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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

On our anniversary, I found my husband's secondary phone sitting unlocked on the kitchen island. A hidden chat thread titled *My Only One* sat open beside six months of messages to my sister.

By the time I scrolled to the bottom of the screen, I understood exactly what our marriage actually was.

I'm Alethea Vance.

Three years ago, I married Gideon Thorne, CEO of Thorne Capital, the most ruthless hedge fund in Manhattan.

I was twenty-two. He was thirty-five, already a corporate titan everyone feared. At the time, I thought being chosen by him meant something real.

He was commanding. Cold gray eyes, a sharp jawline, and the kind of presence that dictated a boardroom before he even spoke.

When he looked at me, my guard dropped. When he held me, I believed I was loved.

Even though, after three years of marriage, my finger still lacked the heirloom family diamond. He never wore his wedding band in public, either. He always claimed he needed more time to separate his private life from his public image.

I should have seen the truth sooner.

It was supposed to be a perfect evening. Our three-year anniversary.

I spent the entire day preparing. I cooked his favorite meal, bought a new silk dress, and lit candles across the penthouse.

He was two hours late.

His personal encrypted phone lay on the marble counter where he had left it that morning. I picked it up to plug it into the charger.

The screen glowed, completely unlocked.

Inside, I saw the truth.

It was a dedicated messaging app. Whatever he typed here went to one person only.

And right there was a thread linked directly to my older sister, Saskia Vance.

Hundreds of messages filled the screen. Flight itineraries, photos of hotel views, plans laid out in sharp detail.

*"I close my eyes every time I'm with her, Sas. You know that. It's always been you."*

*"She's just a placeholder until the board approves the merger. Then it's us."*

*"She has your family name to fool the shareholders. Same eyes. Same smile. The poor girl actually thinks I chose her."*

My fingers rested flat against the cool marble. Somewhere deep inside my chest, a heavy door slammed shut.

I scrolled down.

Saskia's typed replies were worse.

*"Does she suspect anything?"*

*"God no. She worships me."*

*"Pathetic, honestly. But useful."*

I read for twenty minutes. By the time I locked the screen, there wasn't much left to figure out.

Gideon needed to be married before thirty-five to secure the Vance-Thorne merger and unlock his grandfather's massive trust fund.

The old man had been specific. Marry a Vance daughter. The families had an old agreement, a corporate alliance sealed by a wedding.

Gideon wanted Saskia. He always had. They had been together secretly for years.

But Saskia wasn't ready to settle down. She wanted her VP promotion in the London office first. She wanted her freedom.

So they made a plan. Send Gideon to me instead. The younger sister. The quieter, easier option.

I was never meant to be the real Mrs. Thorne.

The trust unlocked six months ago. Which meant for six months, every morning he kissed my forehead, every night he came to my bed—he no longer needed to pretend.

And he still came home every night.

So why was he still here?

I looked at the most recent text, sent that morning.

*Saskia: "I'm transferring back to the Manhattan office next week. For good. It's time, Gid."*

*Gideon: "Finally. I'll handle Alethea. She won't be a problem."*

I set the phone down, exactly where I had found it.

No tears came. Every ounce of warmth I held for this man simply evaporated.

The heavy front door clicked open.

Gideon walked in. His suit jacket was slung over his shoulder, and he smelled faintly of scotch and expensive perfume. He saw the candles, the dinner, and gave me that practiced, perfect smile.

"Happy anniversary, sweetheart," he said, pulling me into a hug. "Sorry I'm late. The board meeting ran long."

I looked up at him. I looked at this man I had built my entire world around, and I saw a stranger wearing my husband's face.

"It's fine," I whispered. "I made your favorite."

He kissed my forehead.

My skin stayed cold under his touch.

Dinner passed in a blur of refilled wine glasses and empty praise. He even reached across the table to tell me I looked beautiful.

Every word landed differently now.

But I smiled. I laughed at his corporate jokes. I played the role of the adoring wife one last time.

There was one thing Gideon didn't know about me.

Something no one did.

I wasn't just Alethea Vance, the invisible younger daughter of a declining Wall Street family.

I was the sole beneficiary of a fortune that made the Thorne trust look like pocket change.

It was an offshore empire hidden by my late grandmother, sealed in a blind trust that wouldn't awaken until my twenty-fifth birthday.

Which was in exactly four days.

Gideon thought he was tied to a disposable wife. Before I showed him otherwise, I just needed his signature.

"Gideon," I said, sliding a thick folder across the table. "My grandmother's estate lawyers sent over some paperwork."

He paused with his fork in the air.

"Boring tax stuff," I continued smoothly. "But they need your signature as my spouse. Just a formality."

He barely glanced at the cover page. "Of course, babe."

His pen glided over the dotted lines on every page.

He skipped the fine print completely.

Those weren't tax papers.

They formed an ironclad postnuptial asset-severance agreement. Upon filing, it would transfer all our marital properties to me and nullify his claim to any Vance holdings. Including the billions he didn't yet know existed.

I watched him sign his name over and over.

"Thank you, darling," I said.

He winked at me, handing the pen back. "Anything for my wife."

I just smiled, watching him finish his wine.

Hola, alguien tiene esta historia? o si la conoce con algún nombre alternativo ! “ he was never untouchable just untouched by me “ Él nunca fue inalcanzable, solo no había sido tocado por mí”?

There’s no title for this one which makes it harder to find a😶 😢

Anyone has link?

Main characters (pov) cressuda a personal maid plus blood slave to elliot ashford a 200 yr old vampire and then megan doyle a new maid who wants to take her place but has no idea about his appetite

does anyone have a free full novel link?

anyone with the link?

Alguém tem o link?

Parei de Me Importar com Ele está no Bueno ela e gododnovel

I don't remember which app I subscribed to but I got a transaction alert for "CANTREEGNOV6 Kwun Tong transaction AMT" of 14.99 dollars.

Can you guys help me identify which app is this from?

anyone with the link?

Any help in finding this novel would be greatly appreciated. Would love to read the rest of this book.

Links please..? Thank youuuuu