Chapter 1
After a year of our arranged marriage, my A–list actor husband unprecedentedly gave me a high–end designer necklace for our anniversary–identical to the one his ex–girlfriend wore last month.]
As I listened to his tender confession: “You deserve the best,” something possessed me to post about it online to show it off.[]
Ten minutes later, his sister exploded in the comments:[]
[You’re bragging about a fake? You don’t actually think you’re the real wife, do you?]]]
[My brother only loves Dahlia! You’re nothing but a stand–in. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll return the necklace to its rightful owner.]
[And quietly hand over your endorsement deals, or my brother will kick you out with nothing!]]]
Clicking on her profile, it was filled with posts like [My brother and Dahlia are true love] and [The stand–in should get lost.]]]
laughed mockingly and replied:[]
[A fake? I OWN this brand!]]]
[The ́stand–in should get lost? I think I’d rather withdraw my investment and have both of them pack up and get lost instead!]]]
…]
As I held the necklace between my fingers, a strange emotion washed over me.]
This “Stardust Tear” pendant wasn’t just any piece–I had personally designed it just a month ago.
As soon as it launched, Knox bought it, and now it has become my anniversary gift.]
2
Feeling bold, I picked up my phone and snapped a photo of the necklace with a simple caption: [Loving my husband’s anniversary gift.]]]
Within ten minutes, my phone lit up as the comments section absolutely exploded.]
Thea Riviera’s profile picture topped the feed, followed by a wall of vindictive text.[]
[Flaunting a knockoff? You can’t seriously think you’re the real wife, can you? My brother only loves Dahlia!]]
[You’re nothing but a shield. Return that necklace to its rightful owner and surrender those endorsement deals, or my brother will divorce you with nothing!]
I froze momentarily.[]
A knockoff?
I’m literally wearing the necklace I designed myself, and this girl has the nerve to call it a fake?[]
Finding this increasingly intriguing, I clicked through to Thea’s profile to see what other brilliant insights she might have shared.[]
Unsurprisingly, her page was plastered with cozy photos of her, Knox, and Dahlia together–and there it was–the identical necklace prominently displayed around Dahlia’s throat.
[My brother and Dahlia are soulmates.]]
[The stand–in should get lost!]]]
[When Dahlia makes her comeback, certain people will be kicked to the curb.l
With each post I read, the absurdity of the situation only grew.[]
Chapter 1
Who did this girl think she was?
Some kind of matchmaker ordained by the heavens?
Or perhaps she fancied herself Knox’s personal manager and life coach?
Having seen enough, I returned to my post and replied directly to Thea:
[The stand–in should get lost? I think I’d rather withdraw my investment and have both of them pack up and get lost instead!]]]
The moment I hit send, my phone rang predictably–it was Knox.
Before I could even speak, I heard Dahlia’s voice through the speaker:[]
“Knox, don’t blame Wren, she probably doesn’t realize…“[]
Knox hurriedly ended the call, then immediately sent a message:[]
[Thea’s young and doesn’t know better. Don’t take it personally. Delete your post, please–it’s bad publicity.]]]
I stared at his message, fighting the urge to laugh.[]
Young and doesn’t know better?]
Thea was well into her twenties, hardly a child who couldn’t understand the consequences of her actions![]
She had publicly humiliated me, accused me of wearing knockoffs, and demanded I return “her” necklace to Dahlia.[]
What about Knox?
His response said everything: Delete my post. Don’t make a scene. Let it go.
And Dahlia?
Her words on the phone seemed like an explanation on the surface, but looking deeper, she’d said “she probably doesn’t realize.“]
Doesn’t realize what, exactly?
That this necklace was Dahlia’s generous hand–me–down to me?]
Or perhaps that I, Wren Lockhart, didn’t even deserve to wear jewelry I’d designed myself in this sham of a marriage?]]
Having had enough of this charade, I video–called Knox back directly, determined to set things straight once and for all.]
When he answered, panic flashed across his face before he quickly shifted the camera upward, showing only the ceiling.
“Wren, let me explain–“]
“No need,” I cut him off firmly.
“Have Thea delete her comments and publicly apologize, or she’ll never touch L&W Jewelry again–not in this lifetime.“[]
Silence stretched for several seconds.
Then Knox’s hesitant voice broke through: “Wren, you can’t be serious…”
“When have I ever joked with you?” I replied, staring at the ceiling on my screen while keeping my voice dangerously calm.]
“Knox, you have one hour. Make your sister publicly apologize and admit she was wrong.“]]
“Otherwise, it won’t just be the endorsements. What else do you think I could take from you?“]]
Chapter 1
I hung up before he could respond.[]
My phone remained silent for
I rejected them one by one.[]
a few minutes, then began vibrating non–stop as Knox’s calls came one after another.[]
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