Five Years As A DoorMat Wife: Her Time To Shine

Chapter 1

The water was colder than Silver had imagined death would be.

She'd always thought dying would be warm-like slipping into sleep, like the romance novels promised. But the Crystalbrook River in December was different, its icy rivers penetrating her body to cause ice cold damage to her lungs.

Above her, the night sky fractured into pieces through the broken surface. She could see the bridge-the beautiful, bridge where she'd stood just moments ago, laughing. Actually laughing, because for once, for one single evening, Seris had looked at her like she was a person instead of an obligation.

"You planned this whole thing," he'd said, something almost like warmth in his voice. "The lantern release, the winter festival. It's... nice."

Nice. Such a small word. But from Seris Ashford, it had felt like a declaration of love.

Silver's lungs screamed. She kicked toward the surface, but her designer gown-the one she'd spent three weeks choosing because Kate had mentioned Seris liked emerald green-had become a death shroud, wrapping around her legs, pulling her down into the dark.

She should have known better. Five years of marriage should have taught her that any warmth from Seris was temporary, a brief calm before the next freeze.

Three hours earlier...

"Mrs. Ashford, the ice sculptures are ready for your approval."

Silver looked up from her phone-where she'd been anxiously checking if Seris had read her messages about tonight-and smiled at the event coordinator. "Thank you, Monica. Let me see them."

The Crystalbrook Winter Festival had been her baby for six months. Most of the elite wives had their charities, their galas, their pet projects. Silver had this: a free community event featuring local artists, small businesses, and a lantern release to honor loved ones lost during the year.

She'd told Seris it was for the Ashford Corporation's public image. In truth, she'd planned every detail around the hope that for once, for one evening, he might look at her like she was someone worth being proud of.

"Silver!"

She turned to see Kate Bridgerton waving from across the festival grounds, her petite frame bundled in a cream-colored coat that probably cost more than most people's monthly rent. Even in winter, even sick, Kate managed to look like something out of a fairy tale-porcelain skin, doe eyes, that fragile quality that made men want to protect her.

Silver had never figured out how to be fragile. She was too tall, too bold, too much.

"Kate." Silver's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm so glad you could make it. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, you know." Kate waved a delicate hand. "The doctors say I should rest, but I couldn't miss your festival. Seris told me how hard you've been working on it."

Seris told her. Of course he had. Seris told Kate everything. They'd been best friends since childhood, since before Silver had saved his life in that stupid accident seven years ago and made the even stupider request to marry him.

His parents, traditional to their bones, had honored the debt. Seris had honored the obligation.

That was all she'd ever been. An obligation.

"He's running late," Silver said, checking her phone again. No new messages. "Board meeting."

"Actually-" Kate's expression turned sheepish. "He's on his way. He called me to ask what you might like for tonight. I think he wants to surprise you."

Something warm and pathetic bloomed in Silver's chest. She hated herself for it. Five years of watching him send money to women whose names she found in bank statements. Five years of seeing photos in tabloids-*CEO Seris Ashford spotted in Monaco with mystery brunette.* Five years of important galas where he'd bring Kate as his plus-one because "Silver understands she's not comfortable with crowds."

Silver had never said she wasn't comfortable with crowds. He'd simply never asked.

But tonight... tonight he'd asked Kate what Silver might like.

"That's... that's nice of him," Silver managed.

Kate touched her arm, and somehow that was worse than hostility would have been. Kate was never anything but kind. Never anything but understanding when Silver's husband chose her company over his wife's. "He's trying, Silver. I know it's been hard, but he's trying."

*You don't know anything,* Silver wanted to scream. *You don't know what it's like to be legally bound to someone who looks through you like you're glass.

Instead, she said, "I should check on the lantern setup. Excuse me."

She walked away before Kate could see her hands shake.

By the time the lanterns were ready for release, the festival was in full swing. Hundreds of people crowded the riverbank, their faces illuminated by string lights and the warm glow of floating paper lanterns. Children shrieked with laughter. Couples held hands. Street vendors sold roasted chestnuts and hot chocolate.

Silver stood on the bridge, watching it all, and felt utterly alone.

"There you are."

Seris's voice cut through the noise. She turned to find her husband striding toward her, impossibly handsome in his black coat, his dark hair slightly mussed from the wind. For a moment she let herself pretend this was real. That he was really here for her.

"The festival looks good," he said, stopping beside her. "You did well."

"Thank you." Her voice came out smaller than she'd intended. "I wasn't sure you'd make it."

"I said I would." There was that almost-warmth again. He looked out over the crowd, and something shifted in his expression. "You planned this whole thing. The lantern release, the winter festival. It's... nice."

Nice.

Silver's throat tightened. "I wanted to do something that mattered. Something that wasn't just another society party."

"You succeeded." He glanced at her, and for the first time in months, really seemed to see her. "I know I haven't been... I know things have been difficult. But this-this is good work, Silver."

She was going to cry. Right here, on this bridge, in front of hundreds of people, she was going to cry because her husband had said her work was good.

God, when had she become this person?

"Seris! Silver!" Kate appeared at the end of the bridge, waving. Even from a distance, Silver could see she was shivering. "The lanterns are ready! Are you coming down?"

"We should go," Seris said, already moving toward Kate.

Of course. Of course he was.

Silver followed, something bitter coating her tongue. But then Seris did something unexpected-he reached back and took her hand. Actually took her hand, his fingers warm against hers.

"Come on," he said. "Let's release the first lantern together."

Her heart stuttered. This was it. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. Five years of patience, of understanding, of being the perfect wife despite everything, and finally-finally-he was choosing her.

They reached Kate, who was bouncing on her feet, her breath coming in short gasps. "It's so cold! I think I might head back to the car soon."

"You should," Seris said, frowning. "You're shivering. Here-" He shrugged out of his coat and draped it over Kate's shoulders.

Silver's hand went cold where he'd released it.

"But you'll freeze," Kate protested, even as she pulled the coat tighter.

"I'm fine. Silver, do you mind if I walk Kate back to-"

The scream cut him off.

"Someone's in the water! Oh my God, someone fell in!"

The crowd surged toward the railing. Silver's stomach dropped. The river was high from recent storms, the current vicious. If someone had fallen in-

"It's a woman!" someone shouted. "She's caught in the decorative netting!"

The netting. The decorative netting Silver had approved for the bridge, woven with lights and ribbons.

"Call emergency services!" Silver was already running toward the stairs that led down to the riverbank, her mind racing. The decorative netting. Her idea. Her festival. If someone died-

She reached the bank just as she saw her: a woman in the water, struggling against the netting that had tangled around her like a trap, pulling her under.

And then Kate was there, at the edge of the water, and Silver's blood turned to ice.

Kate had slipped. She must have been trying to see, gotten too close-

She fell with barely a splash.

"Kate!" Seris's voice cracked with terror Silver had never heard before. He was running, faster than Silver had ever seen him move,

Time seemed to slow.

Kate, thrashing in the water. The other woman, disappearing beneath the surface, tangled in the netting-Silver's netting. And Seris, diving in without hesitation, without thought, his entire focus on Kate.

Silver stood frozen on the bank as her husband swam straight past the drowning stranger.

Straight to Kate.

He reached her in seconds, wrapping an arm around her fragile body, already swimming back to shore. Emergency responders were arriving, someone was throwing a life preserver to the other woman, but Silver couldn't look away from Seris's face.

The terror. The desperation. The love.

For Kate.

Never, in five years, had he looked at Silver like that.

And then, as if the universe wanted to make its point crystal clear, the bridge creaked.

The weight of the crowd, all surging to one side to see the rescue-too much weight, too much pressure on the old structure. Silver heard the groan of wood and metal, saw the decorative railing beginning to give way.

She should have moved. Should have run.

But something in her had already broken, watching Seris choose Kate. Again. Always.

The railing gave way.

And Silver fell.

The last thing she saw before the water took her was Seris on the bank, holding Kate, not even looking in her direction.

Of course, she thought, as the river pulled her under. Of course he didn't see me fall.

He never had.

Chapter 2

Silver woke to sunlight.

That was the first wrong thing. There shouldn't be sunlight. There should be darkness, cold, the crushing weight of water filling her lungs. There should be nothing at all.

She bolted upright, gasping, her hands flying to her throat. Dry. Her clothes-dry. Her hair, fanned across silk pillowcases, completely dry.

"What-"

The room swam into focus. Somehow she was in her bedroom. In the Ashford estate.

No. This wasn't possible.

Silver threw off the covers and stumbled to the mirror. Her reflection stared back, wide-eyed and pale. But she was too young.

Her hand flew to her face, touching skin that was smoother, softer. The fine lines that had started appearing around her eyes-from smiling at people who didn't smile back, from crying into pillows at 3 AM-were gone. Her hair was longer, falling past her shoulders instead of the shoulder-length cut she'd gotten last month in a fit of desperate reinvention.

This was impossible.

"Miss Winters?" A knock at the door, followed by the familiar voice of Marie, her lady's maid. "Miss Winters, you need to start getting ready. The ceremony is in four hours."

The ceremony. Silver's stomach dropped to her feet.

"What... what day is it?" Her voice came out hoarse. A pause. "It's your wedding day, ma'am. Are you feeling alright? Should I call the doctor?"

No. No, no, no. Silver crossed to the antique desk where she kept her planner-kept, used to keep, would keep?-and found the calendar. The date glared up at her in black ink.

December 15th, 2020.

Five years ago. Her wedding day. The day she'd married Seris Ashford in a ceremony that had cost more than most people's houses and meant absolutely nothing to the groom.

"Miss Winters?"

"I'm fine," Silver called out, her voice steadier than she felt. "Give me a moment."

She heard Marie's footsteps retreat and sank into the desk chair, her mind racing.

This was insane. People didn't just wake up five years in the past. They didn't get do-overs. Death was final. The river had been real-she could still feel the ghost of that cold, the burn in her lungs, the moment her body had simply given up.

She'd died.

And somehow, impossibly, she'd woken up here. Why?

Silver's gaze fell on a photograph tucked into the corner of her mirror. Her and Seris, from the engagement party three months ago. She looked radiant in the photo, glowing with hope and naive faith in happy endings. He looked... polite. Distantly pleasant, like a CEO posing with a successful business partner.

She'd made excuses for that look for so long. He's just not comfortable with cameras. He's private. He shows love differently. But he'd never shown love at all.

A memory surfaced, sharp and unwelcome: Seris at a charity gala two years into their marriage, his hand on the small of Vivienne Laurent's back-one of the "mistresses" the tabloids had gleefully documented. The way he'd laughed at something she'd said, a real laugh, the kind Silver had spent years trying to earn.

Another memory: Finding the bank statements. Twenty thousand dollars to "C. Morrison" for "consulting services." Thirty thousand to "Gabrielle Chen" marked as "personal gift." Amounts that meant nothing to a billionaire but everything to someone trying to pretend her marriage was real.

And Kate. Always Kate.

"She's my oldest friend,"* Seris had said, the one time Silver had worked up the courage to ask why Kate was his plus-one to the tech summit instead of his actual wife. "You understand, don't you? She knows the people there, understands the business. It's not personal."

Everything with Seris was "not personal." That was the problem.

Their entire marriage had been not personal. Well. It had been, for her.

Silver stood abruptly, crossing to the massive walk-in closet where her wedding dress hung like a ghost. She'd worn this dress. Walked down an aisle scattered with white roses. Said vows she meant with every fiber of her being to a man who'd been checking his phone during the reception.

She'd lived this day already. And the five years that followed.

Five years of diminishing herself, of making excuses, of pretending that scraps of attention were the same as love. Five years of watching her husband build a life that had no room for her in it. Five years that had ended with her drowning in a river while he saved someone else.

Something cold and clear settled in Silver's chest. Not quite angry-anger was too hot, too wild. This was something sharper. Colder. This was clarity.

She walked back to the desk and picked up her phone. No messages from Seris-there wouldn't be. He was probably still asleep, or already at the office, treating their wedding day like any other item on his calendar.

But there were messages from others.

Mom: Can't wait to see you walk down the aisle, sweetheart! You're going to be so happy!*

Dad: My little girl, all grown up. He's a lucky man.*

Kimberly (her best friend): WEDDING DAAAAY! You better not be having cold feet. See you at the venue! 💕*

Silver's throat tightened. Her parents had been so proud. The Winters family wasn't poor, but they weren't Ashford-level wealthy either. Marrying into one of the country's most powerful families had seemed like a fairy tale to them.

They'd never known how miserable she'd been. She'd been too ashamed to tell them. Too proud to admit that saving Seris Ashford's life and asking for his hand in marriage had been the worst mistake of her life.

Her phone buzzed with a new message.

Seris: I'll meet you at the venue. Running late. Sorry.

Late to his own wedding.

Silver stared at the message, remembering how she'd made excuses for it the first time. *He's so busy. The company needs him. It's fine.*

It wasn't fine. None of it had ever been fine.

She opened her contacts and scrolled to Seris's name. Her thumb hovered over the call button.

In the original timeline, she'd called him right about now. Nervous, excited, babbling about last-minute details. He'd been distracted, given her half-answers, and she'd convinced herself it was just pre-wedding jitters on his part.

But she knew better now.

Silver took a deep breath and dialed a different number.

There was a pause, shuffling, and then her father's warm voice came on the line. "Sweetheart! Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"Dad." Her voice cracked despite her best efforts. "Dad, I need to talk to you about something. It's important."

His tone shifted immediately, concern flooding in. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Is it Seris? I swear to God, if he-"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean..." Silver closed her eyes, steadying herself. "Dad, I can't marry him."

"Silver," her father said carefully. "It's normal to be nervous. Your mother nearly ran away the morning of our wedding. But-"

"It's not nerves." The words came out stronger now. "Dad, I'm telling you right now, clearly and with full certainty: I don't want to marry Seris Ashford. I never should have asked him to marry me. The whole thing was a mistake."

More silence. Then: "Does he know you feel this way?"

"He doesn't care how I feel." The truth of it was liberating. "He never has. This marriage is an obligation to him, nothing more. And I'm not going to spend my life being someone's obligation."

"Silver, honey, the wedding is in four hours. There are three hundred guests, a cathedral full of flowers, caterers, musicians-"

"I know." She did know. She remembered every expensive, elaborate detail of a wedding that had been more performance than partnership. "And I'll deal with the fallout. But Dad, I need you to trust me. Please. I can't do this."

She heard him take a shaky breath. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with emotion. "You're sure? Absolutely sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Another pause. Then: "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay. You're my daughter, Silver. I'm not going to let you walk into something that makes you miserable, no matter who's waiting at that altar or how much money we've spent." His voice hardened. "Do you need me to tell him, or do you want to do it yourself?"

Silver looked at her reflection in the mirror. At the young woman who'd been so desperate for love she'd bound herself to someone incapable of giving it.

Not this time.

"I'll do it," she said. "But Dad? Thank you. For believing me."

"Always, sweetheart. Always."

After they hung up, Silver sat in the quiet of her room for a long moment. Then she opened a new message to Seris. Her fingers trembled from the sheer relief of finally, choosing herself. She typed: Don't bother coming to the venue. The wedding is off.

She hit send. And just like that, Silver Winters rewrote her fate.

Chapter 3

Kate Bridgerton had been awake since five in the morning, and it was entirely Seris Ashford's fault.

Not that she'd ever tell him that. Seris had enough on his mind today without her adding to it. His wedding day. *Finally.*

"Katie, if you don't stop pacing, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet," her oldest brother Darius called from the doorway of her bedroom, coffee mug in hand. "And Mom will kill you."

"I'm not pacing," Kate protested, even though she absolutely was. "I'm... deciding."

"You've changed outfits four times." Her second-oldest brother, James, appeared behind Darius, smirking. "It's not even your wedding."

"Which is exactly why I need to look perfect!" Kate gestured at the explosion of clothing covering her bed, chairs, and most of her floor. "I can't upstage the bride, but I also can't look like I didn't try. It's a delicate balance."

"You're overthinking this," Darius said, but his expression was fond. At thirty, he'd seen Kate through enough social anxieties to know when to push and when to just let her spiral.

"I'm not overthinking anything." Kate held up two dresses-one a soft blush pink, the other a sophisticated navy. "Pink says 'sweet and supportive,' but navy says 'elegant and mature.' Which one?"

"The navy," came a voice from the hallway. Her third brother, David, poked his head in. "The pink makes you look twelve."

"I do not look twelve!" Kate threw a shoe at him, which he dodged easily. "I'm twenty-four!"

"Could've fooled me with all this fussing," David grinned. "Seriously, Katie. It's just a wedding. Seris has been to hundreds of events with you. He's seen you in everything from ballgowns to jeans. Why are you so worked up?"

Because it wasn't just a wedding.

Because Seris was her best friend-had been since they were children, since he'd found her crying behind the stables at a polo match because the other girls had made fun of her for being small, for being the only girl in a family of boys, for not fitting in. He'd sat with her for hours, and when she'd finally stopped crying, he'd looked at her with those serious dark eyes and said, *"They're idiots. You're going to do something amazing one day, and they'll all wish they'd been nicer to you."*

He'd been eleven. She'd been nine. And she'd loved him ever since.

Not romantically-God, no. The idea made her want to laugh. Seris was like her seventh brother, the one who actually understood her. The one who called when he needed advice, who showed up when she was sick.

And today, he was marrying Silver Winters.

Kate flopped onto her bed, careful not to wrinkle the navy dress. "I just want everything to go perfectly. He deserves that."

Darius and James exchanged a look that Kate pretended not to see.

"Katie," Darius said carefully, coming to sit on the edge of her bed. "You know Seris can take care of himself, right? This isn't your responsibility."

"I know that." She did. Mostly. "But he's been so stressed with the Jessica situation, and the company, and his parents pushing for this marriage, and-"

"Wait." David held up a hand. "His parents pushed for this marriage?"

Kate bit her lip. She'd said too much. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Katie." James's voice was gentle but firm. "Does Seris actually want to marry this girl?"

"Of course he does!" The words came out too quickly, too defensive. "He proposed, didn't he? Well, technically, she asked him, but he said yes. And his parents approved because it's traditional and honorable and-"

"She asked him?" All three of her brothers spoke in unison, their voices colored with disbelief.

Kate sat up, suddenly feeling the need to defend Silver even though the woman had never been anything but coldly polite to her. "She saved his life. After that car accident two years ago. She was there, she pulled him out before the car exploded. She asked to marry him as... as payment for the debt."

"Jesus Christ," Darius muttered.

"That's medieval," David said flatly.

"It's romantic!" Kate insisted, even though a part of her had always thought it was strange too. "She loved him enough to ask. And Seris is honorable enough to say yes. His parents believe in honoring debts. It's traditional."

"It's insane," James said. "Katie, you can't actually think this is a good foundation for a marriage."

"I think," Kate said carefully, "that Silver seems nice. And Seris needs someone stable after Jessica.

God, Jessica. Even thinking the name made Kate's stomach turn.

Jessica Hambourne had been everything Kate wasn't-tall, curvy, confident. Seris had been genuinely in love with her, or at least Kate thought he had been. For two years, he'd talked about her constantly, had that dopey smile that people got when they were happy.

And then six months ago, the scandal had broken.

Jessica, caught in bed with Seris's cousin, Marcus Ashford. Photos splashed across every tabloid. The humiliation had been spectacular and public, and Seris had shut down in a way that terrified Kate. He'd stopped calling. Stopped showing up to family dinners. Threw himself into work with a single-minded intensity that screamed *I'm not dealing with this.*

When he'd told Kate he was getting married to Silver Winters-a woman Kate had met exactly twice at business functions-she'd been relieved. Not because Silver seemed perfect for him, but because at least he was moving forward. At least he wasn't alone.

"Silver isn't Jessica," Kate said firmly. "She's educated, accomplished, from a good family. She doesn't party or seek attention. She's exactly what Seris needs right now."

"What he needs," Darius said quietly, "is therapy, not a wife."

Kate threw another shoe at him.

"I'm serious!" Darius dodged again, laughing. "Katie, I love you, and I love that you love your friends. But you can't fix Seris by being excited about a marriage that sounds like it was arranged in the 1800s."

"I'm not trying to fix him." Kate stood, smoothing down her pajamas. "I'm trying to be supportive. He's my best friend, and today is important to him, so it's important to me. Now all of you get out so I can finish getting ready."

Her brothers filed out, still muttering about medieval marriage customs, and Kate closed the door behind them with more force than necessary.

She turned back to her closet and pulled out the navy dress, holding it up to herself in the mirror. It was perfect-elegant, mature, exactly right for the best friend of the groom.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. Probably Seris, confirming timing or asking her opinion on something. He always asked her opinion.

But when she picked it up, the message was from an unknown number.

Hi Kate, this is Silver. I got your number from Seris's contact list. I wanted to reach out before the wedding.

Kate's heart leaped. Finally! She'd been trying to connect with Silver for months, ever since the engagement had been announced. She'd sent friendly texts, invited her to coffee, tried to establish some kind of friendship. Silver had responded politely but distantly to everything, keeping Kate at arm's length.

But now, on her wedding day, she was reaching out!

Kate's fingers flew over her phone.

Silver! I'm so glad you texted! I've been wanting to talk to you. Are you nervous? Do you need anything? I'm here if you want to chat before the ceremony!

The response came quickly.

Actually, I wanted to apologize.

Kate frowned. *Apologize for what?

For being cold to you. You've been nothing but kind, and I've been standoffish. It wasn't fair to you.

*Oh!* Kate typed quickly. *You don't need to apologize! I know this has all been overwhelming. New family, new expectations. I totally understand.

Three dots appeared, disappeared, appeared again.

You're very gracious. That's one of the things Seris always says about you. That you see the best in people.

Kate felt her cheeks warm. *He talks about me?

All the time. You're very important to him.*

*He's important to me too,* Kate typed. I'm so happy he found someone who makes him happy.

The response took longer this time.

Does he seem happy to you?

Kate paused, her thumbs hovering over the keyboard. It was an odd question for a bride to ask on her wedding day.

Of course! she typed, though even as she sent it, she wondered if it was true. Seris had seemed... fine. Calm. Professional, even when discussing his own wedding. But happy?

I hope so,* Silver responded. *I really do. You deserve a happy best friend.*

And you deserve a happy husband!* Kate typed, adding several heart emojis. I'm so excited to officially welcome you to the family. I know we haven't been close, but I really hope we can be friends. Real friends. I'd like that.

The three dots appeared and disappeared several times.

Finally: I'd like that too. More than you know.

Kate grinned, hugging her phone to her chest. See? Silver was lovely. Just nervous and overwhelmed, like any bride would be.

Do you want me to come over?* Kate typed. *I could help you get ready! Or just keep you company if you're nervous. I know it's a big day.

That's sweet of you, but I'm okay. I just wanted to clear the air before everything gets crazy.

Well, I'll see you at the cathedral!* Kate added a bride emoji and several sparkles. You're going to look absolutely stunning. Seris is a lucky man.

Thank you, Kate. For everything. You're a good person.

Kate set down her phone, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. Maybe this would be good for everyone. Silver would warm up once they were family. They could have coffee dates, shopping trips, all the things Kate had always imagined doing with a sister.

She picked up the navy dress and headed to the bathroom to start getting ready.

It was going to be a beautiful day. She was sure of it.