I was the billionaire’s wife until his love arrieved

Chapter 1 Raven Fletcher – POV My phone rang in the middle of the afternoon, and I knew it was him before I even looked at the screen. “Gideon.” I answered too quickly for someone who should remember every single day that our marriage had been signed, not promised. “I’m leaving early today,” he said bluntly, in that firm voice that never left room for doubt. “I want to take you out to dinner.” My heart reacted before my reason did. “Dinner?” I asked, trying to keep the calm I clearly didn’t feel. “I’ll pick you up at eight. Be ready by then.” The call ended right there. No explanations, no extra words. Still, I stared at my phone for a few seconds, as if he might call back and say something more. Something that meant… more. We were married by contract. I had never forgotten that. But lately, our relationship seemed to go beyond anything written in any clause or piece of paper. It felt like a normal marriage, like the ones I saw in soap operas. I felt his love for me. When I got sick, it was Gideon who organized my medication, who made sure I took everything at the right time, without fail. He stayed with me the entire night. He remembered that I hated bitter pills and always asked whether the food suited my taste. Small gestures. Silent care. Impossible to ignore. He gave me his card so I could shop, took care of me, brought me to important dinners with important people. Even knowing I shouldn’t create expectations, I did. I got up from the couch with a silly smile I tried to control. I showered slowly, chose the dress he liked the most—blood-red. The same dress he had bought for me a few months ago. I left my hair down, looked at myself in the mirror, and took a deep breath. Maybe it was just dinner. Or maybe he wanted to end the contract and stay with me out of love. No clauses, no signatures, no papers. My heart filled with a desire that should never have existed, because all of this was supposed to be nothing more than a façade. At eight o’clock, I was already at the restaurant. Waiting for him. At eight fifteen, I was still waiting. At eight thirty, anxiety tightened in my chest. I called once. Twice. Three times. No answer. The messages remained unread. Gideon never ran late without warning. This wasn’t normal. With trembling hands, I searched for another number. “Jeremy?” I said the moment he answered. The silence on the other end of the line lasted far too long. “Raven…” he finally said, his voice heavy with guilt. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know whether I should tell you, but…” My stomach dropped. “Tell me what?” “It’s just that… Gideon’s first love came back today. She arrived this afternoon. They’re together now.” It felt as if the ground had disappeared beneath my feet. “Together…” I repeated, barely able to speak. “He canceled his commitments and went out with her.” I thanked him without knowing why and hung up. I wanted to believe it was a lie, but Gideon’s best friend and right-hand man would never lie about something like this. The blood-red dress suddenly felt like a cruel joke. I could feel the stares around me as I lifted the glass of water and wiped a single tear from my left eye. I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream. I simply understood something I had forgotten for a few months. Everything had an expiration date. I took a taxi and went home, not even knowing if I was still welcome there. I stopped in front of the iron gate of the house I had briefly believed was my home. My time was over. I opened the gate myself—something I had never done before—and walked inside. Laughter reached my ears. My body went cold. I opened the door and saw them sitting on the large sofa in the living room. Gideon was there, happier than I had ever seen him. Beside him was Bethany Porter—blonde, confident, her arm linked through his as if she had always belonged there. They were far too close. Far too intimate. He looked at me. “Raven,” he said. “We need to talk.” He led me to the study. Bethany stayed behind, already acting as if she were part of the house. Gideon closed the door and took a deep breath. “The contract has expired,” he said plainly. “It’s past the deadline. It’s time to put an end to this.” My chest ached, but I kept my expression neutral. “Why?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. He hesitated for only a moment. “Because the love of my life has returned.” The words cut deeper than I expected. I held the tears back. Crying would be pointless. We had always known this day would come. He opened the desk drawer, took out neatly organized papers, and held them out to me. “Here are the divorce papers. You just need to sign.” I looked at his hands—the same hands that had once held me together. Today, they were here to end everything. In that moment, I understood that none of what I had felt had ever been part of the agreement. “Go on, Raven,” he said softly. “Sign it.”