping from my grip. Another "emergency" that didn't involve me. My throat burned. How many nights had I stayed up waiting for him, only to be met with silence? How many times had I pushed aside my doubts, clinging to the hope that one day, he'd truly see me-not just his secretary or a convenience-but his wife?

A vibration startled me. Bianca's name flashed on my screen.

"Hey, Lisa," she said, her voice teasing. "You in a wheelchair now?"

My brow furrowed. "What?"

"I just saw Frank pushing some woman in a wheelchair into that fancy restaurant downtown. Thought you two were together."

The line went quiet. My stomach twisted. "Are you sure it was him?"

"Pretty sure. But maybe I'm-"

The call cut off before she finished. My thumb hovered over the home button as a news alert beeped. Dera Pete returns with mystery billionaire companion.*

Dera Pete.

The name hit me like a punch. The photo was fuzzy, but there he was-Frank, grinning as he walked alongside a wheelchair-bound woman in a diamond-studded gown. The caption called them "the city's most elegant couple."

Comments flooded the screen: "Her fiancé's face is heavenly!" "When's the wedding?"

My vision blurred. So this was where he'd rushed off to-not for work, not for an emergency, but for her. The woman who'd hurt him years ago, the one he'd sworn he'd never speak of again.

The pregnancy report lay forgotten on the floor. My baby, our future, meant nothing compared to the ghost of his past.

A tear slid down my cheek. How long had this been going on?

Dera's laughter echoed from the screen, and Frank's possessive hand rested on her shoulder.

The knife in my chest twisted deeper.

In the morning, I forced myself to get up and head to the company, even though I hadn't slept a wink. The night's events replayed in my mind, each detail sharper than the last.

"Have you seen the news? Dera Pete has returned!" Manda kol, one of the employees at the Lanka group, remarked. She was talking to her friend while they waited for the elevator. Behind them, I stood quietly as they continued to talk about me as though I was invisible.

"You mean that jewelry designer?" Lili Samuel asked.

"Yeah, she's not just an ordinary jewelry designer. She's also the only girlfriend our boss has ever admitted to dating publicly. I heard she's his first love."

"Wow, but isn't it rumored that our boss and Ruth have some-?"

"Of course not! She was just his mistress!" Tatiana said with a laugh. "Haha! What a failure. She thought sleeping her way to the top would make the boss fall in love with her. Now that the woman he loves has returned, I'm sure she's not only going to lose her position as the mistress but also her job."

My hands clenched into fists. I gritted my teeth but stayed silent. After all, our marriage was a secret known only to Frank and his family. I was Frank's personal assistant, but everyone assumed we were just close colleagues. Frank never corrected them, and I had no right to either. He made me promise to keep our marriage a secret.

The elevator doors opened, and we all stepped inside. Tatiana and Lili exchanged a glance before continuing their conversation.

"If I were her, I would resign. It's clear the boss has someone he loves. It's so degrading to cling to him like a desperate person," Manda said, her words full of mockery.

"Hey... chill. She can hear you," Lili whispered, though she laughed as she said it.

They seemed to be having a field day at my expense. They were among the many women who were jealous of my closeness with Frank. Now that his real woman had returned, they found an opportunity to ridicule me. "I'm just stating the truth. She's a mistress who's about to be abandoned now that the future Mrs. Lanka has returned to the city," Manda declared.

My hands tightened into fists at her words.

Mistress?

I was his legal wife! And yet, I couldn't even declare that out loud.

I pursed my lips, my heart aching. Frank hadn't come home last night. He didn't even have the decency to call and let me know where he was. I concluded he must have spent the night with his ex-girlfriend. The thought made my heart feel like it was being clawed by a cat.

My colleagues' mocking words echoed in my ears, and my throat went dry. I was his legal wife, but I couldn't even defend my position. Could I even defend something that wasn't truly mine to begin with?

It didn't take long for me to arrive at the CEO's office. However, I wasn't in the mood to work that day. So, I went to Frank's office to ask for a day off.

Sure enough, when I knocked and entered, I found him seated in his swivel chair, wearing different clothes from the ones he'd had on the previous night. "You're late," Frank said in a cold, deep voice.

"Yes... I slept late. I've come to ask for a one-day leave," I requested, trying hard to hold back my tears.

He didn't seem bothered by his absence.

"Why? Are you sick?" Frank asked nonchalantly, his gray eyes studying me.

"I'm not feeling well," I replied, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

The truth was, I wanted to ask him where he'd spent the night, but I didn't want to hear that he'd been with another woman. Knowing it and hearing it from him were two very different things.

"Okay," Frank said, and when I didn't move, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Anything else?"

I shook my head. I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Frank didn't even attempt to explain where he'd been. He acted as if what he'd done was perfectly normal.

With a heavy heart, I left the company and went to the parking lot. However, I bumped into someone in the underground parking area.

It was none other than Dera Pete-the woman of Frank's dreams.

In her wheelchair, she looked incredibly vulnerable, evoking a protective instinct in everyone around her. She maneuvered her smart wheelchair and stopped in front of me, blocking my path. "So, you're Ruth, Frank's wife? I'm Dera. Nice to meet you," Dera said.

I turned pale. I hadn't expected to meet Dera so soon.

"Thank you for taking care of Frank these past three years," Dera added with a smile.

I internally scoffed! She made it sound like I was just a caretaker! Was she indirectly asking me to back off now that the owner had returned?

"You don't need to thank me for doing my duty as his wife," I replied through gritted teeth.

I felt sorry for her because she was in a wheelchair, but her words felt like a mockery of the real state of my relationship with Frank.

Dera smiled gently. "Of course. See you around," she said before beginning to wheel herself away. Just as she was leaving, her phone slipped from her lap and fell to the ground. Looking at me, she asked, "Can you help me pick up my phone? I can't reach it as you can see."

I nodded and approached her. However, as I crouched down to pick up the phone, Dera suddenly fell to the ground and screamed.

"What happened-"

"Ouch! That hurt!" Dera cried, blood trickling down her face, horrifying me.

"What the-"

"DERA!" Frank's deep voice boomed as he rushed toward us.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard his familiar voice. It was my husband, and I'd never heard him sound so worried before.

He hurried over and held Dera in his arms. Seeing the blood dripping from her forehead, his eyebrows furrowed in anger. He glared at me coldly, sending chills down my spine. Did he think I did this?

My eyes widened in shock as I realized what was happening. I was being framed!

"Frank! I swear, I didn't push her-"

"Get lost!" Frank yelled and pushed me, causing me to fall onto my backside.

He carried Dera in a bridal style, his eyes filled with worry. He looked at her and whispered gently, "Don't worry, I'll take you to the hospital."