Chapter 1

Five years ago, Selin married Noah Miller, the heir to a vast tycoon empire. It was an arrangement born of duty, orchestrated by Noah’s grandmother and Selin’s mother, who had served the Miller family as a maid for decades.

Tonight marked their fifth anniversary. Selin sat alone in the restaurant of the Vista Hotel, the very place Noah had promised to meet her.

The table was spread with his favorite dishes, untouched and growing cold. Though the marriage had been forced upon her, Selin had honored her vows with quiet grace.

She was the perfect, obedient wife—managing the household single-handedly and enduring his coldness with a stoic heart. Over the years, her duty had blossomed into a secret, fragile love. She lived by the mantra that love is patient, hoping that one day, his icy exterior would finally thaw.

By 10:00 PM, a violent thunderstorm raged outside, lightning flashing against the floor-to-ceiling windows. Selin clutched her phone, praying for a single message.

A heavy sigh escaped her as hope began to wither.

Every year was the same Noah would stand her up, and instead of a gift, he would present her with divorce papers the following morning. She only refused to sign them for the sake of his grandmother, the woman who had given her family everything.

Suddenly, she spotted Noah entering the lobby. A tentative smile touched her lips—until she saw the woman clinging to his arm. Selin instinctively recoiled, hiding behind a massive marble pillar. This year, there were no divorce papers. There was only another woman.

“Noah, I want cake,” the woman cooed, leaning into him.

“Anything for you, Rach,” Noah replied, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

The words felt like a physical blow. Selin clutched her chest, her heart tightening painfully. It’s a misunderstanding, she whispered to herself, blinking back tears. Noah wouldn't cheat. He promised. Steeling her nerves, she stepped out from behind the pillar.

“Noah,” she said, her voice trembling.

He stopped, his eyes turning stone-cold the moment they landed on her.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s... our anni—”

The woman interrupted, eyeing Selin with disdain.

“Noah, who is this girl?”

Noah didn’t even blink. “Just a random girl. She looks lost, probably looking for the restroom.”

Selin’s breath hitched.

“A random girl? Noah, I’m—”

“Stop,” he cut her off, his tone freezing.

“The restrooms are straight ahead and to the right. You can’t miss the sign.”

Without another word, he steered the woman—Rach—toward the dining area, leaving Selin standing in the wake of his indifference.

From the shadows, Selin watched them through the glass partition. She watched Noah smile—a genuine, warm smile she had never received—as he fed the woman a piece of cake from his own spoon.

It was a knife to the heart. Noah was a germaphob at home, he insisted on his own separate sets of cutlery and plates. He never shared anything with her.

A memory from a month ago flashed through her mind—the night Noah had come home stumbling drunk and forced himself into her room. She had fought him, but he was too strong. As he pinned her down, he whispered that name into her ear, Rach.

She had tried to bury that memory to save her marriage and please his grandmother. But looking at them now, the truth was no longer a secret she could hide from.

Her phone vibrated against the table; it was Noah.

"Noah? Who was that girl?" Selin asked, her voice trembling.

"Just go home. I can't drive you," he replied curtly before the line went dead.

Selin stepped out of the hotel into the biting cold.

Rain lashed down, soaking her clothes within seconds. As she waited for a cab, shivering violently, she saw them.

Noah was walking toward his car, holding an umbrella over Rach to shield her from a single drop of rain.

The sight was a jagged blade to Selin’s heart; he cared more for this woman’s comfort than his own wife’s safety.

Rach glanced over, pausing as they reached the curb.

"Oh, are you the lost girl from earlier?" she mocked, a smug smile playing on her lips.

"You know, my Noah is such a gentleman. You should really find a man of your own."

Selin remained silent.

Usually, she would have been vocal, perhaps even panicked by the sight of another woman touching her husband.

But tonight, the fire in her had been replaced by a hollow, deafening silence. She simply nodded.

Noah frowned, watching her. What’s wrong with her? he wondered.

Her lack of a reaction unsettled him.

He expected a scene, a lecture, or tears—not this empty stare.

Is this a new trick to get my attention? he told himself, hardening his heart.

"Let’s go, Rach," Noah said, sliding his arm around Rach’s shoulder.

He leaned forward to open the car door for her with a grace he never showed Selin. He drove away, leaving his wife standing alone on the dark, flooded street.

Is this the curse of an arranged marriage? Selin wondered, her tears lost in the rain. What do I lack?

Her mind drifted to Fabi, her childhood sweetheart from the orphanage.

Five years ago, he had promised to marry her before vanishing without a trace.

How would my life be if I had chosen him? If I hadn't married a man who treats me like trash just to please my mother? She realized then that love was not something she could simply study or master through obedience.

If a man wants someone else, a wife is as easily replaced as a broken trinket.

The next morning, Selin fell back into her robotic routine.

She prepared Noah’s breakfast and laid out his suit, though her movements were heavy.

"Selin, didn't you clean my room?" Noah barked from the hallway.

Selin didn't look up.

"Noah, you told me years ago I wasn't allowed in your room. Why would I clean it now?"

Noah froze. She had never talked back to him before. He watched her from the doorway, suspicious of her change in tone, but eventually walked past her to the dining area.

He wasn't alone for long; his mother, Alicia, and his sister, Anna, arrived for a surprise visit.

"Selin, go make us coffee and prepare some food," Anna commanded, not even offering a greeting.

For five years, Selin had been their servant. As she stood in the kitchen, the steam from the kettle rising around her, their voices drifted in from the dining room.

"Son, is Rach home for good?" Alicia asked eagerly.

"Oh my god, Brother! Does this mean you’ll finally marry her?" Anna squealed.

"You need to divorce Selin immediately. I can’t wait to have Rach as a sister-in-law."

"Mom, it’s not that easy," Noah sighed.

"Grandmother would have a heart attack."

Selin’s heart hammered against her ribs. So Rach was his first love?

"Noah, we all know you only married Selin because her mother donated that kidney to your grandmother," Alicia said, her voice dripping with disdain.

"She was just a temporary replacement for Rach. A debt paid. That’s all."

The truth settled in Selin’s gut like lead. Her mother had sacrificed a part of her body to save Mrs. Miller, and in return, she had requested this marriage to ensure Selin would be taken care of after her death. It wasn't a union, it was a transaction.

Later that day, feeling a lingering dizziness, Selin visited St. Raphael’s Hospital.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Miller," the doctor said, handing her a file.

"You’re three weeks pregnant."

Selin’s hand flew to her stomach.

"Three weeks? But I’m already feeling so... emotional and dizzy."

"Every pregnancy is different," the doctor smiled.

"Some women experience symptoms very early."

A flicker of hope ignited in Selin’s chest.

A baby.

An heir.

Surely, this would change things? Surely Noah would finally see her as more than a random girl?

She stayed up until 1:00 AM, waiting for him with a special dinner prepared.

When her phone finally rang, she answered instantly.

"Noah? Are you coming home?"

"No, I'm still in a meeting," he snapped.

In the background, a feminine voice giggled.

"Noah, how does this lingerie look? Does it suit me?"

Selin’s blood ran cold. It was Rach.

"Noah... is that Rach? Are you with her right now?"

"It’s none of your business," Noah said, his voice ice-cold.

"Remember the rules, Selin. We don’t interfere in each other's lives. You have yours, and I have mine."

He hung up.

Selin sat in the dark, silent house. She had no family to run to, no father to protect her, and a heart that was being shattered daily. She looked down at her stomach. She couldn't leave—she had nowhere to go. She would stay for the child, even if it meant living in a house where she was a ghost.