Chapter 3

Back then, I was working at a small café, wearing an apron so faded it was almost white.

Leon pushed the door open and walked in, his assistant following close behind. He stood at the counter, silent and unmoving.

"Nina?" Leon said my name, like he was reading it off a checklist. "Will you marry me?"

I honestly thought he'd wandered into the wrong story.

But then he handed me a contract: a one-year marriage, to make his grandmother happy. When the time was up, we'd part ways quietly.

The payout was more than enough to wipe out my parents' debts and cover my brother's school fees.

I stared at the numbers on the contract and asked, "Why me?"

He looked at me, his gaze pausing on the tiny mole at the corner of my right eye. "You remind me of someone."

Back then, I was naive enough to believe that looking alike meant destiny. But later, I learned that looking alike meant being a replacement.

During our first year together, Leon kept his distance, never harsh, cold. I looked after his grandmother and tagged along to glitzy parties.

I tried to fit in, learning to carry myself, speak, and smile like one of the elite. It felt like I was wearing a temp pass around my neck, always one step away from being shown the door.

The second year, his company ran into money trouble. I sold the little house my foster parents left me, threw in all my savings, and borrowed from friends.

When I handed him the bank slip, he didn't look at it. "You didn't have to do this," he said.

I smiled. "I'm your wife, after all."

He looked up at me then, and for a split second, something complicated flickered in his eyes, but it was gone so fast, as if it had never been there at all.

In the third year, Susan returned home.

She stood at the gate of the Stone family's old mansion, dressed in a white trench coat, her eyes red.

Leon's mother held her hand and cried. His grandmother sighed, leaning on her cane. Leon stood on the steps, so shaken he could barely breathe.

And me? I was off to the side, like a forgotten backdrop no one cared about.

That night, for the first time, Leon let himself go in front of me.

He was drunk, wrapped his arms around me, and murmured softly, "Susan..."

I stiffened in his embrace, and could almost hear my heart breaking, bit by bit.

That was when it hit me. I wasn't his wife. I was the pain relief he used to numb his longing for her.

*****

The next morning, I came downstairs and spotted Maya at the dining table, taking her time with a plate of oatmeal.

She looked up and gave me a soft smile. "Did you sleep well, Nina? The Grant family's got a ton of rules. Don't worry, and you'll get used to it."

I grabbed my milk and kept quiet.

Richard sat at the head of the table and glanced up at her. "Maya, you're going to the office today. No more drama."

Maya's face changed for a second, but she quickly put on a smile. "Dad, why would I make a fuss? I'm worried Nina isn't used to all this. Her old life—"

"Her old life raised her fine," Richard cut her off. "Don't use that tone with her."

Maya bit her lip and dropped her gaze, saying nothing. I felt like everything was absurd.

With the Stone family, I was always treated like I didn't matter. Back with the Grant family, it was like I'd been shoved right into the spotlight.

Before I could shake off the sour ache in my heart, hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.

The butler burst in. "Mr. Grant, Mr. Stone is at the door."

I looked up.

Richard's face darkened, and as he was about to speak, a strained, urgent voice came from outside. "Nina."

I walked to the door and saw Leon standing out in the rain. Last night's storm had paused for a while, but at that moment the rain was coming down in thin sheets, soaking his hair and lashes.

He didn't have an umbrella. It looked like he'd rushed straight here.

He stared at me, eyes bloodshot, voice rough. "Why didn't you tell me? You're the Grant family's..."

I leaned against the doorframe, my voice cool. "Tell you what? That I actually have a bigger family behind me, so you didn't really get the short end of the stick when you left me?"

His Adam's apple bobbed. "That's not what I meant."

"So, what do you want, Leon?" I laughed. "Are you here to beg for a second chance? Or to check if your substitute bride turned out to be worth more than you bargained for."

His face went pale, like I'd stabbed him right in the heart.

"Nina," he said, stepping closer, rain dripping from his chin. "I'm sorry."

Those words from Leon were like a miracle. It was so rare that it felt unreal.

But there was no thrill, a weariness that had been waiting forever.

"Leon," I said quietly, "are you apologizing because I'm now the Grant family's precious daughter, or because you finally realized you let someone slip through your fingers?"

He stayed silent for ages. Rain splattered against his face.

The security lights at the Grant family's gate kept flickering, lighting up the whole scene for everyone to see.

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with stubbornness, almost desperate. "I lost you. Not the Grant family's heiress, but you, Nina."

My heart clenched suddenly.

But before I could react, Maya's voice floated out from inside, dripping with exaggerated surprise. "Wow, Mr. Stone, why are you here?

"Nina, don't let him fool you. You got back, and he's already performing. He's really scheming, isn't he?"

Leon's fingers tightened slightly, and he looked up, eyes searching inside the house.

Richard stood behind me, his voice cold as steel. "Mr. Stone, please leave. Nina is a Grant now. She doesn't need you here."

Leon clenched his jaw, rain streaming down his shoulders. "Mr. Grant, I'll make everything clear. I won't let her go."

With that, he turned and walked away.

As the rain poured down, I watched him walk away, and suddenly remembered that cold fluorescent light in the family court.

It turned out that hitting rock bottom was when one finally realized what one'd really lost.