Chapter 1

Emma Payne left the courthouse like a wreck. She was totally out of it and barely able to walk straight.

She held it together until she got into the taxi that pulled up for her. Then, the tears she had been fighting back finally started falling.

Four years ago, she married Wesley Coleman in Sandra Payne's place after Sandra backed out of the wedding to save their families from disgrace.

Wesley gave Emma the cold shoulder at the start. But she never complained and took care of him.

Eventually, he warmed up to her after all the time spent together. He even started putting up with her throwing off his plans.

He would listen to her lame jokes without interrupting. He even trusted her enough to handle the confidential documents.

Later on, he treated her more and more kindly. He got her an unlimited credit card and took her to many famous restaurants.

Even if she got a craving for peanut butter cookies from the north side in the middle of the night, he would drive halfway across the city to get them for her.

He even pinched her cheek and said dotingly, "You're such a foodie. I've never seen anyone as obsessed with snacks as you."

Emma believed she had finally won Wesley over. But that all came crashing down two months ago when Sandra came back, sick with cancer.

Adam Payne, Emma's dad, gathered everyone for a family meeting that night.

Looking her dead in the eye, he announced, "Sandra's cancer is at the end stage. The doctors say she has less than half a year left.

"Her biggest regret is not marrying Wesley. We need you to just disappear for a while. When the wedding is done and she isn't around anymore, he will still be yours."

Jamie Valentine, Emma's stepmom, pleaded, "Sandra is your sister. Can't you just give in for her?"

Sandra bawled her eyes out. "This is my last wish. Please let me have it."

Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing. Tears welled up in her eyes as she confronted them, her voice shaking with hurt. "Back then, you treated me like a pawn to take her place, and now you want him to marry her. You can't be serious. I won't accept this."

Adam dismissed everything Emma said and grounded her. She wasn't going anywhere until she said yes.

Three days later, she heard that Wesley had lost it in front of Adam. He was so mad that he threw a cup.

On the 13th day, a headline popped up on her phone. Wesley had publicly declared, "Emma is the one and only Mrs. Coleman."

He took it further on day 28. He suspended all business deals with the Payne family to force them to give Emma back.

She spent an entire month locked in her room before someone finally came to open the door.

Thinking about everything Wesley had done for her, Emma burst into tears. She didn't bother wearing her shoes as she threw herself into his embrace.

But the next second, his voice cracked as he spoke. "Forgive me, Em. Mr. and Mrs. Payne were stubborn about it. They even got down on their knees and begged me.

"For the sake of the bond between our families, I had to go along with this charade for Sandra. It's just a fake marriage to get through this. In my heart, you're my only wife."

At that moment, her stomach sank, and her chest tightened. She could barely catch her breath from the pain.

Emma froze for a second, then softly brushed Wesley's hollow cheek. She felt a pang for him as tears rolled down her face. "You did your best."

Later, she watched him slip the diamond ring onto Sandra's finger in front of everyone at the grand wedding. After all that, he still treated her just as well as he always had.

But he gradually started spending more and more time with Sandra. He went from dropping by now and then to not even coming home for several nights in a row.

When she got upset with him, he patiently explained, "My heart isn't with Sandra. I just want to be there for her as a friend until the end."

Emma trusted Wesley's explanation. She never expected reality to hit her like a slap in the face.

…

The taxi came to a stop in front of Coleman Tower. Emma pulled herself together, clutching the fake marriage certificate in her hands.

Emma ran into Casey Paulson, Wesley's secretary, as soon as she got off the elevator. She looked a little tense when she saw Emma. "What brings you here, Mrs. Coleman?"

Emma responded, "I need to talk to Wesley."

Casey said, "Mr. Coleman is in a meeting right now. He's not available."

Emma brushed past the secretary and hurried to the office door. Just as she was about to push it open, she heard Sandra's voice inside. "Look me in the eye and answer me, Wesley."

Sandra pulled Wesley close by his tie, pressing her other hand on his chest. "Admit it. You've never gotten over me."

His throat tightened. Her touch felt like it was burning through his shirt as he drew in a sharp breath. Even so, his tone was dismissive. "Don't flatter yourself."

She giggled. "Are you sure? We both know you pretended to settle for Emma because I was gone. Why else would you marry me so fast after I come back?

"What about all those things you wrote in your diary? You said the only reason you agreed to marry Emma was to force me to come back—"

Sandra was mid-sentence when Wesley suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and silenced her with a fierce, demanding kiss.

His gaze was burning as he bit out each word. "You're right. I never got over you. So how are you going to make this up to me, Sandra?"

Emma stood frozen outside the door, feeling a chill that went straight to her bones. Her body went numb, and she couldn't feel anything.

The memory flooded back. Wesley held her close, kissing her hair and whispering, "Sandra is the past, Emma. You're the only one I care about now."

Everything was so laughable. His devotion was just a bunch of empty lies, and their marriage had never been real.

She slowly closed her eyes, fighting hard to hold back her tears.

Since he had made his decision, she would step aside and free him to be with the woman he really loved.