Chapter 1

Grace Winston was the aloof, imposter heiress, an "ice queen" everyone adored but could never touch.

When the Hawthorne family demanded she marry Matthew, the "maniac" crown prince whose reputation was so blackened that people avoided him like the plague, my mother pleaded in the living room with tear-filled eyes, "Grace is so frail and introverted.

"Besides, she isn't even my own flesh and blood; she's hardly a match for Matthew. But my biological daughter is a different story.

"Since we found her, she's been learning the ropes of the business. She's sharp and dependable. It's better to let her marry him. She'll definitely be able to help Matthew out in the future."

And so, I, the real daughter, was sent to take the place for the fake one, marrying the man everyone feared.

Back then, the Hawthornes were hanging by a thread, surrounded by enemies. My mother would rather send me straight into the storm than let her precious "ice queen" take even the slightest risk.

After the wedding, I stood by Matthew through thick and thin, navigating the cutthroat world of corporate warfare. I cleared his path and helped him transform from a "madman" everyone loathed into a tycoon who held the world in his hands.

I thought I had finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel.

I never imagined that once Matthew reached the pinnacle of success, he would fall head over heels at a party for the fake heiress, who was now a single mother.

While I was carrying his child, I had to watch him shower the woman who stole my life with tenderness and money. Everyone praised them as a match made in heaven, the "ice queen" and her devoted protector.

When I confronted Grace, she looked down her nose at me. "Matthew and I are soulmates. Cece, where is your sense of grace? Don't be so petty."

Eventually, Matthew asked for a divorce for her sake.

I accepted it without a word.

Since everyone believed they were the perfect match, I wanted to see for myself that without me, the wife who went through hell and back to support him for five years, could his empire remain as solid as a rock?

And could Grace keep living her respectable life?

*****

Inside the study of Hawthorne Manor, I looked at the two people snuggled together on the sofa across from me.

Matthew had his arm around Grace, their intimacy cutting like a knife.

Grace was dressed in the latest off-white Chanel suit, her makeup so flawless that every single eyelash looked meticulously placed.

She kept her eyes cast down, a faint, fleeting smile playing on her lips. That cold, "lofty" vibe of hers made it seem like she was the only noble protagonist in this entire drama.

When Matthew looked at her, his eyes held a tenderness I had never seen before.

Five years had passed. In our five years of marriage, I had never witnessed such a look in his eyes.

The air in the room was so thick it was hard to breathe. I knew there was no running away today. He wanted a divorce, and it was all for Grace.

"Celia." Matthew finally spoke, his tone still carrying that rebellious edge but laced with a self-important kind of "devotion." "Let's get a divorce."

He paused, tightening his grip around Grace. "I've fallen in love with Grace. We are soulmates."

At just the right moment, Grace lifted her eyes, her expertly lined eyes brimming with innocence and vulnerability.

She bit her lower lip softly, her voice dripping with sweetness. "Cece, I'm so sorry... I know this is sudden. But when it comes to feelings, you just can't help who you love."

I looked at her face. This was a face I had known for 20 years.

From the day I was brought back to the Winston family at 16, I knew that in Evelyn's heart, I would never measure up to the "fake" daughter she had raised for 16 years.

Grace was delicate. Grace was reserved. Grace wasn't her biological child, so Evelyn couldn't bear to see her suffer even the slightest injustice.

That was why five years ago, when the Hawthorne family demanded Grace marry Matthew, the "maniac" heir with a reputation so foul everyone steered clear of him, Evelyn had pleaded with them in the living room, her eyes red from crying.

"Gracie is too frail and introverted. How could she possibly be a match for Matthew? But my own daughter is a different story.

"Since Celia came back to us, she's been learning the ropes of the business. She's sharp and tough as nails. Why not let her marry him instead? I'm sure she'll be a huge help to Matthew in the future."

So, I became the "smart and tough" stand-in and married into the crumbling Hawthorne family.

I stood by Matthew as we navigated the brutal world of business, helping him clear one obstacle after another. I transformed him from a social pariah into the undisputed king of the Hawthorne empire.

I thought I had finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel. I thought five years of thick and thin meant something.

But I never expected that after he made it big, he would fall head over heels for Grace, now a single mother, at last month's charity gala.

At that moment, I was three months pregnant with his child. I hadn't even had the chance to tell him yet.

My heart felt like it was being sliced open slowly with a dull knife, the pain causing my fingertips to tingle. Yet, my face showed no emotion. After five years, I had long learned to bury my feelings deep within.

"Soulmates?" I heard my own voice. It was terrifyingly calm. "Matthew, we've been married for five years. I'm pregnant with your child. And this is how you treat me?"

Matthew frowned. He looked as if I had brought up a major buzzkill.

Grace gently tugged at his sleeve, her tone softening even more. "Matthew, don't pressure Cece. It's just... we happened so fast; she's probably in shock. But you can't force matters of the heart."

I looked at her "holier-than-thou" expression and suddenly felt like laughing. "Fine, let's get a divorce."

I pulled the paperwork I'd already prepared from my bag and slid it across the coffee table. "Legally, we split everything down the middle.

"Thirty percent of Hawthorne Holdings, half of Hawthorne Manor, thirteen properties, six cars, and 160 million in liquid assets. I want my half."