Chapter 2

[She's not you. But I can pretend she's you when I close my eyes. Forgive me. Adrian Wright,] the letter read.

It was dated May 20, 2014.

I stared at the date. It was our wedding day.

I smiled. It turns out that he had kept her memory alive for the past ten years. I had been a stand-in from the very start.

I put the box back where I found it.

I didn't cry or throw a tantrum. I just sat in the study from the afternoon until it got dark.

Ten years of marriage, and in the end, I was nothing but a joke.

"Honey?" Adrian's voice came from the doorway. "Why are you lost in thought?"

I glanced up at Adrian, my mind still spinning.

He was standing in the doorway, all dressed up in a suit, holding some flowers.

"It's our anniversary today," he said, "I booked us a table at a restaurant."

I stared at the bouquet in his hands. They were white lilies.

I remembered him telling me he liked lilies. I always thought he liked lilies. Now I finally understood that he liked them because Maya did.

"Sure," I said, standing up. "I'll get changed."

I put on the white dress and let my long hair down. Then, I walked up to him.

He looked at me with a gentle look in his eyes. "You look beautiful."

I smiled. I didn't ask whether he meant her or me. I didn't want to know the answer anymore.

I ate quietly, calm and collected.

Adrian talked the whole time. He went on about work, his latest projects, and his business trip to Montenia next month.

I listened, nodded, and gave the usual responses, just like I had been for the past ten years.

He did not realize that my heart was already numb.

"Honey," Adrian suddenly asked, "have you been troubled by something lately?"

"No," I replied.

"Then why are you so quiet?" he pressed.

I looked at him. There was just a hint of concern in his eyes, but it was barely there.

That's how Adrian treated me for ten years. Neither hot nor cold, neither good nor bad.

He made sure I had a house, a car, and a credit card.

The housekeeper took care of everything, and the driver was always ready to take me anywhere I wanted.

People always envied Mrs. Wright's life, but I was the only one who knew that his heart had always belonged to someone else.

"Adrian," I said, setting down my fork.

"What is it?" he replied.

"Do you love me?" I asked.

He paused, caught off guard. "Why are you asking that?"

"Just tell me. Do you love me?" I pressed.

He was silent for a few seconds.

"I married you," he finally said.

I smiled. He never said he loved me. All he said was that he married me. That was all I needed to know.

That night, he was talking in his sleep again.

"Maya, don't go..." he mumbled.

I lay there with my eyes open, listening to him mumble in his sleep.

Ten years. Three thousand six hundred and fifty nights. Not once, in all those nights, was I ever the one he dreamed of.

I got out of bed quietly. Then, I picked up my phone and stepped out onto the balcony.

I opened WhatsApp and looked up the contact of my college friend, Talia Leeds.

"Talia, does your husband's firm have any good divorce lawyers?" I asked.

"Is something wrong?" Talia replied.

"Can you get me in touch with one?" I said.

"Wait, you and Adrian..." Talia asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

I hummed in affirmation.

"Did he cheat on you?" Talia asked.

I thought for a moment before I said, "Not exactly. He just never loved me."

Talia didn't say anything else.

The next day, she sent me a business card.

[Peter Hanks. He specializes in divorce cases, and everyone says he's the best in the business,] her message read.

I saved the number, but I didn't call right away because I still needed proof.

After ten years of being nothing but a stand-in, I was determined to make sure Adrian faced the consequences for what he'd done to me.

Not out of revenge. It was just so I could walk away with my head held high.

Adrian left for a business trip in Montenia. He'd be gone for two weeks.

These two weeks were the perfect time for me to start collecting proof.

I started with Adrian's office.

I left that box alone. I was searching for something else. Bank statements, property deeds, company shares, and anything that connected him to Maya.

Adrian was super cautious. His phone was glued to him, and he switched up his password every month.

But one thing about him was that he backed up all his important files in the home safe.

I knew the code. It was the date of our wedding anniversary, 520514.

I opened the safe. Inside, there were property deeds, bank account books, and share certificates.

There was also a folder. Inside that folder were years' worth of bank transfers Adrian made to Maya.

In 2015, it was seven thousand dollars. In 2016, 20 thousand dollars, and in 2017, 40 thousand dollars.

Every single year, the amount went up. By 2023, he was sending her 200 thousand dollars.

In nine years, he had sent her a total of 997 thousand dollars, with the remark "living expenses".

I stared at those records. My hands shook a little.