Woke Up as My Nemesis's Wife

I, Selena Grant, was the most cherished daughter of the Grant family in Seaview City, a princess in all but name. Countless men longed to draw near, not for love, but for the status and glory that came with me.

But men never interested me. My only passion was my work, and my ambition was to see my empire stretch across the globe.

For a long time, I believed I would burn out in my relentless work, destined to grow old alone.

Until the day I woke in a bathtub.

From the phone came a voice, sharp with impatience, "Why aren't you dead already?"

A stranger-a servant-told me I was married, and that I had degraded myself time and again, staging suicide attempts just to win a glance from this man.

I didn't believe a word of it.

I could be relentless for my work, but never for a man.

I picked up the phone and glanced at hundreds of rejected call records and countless unsent messages, all beginning with the same desperate words, "I love you."

In that instant, I believed it.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips as I stared up at the ceiling.

Although I had lost three years of memories from this marriage, anyone who dared to treat me with such contempt would not escape the consequences.

.....

"Ugh!"

I was jolted awake by the warm water choking my lungs, a finely carved knife still clutched in my right hand.

Moments ago I had been in my office, buried in documents. How had I ended up in this strange place?

"Can't do it yourself? Want me to finish the job for you?"

The impatient male voice came from the phone resting on the bathroom shelf.

As the call clicked off, several women in neat uniforms rushed in from outside.

From their attire, they were clearly the housemaids.

"Mrs. Harlow, our time is valuable too. We don't have the patience to sit through another one of your suicide shows."

"Mrs. Harlow, your little scare tactics don't fool anyone. Mr. Harlow's fed up, and so are we."

In my confusion, the maid at the back sneered, "Every time you scream about killing yourself, you don't even scratch the skin. Total waste of time-no wonder Mr. Harlow dumped you."

Their voices dripped with irritation and disgust, making my skin crawl.

I rose from the tub and walked toward them.

"Mr. Harlow-Leonard Harlow?"

The maid at the back gave a scornful laugh, "Mrs. Harlow, if it weren't for the decent treatment Mr. Harlow gave us these past three years, we wouldn't waste our time looking after a lunatic like you! Out of tricks already? So now you're putting on the amnesia act?"

I stared into the bathroom mirror-my face was the same, yet so gaunt it looked as if I might die the very next moment.

So... I was married?

And I had married my sworn enemy, Leonard Harlow?

And I had truly lost every memory of the three years since becoming Leonard's wife?

I stared at the disconnected phone, a cold laugh slipping past my lips.

Leonard, you've grown bold, daring to speak to me like that now.

After drying myself off, I returned to the bedroom.

Shock rippled through me-what kind of wretched life had I been living all these years?

This bedroom wasn't even as big as my walk-in closet, and the mattress was coarse and unyielding compared to the one I used to sleep on.

After tossing and turning, I lay back and ordered the maids to tell me everything that had happened in the past three years.

They told me I had been madly in love with Leonard. Even knowing his heart belonged to his secretary, Nora Ansel, I had resorted to every scheme imaginable.

In the end, Leonard had been forced to marry me, but there was no wedding, no blessings.

Afterward, though I was Mrs. Harlow in name, everyone knew Leonard's true wife was Nora.

They would kiss beneath the spotlight as if I didn't exist.

On social media, they even called each other husband and wife.

Unable to endure such humiliation, I tried to drive them apart by threatening suicide.

But Leonard never yielded-if anything, he became even more ruthless.

He drove me out of the mansion in the city center and confined me to this villa on the outskirts.

He brought Nora home and granted her every privilege of the Harlow family's mistress.

And now, just to see him, I had to wager my life.

By the end of their account, every gaze on me brimmed with annoyance.

I nodded to show I understood, then dismissed them.

I could hardly blame them. If I had to face a lunatic threatening death every day, I'd be sick of it too-perhaps even tempted to end her life myself.

Just as I was about to lie down, Leonard appeared before my eyes.

Against the light, Leonard stood at the doorway.

The crimson shirt set off his air of untouchable nobility.

After a brief stare, his eyes turned cold.

"You're still alive?"

How amusing-that after three years, Leonard could look down on me and speak with such condescension.

Intrigued, I slipped out of bed and padded barefoot to stand before him.

I traced lazy circles across his luxurious silk shirt with my finger.

"I'm not dying anytime soon-but you just might."

Leonard visibly flinched, as if some memory had struck him.

But he quickly regained his lofty composure.

"This is the last time I'll come to see you. I'm done with your suicide drama every few days, Selena. Why don't you just do it for real?"

I had known I'd gone mad over Leonard, but I hadn't realized how extreme and obsessive I had become.

I had gambled my life just for a chance to see Leonard.

Smiling, I patted Leonard's face.

"Think you're that important? If you're still alive, why would I waste my death on you?"

Perhaps it was the familiar pressure, but Leonard stepped back.

"You..."

I turned to climb back into bed, suddenly remembering Nora.

"And keep your little mistress on a leash. If she pisses me off, I'll send her to the grave with you."

At the mention of Nora's name, Leonard's noble facade shattered.

He lunged at me, gripping my shoulders hard.

The fire in his eyes burned so fiercely it threatened to consume me.

"Nora means everything to me! Touch her and you're dead!"

Watching Leonard's agitation, a nameless ache rose in my chest.

The servants had already told me most of what had happened between Leonard and me, and I thought I was ready to face him.

But when I truly stood before Leonard, the ease I had imagined never came-instead, a sorrow deep in my soul surfaced.

Perhaps, in those three years, I had truly loved Leonard.

So when I saw him threaten me over Nora, a dull pain throbbed in my heart.

Yet I didn't like the feeling at all.

Seeing my silence, Leonard's tone hardened, "If you dare lay a finger on Nora, I'll tear you apart."

The deadly seriousness in Leonard's eyes told me that if I touched Nora, he truly would kill me.

And perhaps he was right-I had torn Leonard and his precious Nora apart.

To drive them apart, I had staged suicide after suicide.

Now I had gone mad enough to think of killing the woman he loved, just to claim him for myself.

Anyone would want to destroy the sinner who ruined their love.

If it had been someone else-or even the woman I was three years from now-I might have gone pale at Leonard's threats and begged for mercy on my knees.

But I was no longer that woman.

Leonard could no longer threaten me.

The uncanny calm in my eyes filled Leonard's with confusion and unease.

"What the hell do you want?"

I only watched him quietly, a faint smile playing at my lips.

Everyone knew this was the sign that I was about to strike.

But Leonard, oblivious, suddenly slapped me hard across the face.

"Are you gonna talk or not?"

The force of Leonard's slap told me one thing-his love for Nora was real.

I was about to mock Leonard again when the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

I wiped it away, the vivid red stark and grotesque against the night.

"Well then, Leonard, very well," I thought. "If I don't take you down now, I'd be betraying myself."

"Don't worry, Leonard-you'll die before Nora. And down in hell, you can beg for her all you want."

My voice was calm, too real to be an act, and Leonard clutched his hair in helplessness.

The next moment, he tore at my clothes in a frenzy.

"You crazy bitch-why are you turning back into your old self? Didn't you always want my child? Fine, I'll give you that-just stay the hell away from Nora!"

I stared at Leonard in shock.

I swung my hand back and slapped Leonard across the face.

Still not satisfied, I kicked him square in the face.

"Don't touch me, Leonard. You make my skin crawl."

To be this close to my enemy, and he even talked about giving me a child?

He might as well just kill me and be done with it!

He touched his face, and the confusion in his eyes turned into disgust.

"Are you just playing hard to get? Stop acting. Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

I drew in a deep breath and kicked the man in front of me away.

"Yes, I faked my death before. But if I ever carried your child, I'd end my life right then and there!"

My voice was so serious that Leonard's eyes flickered, wavering between doubt and belief.

I rubbed my wrist, still sore from Leonard's grip, and went on, "Leonard, I am your wife in the eyes of the law. Wanting to see you-or even to fulfill my duties as a wife-is only natural. And now you treat such things like some kind of charity? Let me tell you, I don't need it."

I noticed the kiss mark on Leonard's chest that wasn't mine, let out a cold laugh, and pointed at it.

"You'd better save that filthy body of yours for your little lover. Otherwise, if she finds out you touched me, she'll be devastated."

At that, Leonard nodded and began straightening his clothes.

"Nora would be upset if she saw it. You've finally learned some sense."

I couldn't be bothered to answer and turned toward the guest room.

It was time for me to think about how to get away.

The next morning, the maids treated me with unexpected respect.

My confusion cleared when I saw the man downstairs.

It was Thomas Ward, Leonard's teacher, and also the personal butler of Edmund Harlow, the true head of the Harlow family.

"Mrs. Harlow, there's a banquet today. Mr. Harlow sent me to escort you."

I nodded and went upstairs to change.

When I opened the wardrobe, I was stunned by how much my taste had changed over the past three years.

The wardrobe was filled with burgundy dresses.

Recalling Leonard's attire from last night, I realized I must have dressed this way to please him, even tailoring my wardrobe to his taste.

At last, I found my once-beloved champagne gown tucked away in the corner of the wardrobe.

As I walked downstairs, the butler glanced at me with a smile and said, "Mrs. Harlow, it has been a long time since you wore that color."

By the time we arrived at the Harlow family banquet, the hall was already crowded.

Nora stood by Leonard's side in lavish attire, carrying herself like the mistress of the house.

The moment they saw me, the room fell into silence.

"Why is Selena here?"

"She always made a scene and refused to attend whenever Leonard brought Nora along."

"What's with her today?"

Leonard frowned slightly and asked, "Why are you here?"

I picked up a glass of champagne and drained it in one go.

"Listen to yourself. Why shouldn't I be here? I am, after all, your wife in the eyes of the law. If someone unrecognized by law can attend, why can't I-the one the law actually protects?"

At those words, Nora's eyes reddened with grievance.

"Mrs. Harlow, I'm only here as a secretary. Please don't misunderstand..."

I gave a cold smile and pointed at the Harlow crest on her chest.

"Since when could a secretary wear the emblem reserved for the lady of the house?"

Tears streamed down her face like a pitiful scene from a play, and she sobbed, "Mrs. Harlow, you never came to banquets like this before. I only came to stand in for you. Please don't be upset..."

Leonard couldn't bear to see his beloved bullied, and instantly shielded Nora with his body.

"Selena! You refused to come yourself, and Nora attended in your place. If you can't thank her, fine, but how dare you accuse her now?"

I nodded coolly and said, "Thank you. Now that I'm here, give me back the crest."