The Secret Wife's Revenge

Mia Carter stared at the papers on her kitchen table. Big, fancy papers with lots of words. But only three words mattered:

Request for Divorce.

She'd been married for three years to a man she'd never met. Ryan Blake. The cold billionaire who lived like she didn't exist.

"This is ridiculous," Mia whispered, pushing the papers away.

Her phone buzzed. It was Emma, her best friend.

Emma: Girl, stop sitting at home feeling sad! Let's go out tonight! There's a party at the Grand Star Hotel!

Mia hesitated. She wasn't really a party person. But maybe Emma was right. Maybe she needed to stop waiting for a husband who would never come home.

Mia: Okay. I'll go.

Emma: YES! I'll pick you up at 8!

Mia looked at herself in the mirror. She'd waited three years. Three whole years, hoping Ryan would come back and maybe, just maybe, see her as his wife. But he never did. He never even sent her a text message.

And now? He wanted to throw her away like trash.

"Not tonight," Mia said to her reflection. "Tonight, I'm going to have fun."

---

Across the city, Ryan Blake loosened his tie and looked out the airplane window. He was finally home after three years.

"Sir, the car is waiting," Tom, his assistant, said from the seat next to him.

Ryan nodded. "Good. Did you send the divorce papers to that woman?"

Tom looked uncomfortable. "You mean your wife?"

Ryan's jaw tightened. "She's not my wife. She's just someone my grandfather forced into a contract with me."

Three years ago, Grandpa Samuel had made him marry Mia Carter. The old man said she saved his life when he had a heart attack. Ryan didn't care. He signed the marriage papers and left for Europe the very next day. He never looked back.

"She hasn't signed yet," Tom said carefully.

Ryan frowned. "Why not?"

Tom shrugged. "Maybe she wants to meet you first?"

"Absolutely not," Ryan said firmly. "I don't want to see her. Just tell her to sign the papers and she'll get money. That's all she wants anyway."

Tom wanted to say something but stayed quiet. His boss could be really stubborn sometimes.

When Ryan landed, he went straight to the Grand Star Hotel. Some business friends were having a party to welcome him back. Ryan didn't really care about parties, but he needed a drink after the long flight.

At the party, a man Ryan barely knew handed him a glass of whiskey. "Welcome back, Blake!"

Ryan took the drink and sipped it. It tasted strange, but he was too tired to care.

Thirty minutes later, Ryan felt dizzy. Very dizzy. His vision got blurry and his legs felt like jelly.

What's happening to me?

He stumbled toward the elevator, trying to get to his room before he collapsed. He pulled out his key card—Room 1508—and swiped it at a door.

The door opened. Ryan fell onto the bed. The room was spinning.

I just need to sleep, he thought, closing his eyes.

---

At the same time, Mia was dancing with Emma at the party downstairs. The music was loud, the lights were flashing, and for the first time in months, Mia felt free.

"Having fun?" Emma shouted over the music.

"Yes!" Mia laughed.

But then the lights went out. Everything went dark. People screamed.

"It's just a power outage!" someone yelled. "Stay calm!"

In the darkness and confusion, Mia got separated from Emma. She stumbled through the hallway, trying to find her room.

"Room 1508," she mumbled, looking at her key card with her phone's flashlight. "Wait, or is it 1580?"

Her head was spinning from the drinks. Everything looked the same in the dark.

She found a door—Room 1508—and swiped her card. It opened.

Good, this must be my room, Mia thought.

She walked inside, took off her painful high heels, and collapsed onto the bed. The pillow was so soft. She closed her eyes.

Then she felt someone next to her.

"Who..." a man's voice said weakly.

Mia turned her head. In the darkness, she could barely see a man's face. He looked dizzy and confused, just like her.

"Did I... order room service?" Mia mumbled, giggling. "They sent a whole man?"

The man tried to say something, but his words came out jumbled.

Neither of them could think straight. The drinks, the darkness, the confusion—everything mixed together.

And then, both of them fell asleep.

But sleep wasn't all that happened that night.

---

The Next Morning

Mia woke up with a terrible headache. Her mouth felt dry and her body ached.

Ugh, I shouldn't have drunk so much, she thought.

She stretched her arms and froze.

Something was wrong.

She wasn't alone in the bed.

Slowly, Mia turned her head. Next to her, also just waking up, was a man. A very handsome man with messy dark hair.

A very naked man.

Mia's brain stopped working.

Then she looked down at herself.

She was naked too.

"AHHHHHH!" Mia screamed.

"AHHHHHH!" the man screamed at the same time.

They both scrambled to opposite sides of the bed, grabbing sheets to cover themselves.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Mia shouted.

The man looked angry and confused. "What are YOU doing in MY room?!"

"YOUR room?! This is MY room!"

They both stared at each other in horror.

Then Mia looked at the man more carefully. Something about his face seemed familiar. Those sharp blue eyes, that strong jaw...

Her heart stopped.

No. It can't be.

She'd seen his picture before. In the marriage documents. In business magazines.

Ryan Blake.

Her husband.

The man she was supposed to divorce was right here. In bed. With her.

Oh my God. Oh my God. OH MY GOD.

"I don't remember anything from last night," Ryan said, running his hand through his hair. "Someone must have drugged my drink."

Mia's mind was racing. Should she tell him who she was? Should she explain?

But then Ryan did something that made her blood boil.

He reached for his wallet, pulled out a thick stack of money, and threw it on the bed.

"Here," he said coldly. "Take this and forget this ever happened. Don't tell anyone about this, understand?"

Mia stared at the money. Then at him.

He was treating her like... like she was some random woman he picked up. Like she meant nothing.

Just like he'd treated her for three years.

Anger filled Mia's chest. Hot, burning anger.

"You think you can just pay me to disappear?" she asked quietly.

Ryan looked at her like she was stupid. "Isn't that what you want? Money?"

That did it.

Mia wanted to scream at him. She wanted to tell him exactly who she was. She wanted to see his face when he realized he'd just slept with his own wife.

But then a better idea came to her mind.

A much, much better idea.

If he wants to treat me like I'm nobody, Mia thought, then I'll show him exactly what he's missing.

She forced herself to smile sweetly. "You're right. Thank you for the money."

Ryan looked relieved. "Good. Then we understand each other."

He grabbed his clothes and started getting dressed. Within minutes, he was gone, closing the door behind him without looking back.

Mia sat on the bed, shaking with anger and hurt.

Then she grabbed her phone and looked up Ryan Blake's schedule. He had a big business meeting next week. Something about a contract worth millions.

Mia's eyes narrowed.

"You want a divorce, Ryan Blake?" she whispered. "Fine. But first, I'm going to make you regret ever treating me like nothing."

She looked at the money he'd left behind and laughed bitterly.

The war had begun.

And Ryan Blake had no idea his enemy was his own wife.