Only the Second Best
I was born just one minute after Tiara, but the world treated that one minute as if it lasted a lifetime.
She was the star. I was the shadow.
She was flawless. I was the afterthought.
She was loved. I was forgotten.
Even by Reagan de Russo, heir to the wealthiest family in the country and the man I had secretly loved for the past ten years.
But to him, there was only Tiara.
And when he proposed to her, I knew my quiet little dream had finally died.
Until that day came.
The day Tiara left him at the altar.
The day the world stopped turning for just a second.
The day the man who had never even glanced my way, turned to me and asked me to take her place.
I knew what I was.
An escape. A damage control. A backup plan.
But my mother was dying. My family was drowning in debt.
And I... I was too tired of being strong.
So I said yes.
We married. Without love. Without a future.
Just a one-year contract and a life of make-believe in front of flashing cameras and watching eyes.
But the longer I stayed by his side, the harder it became to tell what was real and what was just part of the performance.
Because for the first time... Reagan saw me.
But can love truly grow from the ruins of lies, old wounds, and the shadow of a woman who’s always been his first choice?
Or will I always be… only the second best?