Famous lawyer Natalie and billionaire Brandon had been married for three years, but they had never met each other. Their marriage was arranged by Brandon’s grandfather. After the grandfather passed away, Brandon immediately filed for divorce. Following the divorce, Natalie returned to her legal career and unexpectedly took on a case from Brandon’s company—defending his mistress, Carmilla. Curious about Brandon’s relationship with Carmilla, Natalie agreed to take the case. During their interactions, Brandon came to admire Natalie’s skills and gradually developed feelings for her, unaware that she was actually his ex-wife whom he had never met…
View MoreNatalie’s POV
Brandon York was my husband for three years.
We’ve never met.
Not even once.
Not at the wedding. Not through a screen. Not even by accident at a parking lot. I wouldn’t recognize him if he passed by holding a sign that said, ‘Hi Natalie, I’m your absentee husband.’
We got married because his grandfather said it was a good idea. Brandon needed to look stable for a few years. I needed law school paid for.
He sent a lawyer. I signed the papers. That was it.
No ceremony. No pictures. No vows. No kiss.
Just a ghost marriage to a man who never showed up.
For the last three years, I lived in the family estate and took care of his grandfather. That was part of the deal. I studied, graduated, passed the bar, and watched the old man die.
Brandon never visited. Not once. Not even after the funeral.
So when I came back to work today, I thought the worst thing waiting for me would be an overflowing inbox.
Nope.
A fat cream envelope was sitting on my desk, waiting like it had been plotting all morning.
Sender: Brandon York.
Of course, I opened it.
Divorce papers. Clean. Straightforward. Zero personality, no note, no explanation. Just… divorce.
After three years of total silence, he ended things the same way he started them... by not showing up??
There was nothing generous in the terms. No alimony. No asset breakdown. Not even a polite “thank you for wiping my grandfather’s ass for two years.”
I guess he thought I’d just sign and vanish.
I stared at the papers and muttered, “Seriously?”
I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t even shocked. I was mostly impressed by the audacity, like, what the fuck?
After all my sacrifices?! Nah-ah!
I grabbed a pen and started adjusting the asset division. I wasn’t going to throw a tantrum, but I wasn’t going to let him erase me like a typo, either.
Well, if you’re thinking I was about to rip the divorce papers in half, run to his office, and cry, “No, you can’t leave me! I’m your wife! I can’t live without you!”
Yeah… no.
That’s not me. That’s not gonna happen, ever.
The hell do I care about Brandon York?
He got what he wanted. The company. The name. The image, name it!
And I got what I wanted. My law degree. My license. A life!
So we’re even.
Or… we were.
Just as I hit print, someone knocked on my office door.
“Come in,” I said, eyes still on the monitor.
Dylan walked in like he was about to deliver good gossip. He dropped a red folder on my desk and raised his eyebrows.
“Mrs. N, you’re gonna love this,” he said.
“Correction. Ms. N,” I said, sharpening my voice on the word.
“Wait, what happened?” he asked.
“Long story. So, what is it?”
“Oh yeah. Got a new one for you,” he said excitedly. “The client asked for you specifically.”
“If this is another influencer suing over a hair serum deal gone wrong, I’m walking.”
“Nope. Property reassignment case,” he said, handing it over.
I raised an eyebrow and opened the folder. It wasn’t what I expected.
The first thing I saw was a photo of a mansion.
My mansion.
Woodridge Hills. The property Brandon’s grandfather left to me. The one he said was mine “as thanks” for not letting him die alone.
I flipped to the next page.
The file was labeled:
“Asset Reallocation Request”
Beneath it: Brandon York.
I blinked.
Wait. What?
“This is Brandon’s file?” I asked slowly.
Dylan nodded, like it was nothing. “He’s finalizing some estate stuff with his fiancée. Carmella something. Wanted the house moved to her name.”
I stared at the line again.
Transfer of inherited estate from former marital property to Ms. Kingston, as agreed by the former spouse.
Former spouse?
I turned another page. Read. Re-read.
He didn’t even use my name. Just “the wife.” Like I was a placeholder in my own paperwork!
“They said the wife had no issue with it. Already signed off emotionally or something.”
My hand froze mid-page.
“What did you say?” I asked.
“They said—wait, what’s wrong? You don’t look so well.”
I turned the page again. There it was. My name. On the legal documents. The property was still under me.
And they were trying to transfer it… to HER… Without even asking me?
WTF?!
The nerve!
The actual balls on this man!
I didn’t even realize my hands were shaking until Dylan leaned forward, his brows pulled together.
“Something wrong?” He asked and flipped back to the declaration page, reading it slower this time.
His expression shifted.
His eyes darted from the papers… to my face… then down to the cream envelope still sitting open on my desk.
“Wait… this can’t be right. Why is your name written here?” Dylan’s voice dropped to a near whisper, like the sentence weighed too much to say out loud.
He blinked once. Then again.
I didn’t speak.
My fingers curled tightly around the edge of the desk, grounding myself.
Then Dylan suddenly stood up, rubbing his temple… it looked like he finally realized what was going on. Great!
“That CEO of York International… He’s your husband?!” His voice pitched up a level. “All this time?!”
“Yes,” I said quietly. “Looks like he is.”
Dylan just stared. “Wait, what the fuck? He’s trying to give your inheritance to his girlfriend?”
“Cute, isn’t it?” I smirked.
Dylan looked down at the file again, then back up at me.
His brow furrowed.
“What’s that?” he asked, pointing.
I didn’t answer. He stepped closer, reached for the paper, and read the first line.
And froze.
“Wait… He’s divorcing you too?!”
I leaned back slowly, keeping my voice calm.
“I told you. I’m no longer Mrs.”
“Wait, let me breathe. This is insane!”
“Looks like he sent me the knife, then asked me to help him twist it.” I bit the pen and exhaled hard.
Dylan dragged a hand down his face and let out a deep breath.
“What are you gonna do now?”
Then I asked, quieter this time, “Did he know who I was when he sent this?”
Dylan shook his head. “No. He just said specifically for Ms. N. No full name. Just… Ms. N.”
I looked back down at the folder.
Ms. N. The ghost wife.
“Let’s make sure he regrets that.”
Brandon’s POVAs we got our orders, Vivian slid a folder across the table. “Just a few final numbers from the French office,” she said. “I’d still like your take before I send them in.”I flipped it open, skimming the spreadsheets. “Looks clean. The integration with our team’s projections checks out.”She nodded, taking a sip of her drink. “Good. I want this to go smoothly. No surprises.”I closed the folder. “You’ve handled it well. Especially with the timing.”Vivian smiled faintly. “Well… I did have good company while I recovered.”I didn’t say anything. She leaned her elbow on the table and tilted her head.“You know,” she added, almost casually, “speaking of company... your lawyer, Natalie. It kind of feels like she doesn’t like me much.”I glanced at her. “Why do you say that?” I said and took a bite of the steak in front of me.Vivian let out a soft chuckle, brushing her fingers lightly against her glass. “I mean, every time we talk, she keeps it very short. Polite, but distant
Natalie’s POV“I told you, we were both drunk,” Emma said for the third time as she hugged a pillow to her chest. “It just… happened.”I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t ‘just happen’ into bed with Lucas unless something else is going on.”She groaned and hid her face. “Don’t analyze it like a lawyer. I already feel like trash.”I laughed softly and nudged her with my foot. “You’re not trash. Just… a little recyclable.”That got a smile out of her, and finally, she stopped hiding her face. We talked a bit more, and eventually she leaned her head on my shoulder and let out a sigh.“You don’t hate me, right?”“Of course not,” I said. “But next time, maybe don’t sleep with a billionaire who has a wine cellar larger than my entire apartment.”She snorted. “No promises.”Later, I headed back to the office and got caught up on pending cases. It didn’t take long before Dylan cornered me by the printer with that look on his face, curious and nosy.“So? How was France?” he asked, handing me a fre
Natalie’s POVI didn’t plan to visit the hospital, but something kept bugging me, so I ended up going anyway.Pierre met me in the lobby. He looked a little surprised to see me, but not in a bad way.“Mr. York stayed with her all night,” he said as we stepped into the elevator. “He really cares about her.”I didn’t answer. Just nodded. I didn’t want to assume anything but when the doors opened and I saw them from the hallway, I couldn’t ignore the way she was leaning on him. Then slowly, her hands wrapped around him.And he didn’t pull away.Something sharp twisted in my chest.It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him hug another woman. Not the first time I’d told myself it didn’t matter.But this one felt different.And somehow… the pain cut deeper.When Brandon noticed us standing there, he straightened and gently moved his hand away. Vivian smiled like she’d just won the lottery. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were soft, the kind of look you give someone when you know they stayed
Brandon’s POVI wasn’t blind.Natalie had been… different the past few days. She became quieter and less sarcastic; her usual sharp wit dulled into polite smiles and short answers. At first, I figured it was jet lag or maybe work stress. But then I noticed something else: she only acted like that around me.When she was with Pierre? She laughed... a real one. Like she was actually having fun.And I hated how much I noticed that.I found myself watching her more closely. The way her eyes lit up when Pierre showed her something on his phone. The way she relaxed around him, like they’d been friends for years instead of a few days.With me, she kept her guard up.I told myself not to be bothered. She had every right to talk to whoever she wanted. But the truth? I was bothered. Enough that I was a little colder toward Pierre than necessary.While we were all walking back, he kept glancing at Natalie like he couldn’t believe his luck. That annoyed me for reasons I couldn’t even explain.“S
Natalie’s POVPierre and I ended our little sightseeing walk with a quiet dinner at a café tucked between old buildings that smelled like pastries and rain. He was easy to be around. Polite, curious, and not overly chatty... which I appreciated. For the most part, I managed to keep my thoughts off Brandon.Well… mostly.“Want to see something funny?” Pierre asked while we were waiting for dessert.“Sure,” I said, trying not to sound too flat.He pulled out his phone and flipped to an album full of a ridiculously fluffy white dog wearing little costumes... a pirate, a bumblebee, and a tiny beret.I burst out laughing. “You really dressed him up like a baguette?”Pierre grinned. “It was Halloween. He didn’t enjoy it, but the internet did.”I found myself smiling without effort. “I needed that.”“I figured.”We walked back, still talking about his dog, and for a brief moment, I felt… lighter. Until I spotted two very familiar figures up ahead.Brandon and Vivian.He had his hands in his
Natalie’s POVI wasn’t sure what was more uncomfortable... sitting this close to him on a long flight or pretending like nothing almost happened between us a few nights ago.Thankfully, he didn’t bring it up. Not even a hint. No smirk, no teasing remark, just… silence. Professional silence.“We’re still waiting on the signed deed from the municipal office,” I said after flipping through the case folder. “Should come in by Thursday.”He nodded. “Good. That gives us room to start negotiations.”That was it. Cold, safe, business talk. I could live with that.Halfway through the flight, he leaned a little closer and tapped his pen against the margin of the document I was reviewing.“Our client, Vivian Sinclair,” he said. “Heir to the Sinclair family business. You familiar with her?”I glanced up. “Heard of her. Rumor says she’s practically royalty in France. Smart, strategic, with a good reputation.”“And pretty,” he added, almost absentmindedly.I didn’t respond to that. Just smiled a li
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