ВойтиFamous 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…
Узнайте большеNatalie’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.”
Natalie’s POVA soft chime echoed through the hall, followed by a voice over the speakers.“Ladies and gentlemen, if we could all have your attention—please welcome to the stage the CEO of York International, Mr. Brandon York.”My heart jumped.I looked up just as he stepped into the light.He looked impossibly composed in his tailored suit. The crowd erupted into applause, and he smiled, thanked them, waited for the noise to settle.“My grandfather believed that a company is only as strong as the people who stand behind it,” Brandon began, his voice steady, warm. “And this past year has tested that belief in ways I never expected.”He spoke about York International’s legacy, about the challenges that had nearly broken the company, about betrayal and truth and rebuilding trust. He thanked partners, colleagues, employees—people who had stayed when it would’ve been easier to walk away.Then his gaze lifted.And found me.The room seemed to dissolve around us.He paused—just a fraction t
Natalie’s POVThe Founders Gala of York International glowed like something lifted out of a dream.An old barn had been transformed into candlelit grandeur—crystal chandeliers suspended from wooden beams, fairy lights tracing the high rafters, long tables dressed in white linen and gold accents, soft music drifting through the open sides where the lake shimmered just beyond the grounds.It felt warm. Alive. Beautiful in a way that made everything I’d been through feel surreal.Emma and I stood near the edge of the crowd, both of us in gowns that made us feel a little unreal—her radiant, confident, happy; me… trying to breathe.She leaned closer, eyes sparkling mischievously. “You know Brandon’s going to forget his own name the second he sees you, right?”I let out a weak laugh and shook my head.“Please don’t,” I murmured. “I don’t even know what we are anymore.”My mind flashed back to that night on the roadside—his arms around me, his voice breaking, the way he’d held me like he’d f
Brandon’s POVMatthew sat stiffly on the edge of the couch, Jane beside him, her hand wrapped around his arm as if grounding him. Lucas paced back and forth across the living room, his movements restless, while Emma stood near the window, crying silently into his shoulder. No one turned on the TV. No one checked their phones unless it vibrated.It felt like time had stalled. Like the world had narrowed into this one room and one unbearable question.Where is Natalie?My phone buzzed again. I grabbed it too fast, heart leaping—then sank when I saw it was just another update from the police.“She was tailed,” the officer said over speaker. “We followed Vivian Sinclair through Midtown. She entered a crowded bar, exited through a back door, and switched vehicles. We lost visual after that.”“So she just vanished?” I snapped.“Temporarily. But we’re confident she didn’t go far. Whatever she’s planning—it’s close. We’ve got teams sweeping the surrounding areas.”Close.My chest tightened as
Natalie’s POVI stood on the chair, balancing on trembling feet as I pressed the edge of the metal spoon into the rusted screw, twisting, prying, forcing it to move millimeter by millimeter.“Come on… come on,” I whispered under my breath, wrists aching, arms burning. “You’ve got to give me something.”The vent cover groaned softly, metal protesting against metal. I froze, holding my breath, heart slamming against my ribs as I listened for footsteps.The spoon slipped again, but this time I felt it.A tiny shift. A faint creak.I froze, staring at the vent like it had just breathed.“…Did you just move?” I whispered.My fingers tightened around the spoon as I carefully tested it, nudging the edge of the metal panel.It wiggled.“Oh my God,” I breathed. “You’re actually coming loose.”The vent cover sagged slightly on one side, the rusted screw no longer fully holding. A thin line of darkness peeked through the gap, no wider than my finger.I swallowed hard, hands shaking.“Easy… easy…


















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