Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO
Chapter 61: Someone Else Got You

Chapter 61: Someone Else Got You

Ruby’s jaw clenched. "Trouble? Stefan," she turned to him, "do you also agree with them? Do you also think I’m here to cause trouble and that I shouldn’t speak with you privately?"

Stefan looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged slightly. "If you want to talk, I don’t mind. But I’d like my wife to stay. She’s always been with me, even during important business meetings. There’s nothing I’d hide from her. You can speak here and no, I don’t think you came to cause trouble thinking about all I’ve heard about you."

Ruby froze. Each word from him stabbed deeper than the last. He thinks Ivy is his wife.

He doesn’t know... and he doesn’t suspect anything.

Her lips trembled, her knees felt weak. But still, she looked him in the eye and asked, "What if I told you I love you?" she said, voice barely steady. "What if I told you all this—everything you think you know—is a lie?"

She asked and for a moment, everywhere went silent, everyone taking in the gravity of what her words mean.

"You see!" Regina shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "She’s always been a selfish child! She ruined her own relationship here in Zeden, and now she’s come to ruin her sister’s too because of all the nice things she’s heard about you from her sister! Why are you so selfish, Ruby? How can you be so different from your sister?" Regina asked and Ivy seized the opportunity as she burst into a sob.

"You’re a bad sister," Elizabeth spat. "Shameless. Barging in and trying to steal what’s not yours."

Ruby chuckled humorlessly. Of course, it was true. Stefan was never hers to begin with but now, now....

Ivy sniffled, eyes brimming with tears. "I didn’t want to say anything... I only wanted him to see her once, since he asked. I never knew she hated me so much... and wanted my husband. How could you, Ruby? I tell you how amazing he is to me and you come here confessing your love to him in front of me? Is that what you wanted to tell him in secret? Stefan, I think she should go."

Stefan turned to Ivy, concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked, his hand cupping her cheek gently. "Don’t cry, baby. I’m sorry it’s all my fault. Maybe if I hadn’t asked you about her then you wouldn’t have asked her to come."

That was it. Ruby felt it—her heart shattering. Pieces of her crumbling inside, one by one. She felt exposed. Naked. Betrayed. Betrayed by not just Ivy and her mother but also by Elizabeth and.... Stefan.

He was supposed to know. He was supposed to feel her presence, sense the truth. Tell the difference in their speech and attitude. But he didn’t. He had his sight but he obviously was still blinded, that she could see.

"Wow," she muttered with a shaky breath, eyes filled with pain. "I can see it. You’re still blind, Stefan."

He blinked. "What?" he asked, trying to hold himself from getting angry at her since it seemed she was just a naive girl who was obviously inlove with someone who can’t be hers. All these was her throwing tantrums.

Ruby nodded. "You might have gotten your sight back, but you’re still blind. You can’t even tell truth from lies." She laughed bitterly and looked around at everyone. "All of you... You all played your part so well. Congratulations."

"Ruby, stop this madness!" Regina snapped. "You’re embarrassing yourself."

But Ruby didn’t even flinch. She looked right at Stefan. "I was going to tell you everything today," she whispered, voice thick with unshed tears. "I had so much to say, but I guess there’s no point now."

"Ruby—" Stefan called, but she stopped him with a raised hand.

"Someone else got you now so I have to leave now, Stefan." Her voice cracked. "I hope you enjoy your marriage," she said and with that, she walked away.

Each step down the hallway echoed louder in her chest than it did in the walls. She felt numb. Like the ground beneath her had shifted. Like the world had gone silent, except for the sound of her breaking heart.

Her hand cradled her stomach unconsciously. For their child, she had stayed strong. For their child, she had waited. But now... she wasn’t sure what came next.

Only one thing was certain: She was done waiting to be chosen or seen. He made his choice and now, they’d have to live with it.

The room fell silent after Ruby left, but Stefan’s mind was anything but quiet.

He sat there frozen, her words echoing in his head.

"You’re still blind, Stefan."

"Someone else got you now."

"I hope you enjoy your marriage."

A strange weight pressed against his chest. He glanced around the room—his mother Elizabeth, Ivy, and Ruby’s mother Regina were all trying to act as though nothing had happened.

Ivy clung to his side, wiping away the last of her tears, but Stefan’s gaze lingered on the door Ruby had just walked out of.

There was something about her. The way she spoke. The fire in her eyes. The pain behind her voice. It wasn’t just some dramatic show. It had felt real. Too real.

"Are you okay?" Ivy asked softly, slipping her arm around his.

"Yeah," he replied absently, though the word tasted like a lie. "Just... confused."

Elizabeth approached with a comforting smile. "Don’t let her get in your head, darling. She’s always been the difficult one."

"She’s just jealous," Regina added quickly. "Always trying to take what Ivy has. It’s nothing new."

Stefan nodded slowly, but his thoughts were still spinning. He wasn’t the type to jump to conclusions, but nothing about that encounter felt normal. fre\e(w)ebn ov.e l\. co.m

"Can I just..." He paused, rubbing his temples. "Can I have a moment? Alone?"

Ivy’s grip on his arm tightened ever so slightly.

"Of course, sweetheart," she said, even though her voice betrayed her reluctance. "But don’t think too hard about what she said. You don’t need to."