Lahat ng Kabanata ng Fake Death of the Stand-In Ex-Wife : Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

ValeriaThe Hayes mansion was always cold in the morning. Even in August, when the summer sun was supposed to warm the heavy velvet curtains and the polished marble floors, the heat never reached the inside of these walls.I woke up at six, just like I did every day. The left side of the mattress was already cold and smooth. Tobias was gone.I laid there for a moment, listening to the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway. Today was August 12th. Four years ago today, I wore a white dress and walked down an aisle toward a man who barely smiled when he placed a diamond ring on my finger. Four years. A wood anniversary, people called it.I sat up and pulled the silk robe over my shoulders. I told myself I should be used to this by now. Tobias was a busy man. He ran Hayes Enterprises, a company that bought and sold things worth more money than I could ever comprehend. He worked sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. It was normal for him to leave before sunrise. That was what I

ValeriaThe high-society charity luncheon at the Grand Carlton was as dazzling as it was exhausting. Crystal chandeliers hung from the decorated ceiling, throwing sparkling light over silver ice buckets and arrangements of white roses.I stood near the tall archway leading to the balcony, holding a glass of sparkling water I hadn't touched. I wore a simple cream silk dress, perfectly tailored, but I felt as invisible as glass."Look at her standing alone over there," a sharp, quiet voice whispered from the other side of the silk curtain behind me.I froze."It really is tragic," another woman replied, her voice dripping with fake pity. "Four years, and she still looks like a lost puppy. She's just Serena’s replacement with a wedding ring.""I heard Tobias barely stays in the same room with her," the first voice chimed in, followed by a soft giggle. "Honestly, my husband told me Tobias probably closes his eyes whenever he kisses her, just so he can pretend it's Serena."The words hit m

Valeria I spent the night in the east wing guest room, lying awake in a strange bed that smelled faintly of lemon polish and unused sheets. It was the first time in four long years that I had deliberately put a wall between Tobias and myself. For four years, I had made it a point to sleep beside him every night, even when his back was turned to me, even when the silence between us was so heavy it made my chest ache. Sleeping alone felt like taking the first step off a cliff.When the morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains, I dressed slowly in a dark blue cotton dress and walked downstairs. My heart hammered against my ribs with every step I took down the grand staircase. Part of me—the foolish, desperate part—expected Tobias to be waiting at the bottom of the stairs. I expected a confrontation, a demand to know what I meant by leaving my wedding ring on the dining table, or perhaps even a rare glimpse of anger.Instead, the house was completely empty."Mr. Hayes left for the

ValeriaThe frosted glass door clicked shut as Tobias stepped into the hallway, his phone already pressed to his ear. I could hear the muted, sharp tone of his voice through the glass—a sudden crisis with an overseas acquisition that couldn't wait, not even for a hospital visit.Dr. Vance turned his tablet around, placing his hands calmly on his knees. "Mrs. Hayes, your routine blood panel flagged a significant hormone elevation. We ran a quick confirmation test while you were resting."He paused, offering a gentle smile. "You are pregnant. Approximately five weeks."The room seemed to lose all sound. The faint hum of the heart monitor, the distant rumble of city traffic outside—everything dropped into an absolute, ringing silence."Pregnant?" The word left my lips as a fragile whisper."Yes," Dr. Vance said, his voice warm. "Your low blood pressure and sudden faint were direct reactions to the early hormonal shift, amplified by your recent fatigue and lack of nutrition. Your body is

ValeriaThe sterile smell of the clinic hit me the moment the heavy glass doors glided shut behind us, cutting off the humid roar of the city traffic. I pulled my dark sunglasses down over my eyes and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, my heart pounding a steady, terrified rhythm against my ribs."Stop fidgeting, Val," Maya whispered, squeezing my elbow gently as we walked toward the reception desk. "You look like a fugitive. Nobody here cares that you're Mrs. Tobias Hayes. You're just a patient.""I have to be careful, Maya," I murmured, keeping my voice low. "If Eleanor's spies see me entering an private ob-gyn clinic downtown, Tobias will know before I even make it back to the car.""He won't know," Maya promised, her hand warm and solid on my back. "Because you're with me, and we parked three blocks away in a public garage."Twenty minutes later, I was lying on a crisp paper sheet in a dimly lit examination room. The room was cool, and the gel the doctor squeezed onto my lower