Disposable Wife: He Married A Nobody? Think Again

Iris Hotel had just hosted a medical forum.

Evelyn Mason walked out only after the final session ended. The winter air struck her the instant she crossed the doors, and the freezing wind cut straight through her coat.

Instead of looking up, she focused on her phone and typed a message to her husband, Aaron Foster.

Before she could hit send, a bold headline flashed across the screen-"Foster Group Unveils New Targeted Drug, Celebration Banquet Held at Iris Hotel."

For a brief second, Evelyn wondered if her eyes had betrayed her.

That drug was her research, something she had painstakingly created for Aaron's company. How could they throw a banquet to celebrate it without even telling her?

After lingering in place for a heartbeat, Evelyn turned on her heel and headed back inside. Outside the Hall Three, a large sign clearly displayed the words "Foster Group Celebration Banquet."

When she arrived at the entrance, the sight of Aaron and Karina Tucker standing together intimately struck her like a blade.

Karina worked at the same hospital as Evelyn; she and Aaron had grown up together. However, the way he held her made it clear their bond had crossed the line long ago.

Aaron's arm rested firmly around Karina's waist, and from time to time, he looked at her with affection.

A sharp wave of hurt surged through Evelyn's chest. Never once had Aaron looked at her that way.

Laughter drifted from inside, followed by the teasing voices of Aaron's friends.

"Aaron, you and Karina look perfect together. So when are you finally marrying her?"

"Exactly! Karina is talented and stunning. Why stay married to that invisible wife you never even bring around? You should just divorce her."

"Wait, wasn't the drug created by Aaron's wife? Sounds like he still needs her brains."

Every sentence stabbed into Evelyn like sharp splinters, and the pain spread through her body in heavy waves that wouldn't ease.

Even so, she kept her gaze on Aaron, clinging to the small hope that he would at least stop them from humiliating her.

Instead, Aaron let out a careless laugh and pulled Karina closer. "That woman means nothing to me. The drug was Karina's achievement. She's the true backbone of Foster Group!"

A deafening buzz filled Evelyn's head.

Did Aaron really just say that?

Was he seriously handing over the credit for the drug she had built through endless sleepless nights to Karina?

Evelyn's vision blurred as heat burned behind her eyes, and tears threatened to spill.

For years, she had loved Aaron without holding back. She poured her time, her energy, and her talent into Foster Group, yet now she was the punchline of their conversation.

At that instant, Evelyn understood that this marriage had already collapsed.

Breathing became difficult as the ache in her chest tightened.

Unwilling to let anyone witness her breaking apart, she quickly turned away and walked toward the restroom.

After spending several minutes alone and forcing herself to calm down, Evelyn stepped out again, only to catch a woman's sharp and possessive voice.

"Aaron, how much longer are you going to keep Evelyn around? I'm your lawfully wedded wife, yet she's been holding that title all these years."

From the dim corner of the hallway, Evelyn saw Karina and Aaron.

Cold disbelief flooded her chest.

What did Karina mean by she was Aaron's lawfully wedded wife?

Leaning in, Aaron pressed his lips to Karina's and let his hand slide possessively around her waist. "Karina, give me a little more time. Evelyn only completed phase one of the drug, and that alone brought Foster Group a billion in profit. Once she finishes phases two and three, we're talking tens of billions. I only staged the marriage registration because of her talent. Don't worry, Karina. Every cent she makes for the company will belong to us. When she's no longer useful and gets thrown out, she won't walk away with anything."

Evelyn's breaths grew rough and irregular.

She quickly covered her mouth, afraid the storm of fury and heartbreak rising inside her would burst out in a scream.

Her eyes turned a violent shade of red, as though they held back tears stained with blood.

Only then did she understand that her entire marriage had been built on lies.

The man she called her husband had never loved her.

Even their marriage was fake.

At Aaron's words, Karina laughed softly and lifted her chin to kiss him again. "Aaron, you really know how to plan ahead..."

As their lips met, something inside Evelyn snapped, and the hurt in her gaze hardened into rage. "Aaron, what exactly are you doing?" she demanded.

"Evelyn? Why are you here?" Aaron asked, and for the first time, a flicker of discomfort crossed his usually indifferent face.

Forcing down the taste of bitterness, Evelyn stared at him with blazing eyes. "If I hadn't shown up, how long would I have remained clueless about my husband's affair?"

In a rush, Aaron released Karina and tried to smooth things over. "Evelyn, you've misunderstood. I drank a little too much, and things just got out of hand..."

To him, Evelyn was the source of his fortune, and he couldn't afford to lose her goodwill.

Just as Aaron lifted his hand toward her, Evelyn yanked her arm away and struck him hard across the face. Her eyes burned red as she snapped, "Don't you dare touch me with those dirty hands!"

The slap shattered Aaron's calm act, and his expression twisted with anger. "Evelyn, have you lost your mind!"

Standing at his side, Karina clenched her jaw and shot back, "Evelyn, he's your husband. How can you hit him?"

A cold laugh escaped Evelyn, though the agony in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Why can't I hit a cheating husband?" Evelyn shot back. Resolve sharpened her gaze. "Aaron, this ends now. We're divorcing."

Without sparing them another glance, she turned and walked away.

By the time Evelyn walked through the hotel doors, heavy rain was already crashing down from the sky.

Water streamed down her face until no one could tell whether she was crying or simply soaked.

All she could feel was the deep, slicing pain in her chest, as if something inside her had been torn open.

Right then, her phone rang. The caller ID showed Yregend, a foreign country.

She answered the call, and a low, steady male voice came through.

"Is this Evelyn Mason? I'm Matthew Dale, your father."

Lost in the sting of Aaron's betrayal, Evelyn barely heard anything. Only when Matthew repeated himself did she finally return to her senses. The man calling her was actually the wealthiest man in this country?

"Wait... what?"

On the other end of the line, Matthew told Evelyn the past. He and her mother, Cheryl Mason, had once been deeply in love. Yet his father had strongly opposed their relationship and forced them apart.

At that time, Matthew had no idea that Cheryl had already been pregnant with Evelyn.

After his father passed away, Matthew planned to bring Cheryl and their daughter home, but it was too late. Cheryl had already died from illness.

Regret filled Matthew's voice.

"Evelyn, I built most of my empire overseas, but I still have hundreds of billions in assets here at home. You're my only child. Everything I have should belong to you. Consider it my way of making up for what your mother and you went through."

Even after Matthew ended the call, Evelyn remained frozen in place, unable to process what she had just heard.

She was the daughter of this country's richest man?

Memories surfaced of her mother gripping her hand before her final breath, insisting that she deserved a better future and urging her never to give up what belonged to her.

Clarity slowly replaced the confusion in Evelyn's eyes.

Her mother had been right. She needed to move forward and claim her own life instead of drowning in Aaron's betrayal.

The following morning, Evelyn gathered her identification papers and went to the law firm Matthew had recommended to begin the transfer of assets.

After reviewing her documents, the lawyer knit his brows together. "Ms. Mason, according to our system, you're listed as married. If we proceed with the transfer now, these assets will automatically count as shared marital property. If that's not your intention, your husband will need to sign a waiver."

Shock drained the color from Evelyn's face.

Her marriage with Aaron was fake. How could the official records show that she was legally married?

Swallowing past the dryness in her throat, Evelyn forced herself to ask, "Who exactly is registered as my husband?"

Casting her a puzzled glance, the lawyer turned to his computer and pulled up the record. "The system lists your spouse as Jonathan Bailey."

Jonathan Bailey? Who was that? And how could she possibly have been legally tied to him without her knowledge?

With questions burning in her chest, Evelyn decided she would track this man down and make him sign the waiver.

There was no way she would allow a complete stranger to touch a single cent of her inheritance.

Before Evelyn could step out of the office, her phone began ringing sharply.

The caller was Bryson Smith, director of Grace General Hospital.

His voice came through in a rush. "Evelyn, come back to the hospital right now. We've received a critical transfer from a lower-tier facility. The patient has a brainstem cavernous hemangioma. You're the only one who can perform the polypeptide simulation fusion technique to save him."

Shock flickered across Evelyn's face.

Throughout the entire hospital, Bryson was the only person aware that she was Polaris, the internationally recognized medical authority.

This specific polypeptide simulation fusion technique was Polaris' trademark field.

Under normal circumstances, Bryson would never risk drawing attention to her by arranging this type of surgery under her public identity. The urgency in his tone could only mean the patient's status was extraordinary.

Without wasting another second, Evelyn hailed a cab and rushed back to Grace General Hospital.

The moment she arrived, Bryson met her and spoke quickly. "Evelyn, the patient just returned from overseas. He's the grandson of the wealthiest man on our continent. His survival is critical. You have to save him."

After putting on her surgical cap and mask, Evelyn gave a small nod. Once she completed the sterilization process, she stepped into the operating room.

A young man lay motionless on the operating table when she stepped inside.

As she moved closer, her breathing stalled for a second.

Under the harsh surgical lights, his features looked almost unreal. Even with his head shaved and his body unconscious, his face carried a sharp, flawless beauty that felt almost sculpted.

Shaking off the distraction, Evelyn steadied herself. She was a surgeon first, and the patient's life came before anything else.

With firm hands, she lifted the scalpel and began the intricate operation.

Time slipped by as she worked with intense focus, and sweat slowly gathered along her temples.

Three long hours later, the overhead lights finally dimmed, signaling the end of the procedure.

Bryson, who had been waiting outside in visible distress, hurried toward her. "Evelyn, is he going to make it?"

Fatigue weighed on her voice as Evelyn gave a small nod. "The surgery was successful. He should wake up soon."

"Thank goodness." Bryson exhaled heavily. "If something had happened to Mr. Bailey under our care, I wouldn't know how to answer to his grandfather."

The moment she heard the surname "Bailey," Evelyn stiffened, and her pulse quickened. She looked straight at Bryson and asked, "What's the patient's name?"

Looking slightly confused, Bryson answered, "Jonathan Bailey. He's the successor of the Bailey family. You really haven't heard of him?"

Evelyn's eyes flew open in disbelief.

Jonathan Bailey.

The man she had just pulled back from death... was legally her husband.

Two hours passed before Jonathan finally came around.

The first thing he saw was a woman sitting nearby, and her face was beautiful in a way that didn't feel aggressive or calculated. Something about her looked clean and harmless.

Evelyn paused, then spoke carefully. "Mr. Bailey, could you come with me to get a divorce?"

It was the first time anyone had seen a change in Jonathan's distant and emotionless manner. He pressed his palms against the bed and forced his tired body, still weak from surgery, into an upright seated position.

He lifted a finger and tapped his temple. "Did you hit your head somewhere?"

He didn't even have a girlfriend, so how could he have a wife?

Evelyn fought for the right words, then slid a legal document onto the bed in front of him, looking more annoyed than scared. "I don't want to accept it either. I met you for the first time today, yet I was told you're my husband on paper. And the records say we're married."

Jonathan lowered his gaze to the document and saw his name listed as her spouse.

A memory from two years earlier surfaced-his grandfather had asked for his identification documents.

Was this his grandfather's doing?

Evelyn continued, "Mr. Bailey, I heard your grandfather is the richest man on our continent. Surely, you wouldn't want a wife popping up out of nowhere who can legally claim your money? I saved your life today. Could you return the favor by divorcing me?"

A faint, amused look touched Jonathan's sharp face.

No matter how he looked at it, he should be the one desperate for a divorce, yet she was acting like he was the one who might take advantage of her.

Seated on the hospital bed, Jonathan leaned back a little, and a sly smile showed as his eyes landed on Evelyn's badge. "Evelyn Mason, huh? And what if I say no to the divorce?"

Evelyn jabbed a finger toward him, and heat rushed to her face. "You..."

She hurried forward without watching her steps, and her foot caught on Jonathan's shoes near the bed.

Her balance went, and she pitched straight into him, and her red lips pressed against his thin ones.

Evelyn went rigid the second it happened.

Jonathan's jaw tightened, and irritation cut through his voice. "You just said you wanted a divorce, yet now you're throwing yourself at me. If you want to kiss me, just say it."

Evelyn's scent surrounded him, and the feeling hit hard enough that he wanted to pull her closer instead of pushing her away.

When she still didn't move, Jonathan teased, "If you don't get off me soon, I can turn this room into a honeymoon suite."

Evelyn finally looked him in the eye. "You just had surgery, so nothing like that is happening."

She pulled away fast and tried to swallow the embarrassment so she could focus on what mattered. "This marriage registration has to be some system mistake. You and I need to get divorced."

Jonathan's expression remained impassive, but his gaze stayed locked on her like he was weighing her. "What if I simply refuse to divorce?"

Evelyn dug into her bag and pulled out a document and a pen. "If you won't divorce, then sign this and give up any property rights."

Jonathan took the agreement, and something unreadable flickered across his face. "Your father is Matthew Dale?"

He kept his voice even, but his eyes had gone darker. "I'll sign, but you must play the role of my wife, help me deal with my greedy relatives, and make sure I'm fully healed."

Evelyn paused, then she answered, "Alright."

All she needed was his signature on that agreement.

Jonathan signed his name right away.

Evelyn let out a slow breath at last. Once he signed, her father's assets wouldn't end up in the wrong hands.

She was about to speak when a young nurse rushed in, breathing hard. "Evelyn, please come quickly. Your husband just brought his grandmother to the hospital. She's been admitted for emergency care due to a brain hemorrhage."