The CEO's Secret Wife

Chapter 1 The Return

I looked at the time again and sighed.
An hour and a half had passed since I arrived, and I didn't know how many times I had checked my watch. My husband, Franco River, didn't appear. He was supposed to pick me up at the airport. But he must be with his girlfriend right now. I shook my head and smiled bitterly at the thought, stood up, and dragged myself and luggage out of the airport.
I married Franco three years ago. But shortly after our wedding, I received an offer from my dream university abroad, so I went to study there. In the three years I was studying, he never contacted me, let alone saw each other, and he would only spend his time with that woman.
I waited him for three years, but he didn't show any love for me, and now that I'm back, it's time to over everything.
On the way home in a taxi, I sent Franco a message that said:
"We need to talk."
Soon, I was standing inside our empty house. I left my luggage aside and headed to the living room. I sat down on the couch and waited. The house looked and smelled as if no one had lived in it for years. The photo of our wedding was still hanging on the wall. It offended and saddened me at the same time.
I checked my phone again. Franco still hadn't responded. I guessed maybe he wouldn't be home tonight.
But I sat there for a long time, lost in my thoughts. Then, I heard a car stop outside. I stood up from my seat, feeling my heart racing. Did I still expect something from my stone-hearted husband? Maybe. Maybe not. But at the last moment, I gritted my teeth and clasped my trembling hands together. I reminded myself, 'I'm here to end everything with him.'
The doorknob turned, and the door opened. Franco switched on the lights, casting a tall shadow of himself down the hallway. He entered. He was dressed in a charcoal black suit and an immaculate white shirt. His expression showed weariness, but he did nothing to overshadow his handsome face. Everything remained the same. He still exuded that icy aura that I could feel from a few meters away.
As he approached, my heart beat faster, and my breath started coming in short bursts. I couldn't believe I had forgotten how handsome he was. He was like a god who didn't belong in the mortal world. He had the kind of charm that made people surrender. Time had turned him into a more mature and striking-looking man.
"You're back," his icy voice pulled me back to reality.
"It seems so," I replied, pretending to be calm.
"My lawyer just emailed you," as Franco spoke, he loosened his tie. His muscular chest peeked through his shirt.
"Alright, let me check," I swallowed and schooled my features into neutrality.
I took out my phone and opened my email, and the subject line of the latest email in my inbox jumped right at me: "Divorce Agreement." Though I was expecting it, it still felt like someone stabbed me in the chest. The pain was swift and startling, and the only reason I was grateful was because it momentarily blinded me from Franco's charm.
"Everything's fine. I'll sign it," I put away my phone and looked back at my soon-to-be ex-husband. Soon, he wouldn't belong to me anymore. I had a good run pretending to be Mrs. River. But it had to come to an end now, and I had to kick Mr. River out of my world.
"Don't you want to read the agreement first?"
"There's no need. I'm sure Mr. River will treat his ex-wife well." I forced a smile. Ex-wife. I was going to be his ex-wife very soon, but I wasn't sure I agreed with such a direct term.
"You'll get the house on Gardner Street. And the apartment downtown..."
"When?" I interrupted Franco.
"What?" He frowned and looked at me with inquisitive eyes.
"When are we going to sign the papers?" I asked softly.
"I'll make an appointment with my lawyer" Franco replied, slightly lowering his chin.
"Alright. I'll wait for your call"
After a moment of silence, he looked at me again.
"Sophia isn't in good health. I just want to fulfill her last wish." he explained.
"I understand, actually you don't have to tell me about this," I simply nodded, repressed my anger, to avoid out of control to question him, why do I have to become a victim between you and the woman? Well, I supposed I didn't have the right to be hurt there. After all, I am just a fake Mrs. River.
"Come see Sophia tomorrow." Franco stood up and walked over to me.
He said his last sentence firmly. He wasn't asking me to come see his girlfriend. He was ordering me. What did he think of me? And why should I go meet that woman? Did he just want to rub salt in my wound?
"And why would I do that?" I asked him with a serious face.
"I don't want her to feel guilty about our divorce. Tell her you're in love with someone else. Assure her that our decision to end our marriage has nothing to do with her." He stopped in front of me and looked into my eyes once again.
I wanted to refuse. But for some reason, it had always been difficult for me to say no to him. All he had to do was look into my eyes and ask, and I would surrender without a fight.
"Okay." I said to him.
Franco took one last look at me and walked away.
I watched his figure fade away as tears welled up in my eyes.
We had been hiding our marriage for the past three years. No one knew about it except our family and close friends.
A few months ago, the media broke the news of Franco and Sophia's engagement. Photos of Sophia trying on wedding dresses were also published and circulated on the internet. What a perfect match!
I took a deep breath, but for a long time I could not calm the emotional bomb brought by Franco in the short time. I stood up to go to the balcony to breathe some fresh air. To my surprise, I found Franco's car still parked in the driveway. Why was he still here?
Shouldn't he be running back to his beloved Sophia?
As I stared at his car, my phone rang. It was my best friend, Tiana. I answered her call.
"Hello, Tiana!"
"Bitch! Welcome back!"
"Thank you."
"I'm still on a business trip. I'm so sorry I couldn't pick you up at the airport today."
"It's okay. Work comes first."
"Are you back for stay forever or are you going to leave again at the first opportunity you get?"
"I think I'll stay for now."
"Great! Come work at our radio station then. I mean, you're perfect for the job. You specialized in media, your voice is pleasant to listen to, and you're beautiful. People will love you. You'll fit right in. What do you say?"
"Okay."
"Have you talked to Franco?" Tiana's voice suddenly turned low as if she wanted to hide something.
"Yes." I looked back at Franco's car in the driveway.
"Did he mention his little girlfriend to you?"
"Yes."
"What a shameless idiot! How dare he mention her to you?"
"It's okay, Tiana. He asked me to go see Sophia tomorrow and I said yes."
"What? You agreed to meet that bitch who stole your husband? Are you crazy, Yenefer? That woman seduced Franco and encouraged him to divorce you. Honestly, I don't know why she's wasting her energy. The River family didn't approve of her married Franco three years ago. What makes her think they've somehow changed their minds now?" Tiana was practically roaring on the other end of the line.
"It's all said and done. At this point, I just want to let the past be the past." I smiled slightly.
"Past? Yenefer, you still love him, don't you?"
I didn't answer. Of course, I still loved him. I had never stopped loving him.
"Yenefer!" Tiana's shout brought me back to reality.
"I'm tired, Tiana. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? See you soon."
I hung up the phone before Tiana could protest and took a deep breath. Franco's car was still there, and it didn't seem like he planned on leaving anytime soon. But what did I care?
Suddenly, exhaustion finally took hold of me. I went back to my room and got into bed. I lay on my back, looked at the ceiling, and waited for sleep to come. A few moments later, I heard someone knocking on the door.
Rubbing my eyes to shake off the sleep, I slipped out of bed and opened the door.
"It's him."

Chapter 2 Cruel Love

"Anything else?" I looked at Franco quizzically.
"We have to wake up early to see Sophia tomorrow," Franco responded coldly.
"Okay," I replied.
I was confused. I couldn't help but wonder if he came back just to make that point.
"I'll sleep here tonight," he added.
I regained my senses the moment I heard what he had said. I wanted to ask him if it was really okay for him to stay here, but I decided to hold my tongue.
"I'm afraid you'll oversleep due to jet lag," he explained. He must have seen the confusion on my face.
"Oh. Well, I better clean the guest room now," I said.
As soon as I finished speaking, I turned around and approached my suitcase, ready to leave with it.
But then, Franco walked towards me and blocked my path.
"Why are you avoiding me?" He approached me slowly, with a hint of anger in his eyes.
"What are you doing? Let me go "one second to talk to me about divorce, the next second to not let me go, what on earth he was thinking.
The next second, Franco effortlessly pinned me against the wall, and my suitcase dropped to the floor.
"You're still my wife." Franco's lips were about to touch, my heart beating faster and faster, but I knew he didn't love me and pushed him away.
I looked at him and reminded, "I'm just doing what you wanted. Didn't you ask me to stay away from you three years ago?"
He was silent for a moment, as if thinking something, finally said, "Stay here,"
Then, he walked past me and then sat on the couch. There, he unbuttoned his shirt and sitted.
"I'll sleep on the couch," he said firmly.
I couldn't help but hit my head and scold myself for being so imaginative. A dirty thought crossed my mind just now! Without another word, I picked up my suitcase and set it aside.
I turned my back to Franco and listened to him take off his clothes and open the closet to find new clothes. A moment later, he finally entered the bathroom.
I walked to the edge of the bed and lay down. I lay on my side with my body curled up and listened to the sound of water running from the bathroom. When the sound finally stopped, I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be deeply asleep. I even slowed down my breathing, so he wouldn't realize that I was only pretending to sleep.
There were so many guest rooms. Why did he insist on sharing a room with me? Perhaps it was because we hadn't seen each other in three years. However, this man was becoming more and more unpredictable.
A deafening silence filled the air after a long while. Secretly, I opened my eyes and looked at Franco. He was lying on the couch with his back to me. As I watched his figure, my body finally relaxed. I knew that nothing would happen tonight. Still, I couldn't help but feel disappointed deep down.
Franco had already left when I woke up the next morning. I looked at the time on my phone and my eyes opened in shock. It was already ten in the morning!
I jumped out of bed and cleaned myself as quickly as I could. When I walked out of the room, I saw Franco reading a book on the sofa in the living room.
"Why didn't you wake me up?!" I asked, my voice slightly louder in panic.
"I did. In fact, I almost splashed cold water on you just to wake you up," Franco replied without even looking away from his book. There was no emotion in his tone either.
"I'm sorry. I was a little tired yesterday. Let's go now," I clumsily said with my eyes lowered to the ground. It seemed like I slept so deeply last night.
"Have something to eat first."
"What? Then-"
"No need to rush. We'll meet later for lunch."
His words surprised me. Didn't he say I was supposed to wake up early? Did I hear it wrong? Maybe he said that just to deceive me. Anyway, I did as he had told me. I had a light breakfast and then urged him to leave afterwards. It wasn't because I was in a hurry to see Sophia. It was just that I wanted to over this thing as soon as possible.
We remained silent on the way to the restaurant. Franco didn't say a word either. We had been married for three years. But for some reason, we were like strangers to each other. To make matters worse, I was currently accompanying my husband to see his fiance.
The car stopped at Rainbow Dream, a three-Michelin-star restaurant. This was the most luxurious restaurant in town. Truth be told, I had never been here before. Even after becoming Mrs. River, Franco never took me to this place.
As soon as we entered the restaurant, a waiter approached us and greeted us. "Mr. and Mrs. River, Miss Lively is waiting for you on the second floor." Judging by the waiter's greeting, it seemed like Franco was a frequent guest here. Without a word, I followed Franco to the elevator.
"Smile when you see Sophia and don't put on a long face," Franco ordered coldly.
I forced a smile and assured him, "I will, without any problem."
"Yenefer, long time no see!" Sophia greeted us with a wide smile as soon as we entered the private room. It seemed like she hadn't aged after all these years. She must be paying an exorbitant amount of money to maintain her youthful face. Impressively, her face looked exactly like in the movies. She didn't look like a patient who had been sick for a long time.
"Long time no see," I returned the greeting with a friendly smile.
"Have you overcome the jet lag? I was worried that you wouldn't be able to get up this morning, so I scheduled the meeting for noon."
"I barely made it, but yes, thank you. I slept deeply last night. This is my hometown, after all."
"You have suffered a lot in the past three years. It's all my fault. Thankfully, Franco is here. I feel much better now than in the past," Sophia coughed as soon as she finished speaking. As if it were a signal, Franco handed her a glass of water.
When he saw Sophia today, he felt as if the ice in his body melted and transformed into a completely different person in an instant. His attitude towards Sophia was different from how he treated me.
The main dish today was steak. Franco carefully cut the steak on Sophia's plate. It was unusual to see him like this, so gentle and considerate.
"I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm doing great. Actually, I just received my diploma," I smiled at Sophia as I struggled with the steak using the knife and fork.
"You stayed in France for three years. Do you have a boyfriend? Let's spend our honeymoon in France during the Cannes Film Festival this year."
"Boyfriend?" As an obedient Mrs. River, I had never considered being with another man while still married. For some reason, I still had hope for Franco.
"Uh... yes, actually. I met a guy there. He's an artist," I immediately thought of a guy I could introduce to her. As Franco had said yesterday, I should make Sophia feel at ease. I saw it from the corner of my eye. He was cutting the steak. He stiffened for a second.
"Do you have any pictures of him?" Sophia asked curiously.
Her curiosity caught me off guard. I looked at Franco hoping he would help me. Unfortunately, he didn't even look at me.
"Well, we're not together yet, so I didn't save his picture on my phone," I reasoned and continued cutting my steak.
"Does he have Facebook? Maybe he posts pictures there. I want to see him," Sophia insisted.
It seemed like she had no plans to drop the subject until she saw the man herself.
"Let me check," as I spoke, I took out my phone and thought about which classmate I should pretend to be pursuing me for a while. The first person that came to mind was Pierre. He and I had a good relationship, so my plan could work. I visited his Facebook page and immediately saw a picture of him in front of the Eiffel Tower. He had long, wild hair and a young, attractive face. Pierre and Franco were polar opposites. The former was artistic and carefree, while the latter was cold and reserved. I handed my phone to Sophia with Pierre's photo on the screen.
Her eyes lit up with happiness when she saw the image.
"Oh! He looks like a carefree artistic Parisian guy. I'm so happy for you, Yenefer. After all, Franco and I... I'm sorry," she then showed the photo to Franco.
He only glanced at it for a second.
"You two are a perfect couple," he commented coldly.
Sophia finally returned the phone to me.
"Do you love him?" Sophia suddenly asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.
I was stunned.
"Of course, like I've never loved anyone before," I did my best to remain calm and composed, so she couldn't see through me.
"That's great! Franco, it seems like we don't have to worry about Yenefer at all. We wish happiness to Yenefer." Sophia exclaimed excitedly, raising her glass.
Franco also raised his glass.
"Yenefer, promise me that you will be happy." Sophia looked into my eyes as she spoke. But of course, she knew very well that all of this was a facade. Beneath her soft mask, there was an ugly, evil heart.
"I don't have to promise it, Sophia, because I already am. I hope you are happy too."
We drank the wine in our glasses as a sign of promise.
When I put down my glass, my hands suddenly trembled. Not only that, but I also felt sick to my stomach. I wished this meal would end soon. I didn't want to see this hypocrite anymore.
"I'm sorry, I have to go to the bathroom." I excused myself, unable to bear it any longer.
I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, trying to calm down. The faucet opened, the cold water droplets on my palm, but can not wash away the irritability of my heart.
Suddenly, Franco's voice was heard outside the door.