The Wife No One Knows

Chapter One: The Wife No One Knows

I stepped into the sleek, modern lobby of Brennan Enterprises, my heart racing with excitement. Today was to be a surprise-something I hadn't done in a long time. I missed the early days of our marriage when we'd steal moments like this. Adrian had been swamped with work lately, his schedule packed with meetings and business deals. I figured it was time to remind him that I was still here, still his wife.

The lobby was full of people, all either stuck to their phones or talking in muffled tones. Typical morning, but that didn't stop the butterflies in my stomach. I had a special gift for him-a limited edition watch he'd eyed for months, something I knew he'd appreciate. It wasn't much, but it felt right.

I approached the front desk and smiled at the girl behind it, anxious to get into Adrian's office.

"Good morning. I am here to see Mr. Adrian Brennan. I am his wife, Lily," I said, my voice light and cheerful.

Her eyes slightly widened before she masked her surprise with a smile. There was something in her eyes, though-a flicker of hesitation that made my stomach tighten.

His… wife?" she asked, her voice uncertain.

I nodded, the smile still firmly in place. "Yes. I'm his wife, Lily. I just wanted to surprise him."

She hesitated, glancing at her computer screen. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I don't see any appointment under your name… Are you sure you're—"

I could feel the confusion brew. "I don't need an appointment. I'm his wife. Lily Brennan. I'm sure you've seen me here before.

Her smile faltered for a moment, and I could feel her uncertainty weighing down on me. She looked past me, her gaze darting into the hallway as if unsure of what to do.

"I'll just… check with Mr. Brennan's office," she said, strain creeping into her tone.

I frowned but nodded, trying to push aside the nagging feeling that was settling in the pit of my stomach. Maybe it was just a bad day for the staff. Maybe they were preoccupied.

I watched the receptionist pick up the phone and murmur quietly into the receiver. As the minutes passed, I began to wonder if maybe it was best to give him a call first.

The elevator door slid open, and without a word, I stepped inside; the familiar humming of the machine surrounded me. I tried to shrug the feeling of unease away, telling myself it was nothing, it was just nerves. But as the elevator opened onto the top floor, everything seemed… off.

Something felt off the instant I stepped onto the floor. The floor was quiet, eerily so, and employees that passed barely acknowledged my presence. It was as if their eyes were to avoid mine and their voices to dip in volume as I passed by. They acted like they were hiding something, but what?

I shook the feeling off. I was Adrian's wife, after all; I was supposed to be here.

I made my way to his office, my feet getting heavier with each passing second. I was just about to get there when I heard a conversation from inside his office-just loud enough for me to make out a few words.

"…Sophia will be there tonight, won't she?"

I froze on the spot. Sophia? The name was foreign, unfamiliar. I had never heard it before in the years Adrian and I had been together.

"Of course, Sophia will be at the gala," said the voice of a man responding calmly. "She has been organizing the thing with Adrian. She almost single-handedly runs this company now."

I did not know what took place of my breath or was just simply hitched somewhere. Running the company?

I couldn't believe that. Sophia? Adrian never talked about a Sophia, he never spoke of another human being as such. Why don't I know about her?

The words danced in my head as I stood stock-still in the hallway: Sophia, that woman running a company?

The conversation furthered, but I made out no words against the whoosh of blood rushing through my ears. It felt like the earth had started to move from under me. The air seemed thickened, and the feeling of confusion weighed heavily down upon my chest.

Before I could process anything more, the office door opened.

And she stepped out. Sophia.

She was ravishingly beautiful: tall, confident, and with an aura of power that commanded attention. The employees in the hallway straightened as she passed, some even nodding their heads in respect, offering smiles that were anything but polite—they were warm, familiar. She was received like family, like she belonged.

"Good morning, Mrs. Brennan," one of Adrian's senior executives said warmly, smiling at her with reverence.

Mrs. Brennan.

My heart stopped.

I had barely managed to register the words before Sophia smiled back, a soft, practiced smile, nodding to the group as if this were the most normal thing in the world. As if she were the woman everyone expected, the woman everyone knew.

I stood in the hallway, my feet frozen, my mind racing. Sophia? Mrs. Brennan?

I blinked, my hand instinctively reaching for the doorknob, as if I could step into Adrian's office and ask him what the hell was going on, why I'd never heard of this woman, why he'd never told me-why no one had ever told me.

But the door to his office clicked closed behind her, and I knew.

I was living a lie. Adrian's wife-the real one-was a woman I had never known.

I wasn't the woman everyone in this building recognized. I wasn't the woman who had been running the show. I wasn't the woman anyone cared to mention.

I was just… no one.