Chapter One

As the morning sun cast its golden rays through the open windows of the Howard mansion, a lady made her way down the stairs in elegant steps with her face beaming radiantly. Dressed in a flowing, silk gown of the softest ivory, she looked simple, but effortlessly beautiful as she glided across the polished marble floor noiselessly.

'Smile, Stacy. Smile and radiate brightly. No one can see you break,' she told herself inwardly as she breathed in and out several times.

"Irina, how are you feeling today?" She asked as soon as she sighted the head maid walking towards her, in the usual white tailored shirt over a black flare skirt that every maid working in the mansion wore.

"Great, Mrs. Howard. Thank you so much. My legs are so much better now," she bowed deeply and thanked the lady profusely, feeling so much gratitude that she could be so much cared for by the madam of the house. She always thought Stacy was too gracious and too perfect, because she had never seen a wealthy lady that was beautiful and equally humble as her.

"It is my pleasure. Can you please call the decoration team? We have to change the concept for the living room," she asked the lady, who was ready to do everything to make her satisfied.

"Right on it!" Irina answered, and walked away immediately to get the job started.

"I have everything in order, Mrs. Howard. Please, you need not be bothered," Edward, the head butler, rushed over to her side to tell her, when he noticed that she was trying to supervise the job they were doing. She was always working and trying to put everything in order, even if she was the wife of their billionaire boss.

"I can also help too. Doing nothing bores me," she replied with a gracious smile, and walked away quickly to check if the maids were bringing in the right flowers, so that the rigid man would not try to convince her further.

"Please put this here," Her delicate fingers pointed to the precise placement of fragrant floral arrangements to be made by the maids, as the scent of roses, lilacs, and marigolds enveloped the air with a beautiful fragrance that emanated of romance and celebration.

"A few extra strawberry toppings on the cake, please. Carlton loves them," she speculated as the kitchen maids decorated the huge cake on the dining table. She would always do anything in favor of him.

Every detail going on in the mansion hall was meticulously attended to by her, from the sumptuous feast's arrangement on the banquet table to the placement of the finest crystal goblets, and adorning the tables with fine linens and delicate china. Nothing escaped her discerning eye, because she strived for perfection in every aspect of the celebration.

And maybe it wasn't because she wanted to be so detailed. She wanted something that would distract her till evening, when her husband, Carlton Howard, would return home to her. She was preparing a feast to celebrate the anniversary of the second year of their marriage.

Stacy knew he might not like the idea of the celebration, but she wanted to at least do something to make things more lively between them, so that he would know that she valued the essence of their marriage. She knew that they would always be distant, even if she tried so hard to act like it was fine. The true fact that he wasn't in love with her was obvious. It was undeniable.

However, she could not let the maids see the evidence of how badly she was suffocating, in fear that she would be disappointed by the time he returned from work. She always heard them gossiping and speculating about the kind of marriage she and Carlton had. It was already bad enough that they didn't share the same bedroom.

"Doesn't it seem weird? Madam seems to do everything for the master, and he does not object, but they are not affectionate towards one another. Their marriage is too stiff," one said.

"Maybe they are not the type to display love publicly. They seem fine though. You know that is how rich people do. They act like they are immune to emotions," another muttered.

"Madam is not like that though. She seems very perfect for a rich lady, and she appears to love her husband dearly too. I expected her to be angry and spiteful when I first came here," the first one mentioned.

"That is the problem. You can never figure out what she is thinking. Worse, she is always smiling."

"It is to hide her pain. She is not happy. You can see that her happiness is not genuine, because it never reflects in her eyes," the last person's words broke her heart, and she gasped when she heard it, because it was true.

'How could she be happy?'

Stacy could remember more clearly than any other day, when she heard that Carlton was dating some hot girl from Harvard during his final year in school. She bawled out her eyes that day, and it broke her heart so much. Although no one in her family would have known how much the news affected her.

She had been the regular teenager who didn't care too much about things, but they would never have an idea that she had always had a crush on her elder brother's friend.

Carlton Howard was from a wealthy home, and the third-generational inheritor of his father's and grandfather's wealth as the only son. He was so charming, good looking, intelligent and almost perfect in all his doings, that it was hard for him to not be loved everywhere he went. It was natural that Stacy could not help but fall for him.

However, even if he had not been so nice to other girls, he was kind to her and treated her with priority and care. She was the sister of his only friend, so it was only natural that she would enjoy those priorities. But she wanted more.

He was four years older, and was planning to get out of university by the time she was just in high school, but she didn't care. Even if he was ten years older or more, she wouldn't have cared. Still, she wanted him for herself.

But, the shock that he opened his heart and started dating a lady at his school choked her. She didn't expect it because he had always been cold other girls except her. It had fueled her hope fiercely.

And when she saw the lady's picture and came to know about her achievements at a young age, Stacy felt more dejected than ever. She was in no way compared to Marilyn Gray even if she tried so hard.

Days turned to weeks, weeks to months and months to years, and she could not just move on. Carlton was still dating his sweetheart, and she was drowning in forlorn while getting prepared for her college entrance examinations. She had started to lose hope already.

Even if she had tried to get into Harvard to show him that she was capable and good enough for him, she could not because she wasn't even in her right state to study efficiently. Her puppy love had taken too much of her head.

By the time Carlton was taking charge of his life as a hot, young CEO who would inherit his family's billion fortune, she was struggling with how to pass her anatomy tests for her first year examinations. They were in different worlds, moving at different speeds and times. It took her a long time to realize it.

"Hey, pumpkin. Carlton might be getting married," Were her brother's exact words to her two years ago, and she almost lost her mind. She could barely write her last paper for the third year out of exhaustion the thoughts gave her. It broke her so much.

"Mrs. Howard. Everything is set," Irina called from where Stacy was sitting, while brooding deeply on the balcony of the house. She was so lost in thoughts, and did not even realize that the maid had called her many times before speaking louder.

"Thank you. I will come and check it out," Stacy turned to tell the lady with a bright, unfaltering smile, and sighed wearily before she stood up from where she was sitting after Irina left.

She had been trying to reach Carlton since she woke earlier in the morning, but he was not picking up his calls. He came home very late the previous night when she had slept, and left home even before she woke up. It had been the same routine for a few days.

Lazily, she made her way up the stairs without even caring to check out the work that had been done, and entered her room with a heavy heart as she slammed the door.

'The party was useless if Carlton was not there to celebrate with her.'

Perfunctorily, Stacy stepped out of her clothes and entered the bathroom to take her bath. She sat in the bathtub and slouched languidly on it, as she began to think of what she could do to impress Carlton. She wanted him to love and care for her genuinely.

Still deep in her thoughts, she was jolted back by the notification that beeped on her phone from the bathroom, as she rushed out hurriedly after barely wrapping a towel around her body. Thinking it was her husband that finally replied to her text, she grabbed the phone and swiped the screen to the message icon.

Her eyes widened and unblinkingly stared at her phone with her mouth wide open, as blood drained from her face, leaving her as pale as bleak when she read the contents of the text over and over again.

"HI, HUSBAND SNATCHER."