Chapter 1
The operating room lights dimmed as I glanced at the wall clock—6 PM. Two hours earlier than usual, practically a miracle in our hospital.
"Dr. Elena, you can go home early today," the head nurse smiled at me. "What a rare treat."
I couldn't help but smile back. It really was a treat—our third wedding anniversary.
As I changed out of my scrubs, my phone buzzed with a message from Victoria: "Happy anniversary, darling! Give Alexander a big hug from me! "
Seeing my best friend's blessing warmed my heart even more. Victoria had been my closest friend since medical school, witnessing Alexander and me from our first meeting to falling in love. Sometimes I felt that besides myself, no one understood our relationship better than she did.
On the drive home, I made a detour to that little winery and bought a bottle of the same champagne Alexander and I had shared the night he proposed. The moon had been full that evening when he knelt on our balcony, calling me the most beautiful and kindest woman he'd ever met, saying he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.
In that moment, I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
Three years had passed since then. Though his political career kept him increasingly busy and our time together grew scarce, I knew he loved me. He often said that having me by his side gave him true peace.
Our mansion perched on the hillside like something from a fairy tale. Every time I returned here, I felt a touch of disbelief—did I really deserve this life?
I parked in the garage and tiptoed toward the front door. Tonight, I would surprise him.
The house was quiet except for the steady tick of clocks. Alexander's car was in the garage, meaning he was already home. Probably in his study working—he always said political work was never finished.
I crept toward his study, the champagne bottle cool in my hands. Through the hallway, I could see warm light spilling from under his door. As I approached, I paused to fix my hair, wanting to look perfect for the surprise.
That's when I heard it.
A sound. Soft and brief, like... a moan?
I frowned. Maybe the television? Alexander sometimes kept news channels on as background noise while working.
But the next sound froze my blood.
"Alexander..." A woman's voice, breathless and filled with an intimacy I knew too well.
Impossible. I must have misheard.
My steps became wooden, each one like walking on knife edges. The study door was slightly ajar, leaving a narrow gap.
I peered through that gap.
My world shattered instantly.
Alexander stood with his back to me, shirt hanging open. And there, perched on his mahogany desk, was Victoria.
My best friend.
Her skirt was pushed up around her waist, legs wrapped around my husband's hips. Their bodies pressed together, moving with a practiced rhythm that spoke of countless encounters.
This wasn't the first time. Definitely not.
I wanted to step back, to flee, but my feet seemed rooted to the floor. The champagne bottle slipped from my numb fingers and exploded against the hardwood, the crash thunderous in the silence.
They both turned toward me simultaneously.
I braced myself for panic, guilt, fear—any normal reaction to being caught.
Instead, what did I see?
Annoyance flickered in Alexander's eyes, like someone had interrupted an important meeting. Victoria's lips even curved into a smile—the smile of a victor.
"Elena." Alexander didn't even move away from Victoria, just casually adjusted his tie. "You're home early."
His tone was so calm, so... normal. As if what I'd just witnessed wasn't my husband and best friend making love, but them discussing the weather.
"I..." My voice caught in my throat, unable to form words.
Victoria slid down from the desk, leisurely smoothing her skirt. She walked toward me wearing an expression I'd never seen before—not shame, but something approaching pity.
"Oh, dear Elena." Her voice carried false concern. "You must be so shocked."
"Shocked?" I finally found my voice, though it sounded like it came from far away. "What are you... what are you doing?"
The question sounded ridiculous, but my brain refused to accept the reality before me.
Alexander sighed like he was dealing with a difficult child. "Elena, perhaps it's time you learned the truth."
"The truth?"
"Our marriage..." He paused, buttoning his shirt. "It was never what you thought it was."
The room began to spin. I reached for the doorframe, struggling to stay upright.
"What do you mean?"
Victoria moved to Alexander's side, boldly taking his arm. The gesture was so natural it revealed they'd done this countless times before.
"What he means, darling," her voice carried cruel tenderness, "is that you've always been just a stand-in."
I felt like I was suffocating.
Alexander looked at me without a trace of the warmth I'd once known. "Did you think I married you for love? Elena, you're so naive. I needed the perfect political partner—well-educated, respectable career, someone who knew when to appear at my side and when to disappear. You played that role perfectly."
Each word was a knife to my heart.
"Three years..." I whispered. "Three years, I thought..."
"Thought what? That we were happy?" Victoria laughed, the sound like shattering glass. "Oh, Elena, did you really think Alexander could love someone like you? A female doctor who always puts work first and can't even apply makeup properly?"
I stepped backward, glass shards piercing through my shoe soles, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in my chest.
"We..." I looked at Alexander one last time, seeking final confirmation. "Our marriage really means nothing?"
His answer destroyed my last hope: "It was a transaction, Elena. You gave me the image I needed, I gave you my name and this house. Isn't that enough?"
No. It would never be enough.
Because I loved him. Truly loved him. And he'd treated my love like a clause in a business contract.
I turned to leave, but Alexander's voice stopped me: "Elena, I hope you understand that if you try to do something foolish—like going to the media or filing for divorce—I'll make sure you lose everything. Your medical license, your reputation, your future. Trust me, I have that power."
A threat. After discovering his betrayal, he was threatening me.
I didn't turn around or respond. I simply walked out of that room, out of that house built on lies.
In our bedroom, I sat on the bed's edge, staring at our wedding photo on the wall. The woman in that picture smiled with such joy, such hope.
That woman was dead.
In her place, a new Elena was being born. An Elena they knew nothing about.
They thought this night marked my ending.
They were wrong.
This was the beginning of their nightmare.