HER RETURN

LEXIE’S POV

“Remember my words?” Damian’s voice was low but commanding; he never failed to remind me about the terms of our arrangement.

“Stay by your side at all times, and no speaking out of turn,” I recited.

“Good,” he murmured, his grip tightened just a little.

The flash of the cameras was blinding as I stood on the red carpet and tried to balance my nerves.

Damian’s hands were firmly wrapped around my waist, grounding me, but the anxiety that bubbled inside me was undeniable.

I couldn't help but smile regardless; many times I had caught myself daydreaming of what it would be if I were his actual wife.

Because I had grown to love him. Despite his few weird habits, like putting on gloves all the time or not having a driver.

As much as curosity attempted to kill my cat, i just wanted him, the sex and tried to enjoy all that was attached to his surname as long as i could be with him

Although this wasn’t my world. I didn’t belong here; at least the few events I had attended with him already proved that his world was bigger than mine.

Photographers shouted in every direction; their voices merged into a chaotic mess of demands.

“Over here!” one of them yelled, snapping furiously.

And then something strange happened.

“Victoria, you look beautiful!”

I froze, my heart pounded in my chest as I glanced at Damian, and waited for him to correct them, to say something, but he didn’t.

I had forgotten that my stay wouldn’t be long when she gets back, and I already dreaded the day she would.

I didn’t want her to return, being her replacement was starting to get enjoyable for me, she could just leave him for good, she left anyways.

I managed to force a smile; my eyes shook in their sockets underneath the mask that covered them.

This was the first masked event I would be attending with him; we've only been attending auctions and opening ceremonies lately, so the paparazzi weren't as overwhelming.

Damian had urged me to keep my mask on; was he hiding me?

They thought I was Victoria; the name that haunted Damian’s past was now tied to me, and I felt wrong. This wasn’t my spotlight; I wasn’t supposed to be here.

But as Damian’s hand held me firmly, I felt a small flicker of warmth. Despite everything, being next to him made me feel safe, even if this world wasn’t mine; for a moment I could pretend it was.

We walked into the event, and I tried to steady myself. It was full of elites wearing intricate masks and gowns, but the air felt heavy. Everyone seemed to be watching us, sizing me up and probably wondering whose face was under the mask.

It was like everyone anticipated Victoria’s return, and her name just made me feel inferior. I already knew I couldn’t compare to her in any way, but I just wanted to be with Damian; I had grown to love him.

Just as I started to relax, I heard a commotion outside. At first, it was faint—a murmur of voices—but then it grew louder, and it eventually caught the attention of everyone in the room.

I looked at Damian, who had turned towards the entrance; his expression tensed. Guests began to pause; their curiosity grew the louder the noise got.

“Damian, what do you think is going on?” I asked as I moved closer to him; my heart raced.

As we neared the door, I could hear the photographers again; their voices reached a fever pitch.

Then I saw her.

My nightmare came to pass.

Her entrance was something out of a dream—elegant, poised, and completely breathtaking. The room seemed to hush at her arrival, and I felt air leave my lungs.

She looked as stunning as the rumors had always described; her gown flowed around her like liquid silver, and as she took off the mask from her face, they glittered with jewels. There was grace in her movements, an intimidating confidence that made me feel like an intruder.

But that didn’t shock me as much as Damian’s reaction.

His hands slipped from mine involuntarily as his gaze locked onto Victoria. Shock ripped through his face, but underneath that was something that just made my chest ache painfully.

She began to approach us, her eyes fixated on Damian. She ignored me completely, as if I didn’t exist.

“Did you miss me, Damian?” She purred; her voice was melancholic.

I didn’t think it could get any worse, but then she leaned in and kissed him, right there, in front of everyone, in front of me.

Damian didn’t even pull away; he didn’t hesitate. Instead, he just smiled down at her, a smile that I had never seen before; he had never looked at me that way.

“Took you long enough to come back to me,” he said softly, and my heart shattered into a million pieces.

“I’ll always come back to you,” Victoria responded; her voice was smooth and confident, as if she had never left. The photographers just made it worse; they went wild with flashes from their cameras.

I felt trapped, unable to move, as I watched the man I had grown to love hold another woman in his arms.

“The real Mrs. Valor is back!” one of the photographers shouted happily.

“The Ceo’s wife returns!” Another one echoed,

So I was the impostor, the wannabe wife, the nobody.

Each word felt like arrows as my lungs collapsed in my chest. I wanted to make a run for it, to disappear or appeal to the ground to swallow me whole. But my feet remained glued to the floor, and I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.

Victoria’s eyes darted towards me; her gaze was cold and intimidating. She didn’t even try to hide her disgust.

“You didn’t do well with my replacement, Damian,” she said. The mockery in her voice was so clear that it echoed differently. “I expected something better at least; you could have waited until I got back.”

“Which seemed like forever,” Damian replied, not even sparing me a glance. “I had to find a way to drag you back, a solution. She was available.”

His words stung like a slap in the face. A solution?

I was just….a convenience?

“Damian..” I tried to speak, but my voice was barely above a whisper. My throat was tight, and tears threatened to fall from my eyes; they just shook almost vigorously in their sockets. The humiliation was too much, too raw.

Victoria snickered and turned back to me.

“I don’t think she speaks; perhaps you even chose someone dumb.” Her gaze lingered on me for a moment before she shrugged dismissively.

“Damian, really? You should have just waited for me. You didn’t have to lower yourself; she can’t even talk.”

My vision blurred as I blinked back repeatedly, praying that the tears wouldn’t fall, not in front of them. but I couldn’t hold them back anymore.

“Well, it’s about time we see the original stuff. Some people already think they belong here.”

That voice, I recognized it. Damian’s stepmother, Evelyn.

“Oh Evelyn, don’t say that,” Victoria replied with a sly smile. “She’d feel lower than she already does.”

Evelyn moved closer; her eyes narrowed at me.

“Pardon me, darling. I was getting tired of Damian parading her around like she mattered. She couldn’t even live up to the replacement expectation required of her.”

“I hope you aren’t offended, dear.” Evelyn asked me; her voice was sickly sweet, and her smile taunted me.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My tears betrayed me, and they spilled over as I stood there exposed, humiliated, and broken. Utterly washed!

“That’s enough, Victoria,” Damian said, though his tone was more tired than firm.

“Let’s enjoy the party.”

“Of course, babe,” Victoria smiled, her eyes shone with satisfaction. She glanced at me one last time.

“I guess I’m too much for you to handle anyway.”

“Obviously,” Evelyn chimed in with a smirk. “Let’s leave the less privileged behind. We have much more important things to catch up on.”

Victoria tugged at Damian’s arm, and without a second glance, he left me standing there. I watched him walk away with her, his arm wrapped around her waist like it had once been around mine. Evelyn followed and gave me one last devilish grin.

And just like that, my world crumbled.