The CEO’s Hidden Wife

Chapter 8

Raina’s POV

The moment Sophie’s voice slid through the phone… soft, syrupy, carefully measured…

I didn’t let her finish.

My thumb pressed down.

Call ended.

Silence followed.

Thick. Immediate. Final.

For a second, I just stood there in the hallway outside the bar, staring at my own reflection in the dark screen. My face looked… unfamiliar.

Too calm.

Too still.

Inside me, something twisted.

Not sharp enough to hurt.

Not strong enough to break me.

Just… there.

Lingering.

What exactly were they doing together this late?

The thought crept in quietly, then spread like ink in water.

Harrison hated anyone touching his phone.

Anyone.

Assistants.

Executives.

Even me.

There had been a time I picked it up once… just once… to answer a call for him.

The look he gave me that day had been enough.

Cold.

Displeased.

Distant.

Like I had crossed a line I wasn’t allowed to even see.

And yet…

Sophie answered his calls now.

Spoke for him.

Stayed with him.

Without hesitation.

Without consequence.

Without boundaries.

A hollow laugh slipped out before I could stop it.

If I hadn’t run into Theo tonight…

If he hadn’t peeled back that final layer of illusion…

I might have continued pretending.

Pretending our marriage had been something real.

Something chosen.

Something mutual.

But now?

Now I knew.

It had never been love.

Just leverage.

A condition.

A transaction sealed under pressure.

I opened my contacts slowly.

Scrolled.

Stopped.

His number sat there, unchanged.

Familiar.

Once precious.

Now… just digits.

My finger hovered for a second.

Then pressed.

Delete.

A confirmation flashed.

I didn’t hesitate.

Gone.

Just like that.

Three years… erased in less than a second.

“The dream is over,” I murmured under my breath.

And this time…

I meant it.

“Raina? Who were you calling?” Sharon’s voice cut in as I stepped back into the private booth.

She was leaning back lazily, one leg crossed over the other, her gaze sharp despite the relaxed posture.

“Harrison?” she added casually.

“No,” I said, sliding into my seat.

My voice didn’t waver.

Didn’t crack.

Didn’t betray anything.

“Is Hayes picking you up later?” I asked instead.

Sharon’s lips pressed together briefly.

“Business trip,” she replied.

Just two words.

But something flickered across her face.

Quick.

Gone before it could settle.

I noticed.

Of course I did.

But I didn’t ask.

We all had things we chose not to say out loud.

Lily, already tipsy, leaned heavily against my shoulder.

“Raina…” she slurred softly, her grip tightening around my arm, “you need to stop loving that bastard.”

Her words were clumsy.

Unfiltered.

But painfully honest.

“He’s not worth it,” she added, her voice dropping.

I didn’t respond immediately.

Just nodded once.

Because for the first time…

I wasn’t arguing with that statement in my head.

By the time I got them both home, the city had quieted.

The late-night buzz fading into something softer.

Lonelier.

I took a cab back alone.

The ride was silent.

Streetlights streaked past the window in blurred lines of gold and shadow.

My reflection followed me the entire way.

Watching.

Waiting.

Unrecognizable.

When I finally reached the villa…

It stood there exactly as always.

Grand.

Perfect.

Empty.

I stepped inside.

Darkness greeted me.

Stillness.

No lights.

No movement.

No sign of him.

Of course not.

Where else would he be?

The thought surfaced before I could stop it.

With her.

The image formed too easily.

Too vividly.

All those nights he claimed he was working late.

Flight planning.

Investor meetings.

Boardroom negotiations.

Every excuse delivered with that same calm, untouchable tone.

And I had believed him.

Every single time.

A wave of nausea rose suddenly.

Sharp.

Violent.

Disgusting.

I barely made it two steps inside…

Before an arm wrapped around my waist.

Hard.

Possessive.

Pulling me back against a solid chest.

“Where were you?”

His voice.

Low.

Controlled.

But beneath it…

Anger.

Barely restrained.

“Why are you just getting home?”

The audacity.

For a split second, I almost laughed.

Instead, I shoved him away.

“None of your business.”

My voice came out cold.

Flat.

Unrecognizable even to me.

His grip tightened again instantly.

“Like hell it isn’t,” he snapped. “We’re married.”

Married.

Now he remembered.

Now it mattered.

I twisted out of his hold, stepping back…

And pain exploded through my ankle.

Sharp.

Immediate.

Unforgiving.

My breath caught.

But I didn’t let it show.

Didn’t let him see.

I turned.

Started toward the stairs.

Each step uneven.

Each movement heavier than the last.

“Won’t be for long,” he said behind me.

I stopped.

Just for a second.

Then kept walking.

Now he wanted to act like a husband?

Where had that been… all this time?

“Do you really have to act like this?” he continued, irritation sharpening his tone. “Ethan trusted me with Sophie. Taking care of her is the least I can do.”

I almost turned back.

Almost laughed in his face.

Taking care of her?

Is that what he called it?

If Ethan could see this now…

Would he still trust him?

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said instead, my voice coated in frost.

I didn’t look at him.

Didn’t slow down.

Didn’t give him anything more.

Until…

My foot slipped.

Pain shot up my leg like a live wire.

My balance broke.

The world tilted.

And then…

Arms.

Strong.

Steady.

Catching me before I hit the ground.

Harrison.

Again.

Always just in time to prevent the fall…

Never the reason I stayed standing.

The smell of alcohol hit him almost instantly.

His expression shifted.

Darkened.

“You’ve been drinking?”

I steadied myself.

Then pushed him away.

Hard.

“Yes,” I said. “Is that a problem?”

His brows pulled together.

“You know I don’t like…”

I cut him off.

Clean.

Sharp.

“Since when did what you like decide how I live?”

Silence.

Then I added, quieter this time…

“I don’t like you hovering around Sophie. Can you stop that?”

His expression changed immediately.

Cold.

Unyielding.

“Those are completely different situations.”

Of course they were.

They always were.

“When it comes to her,” I said softly, “everything is.”

I turned.

Done.

Truly done this time.

But before I could take another step…

The world shifted again.

My feet left the ground.

“Harrison…!”

He ignored me completely, carrying me toward the bedroom like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Put me down!”

I struggled.

Hit his chest.

Pushed.

Fought.

Nothing worked.

Once…

This had been something I loved.

The way he held me.

The way he carried me without effort.

Now?

The scent clinging to him wasn’t his.

Not fully.

Something sweet.

Feminine.

Familiar.

Sophie.

It wrapped around me like something suffocating.

Something I couldn’t escape.

“Harrison, let go of me!”

No response.

Just silence.

And steady footsteps.

He dropped me onto the bed.

Controlled.

Precise.

Then pressed a hand against my shoulder to keep me still.

“Stop moving. Your ankle needs treatment.”

I pulled away instantly.

“I said don’t touch me.”

His jaw tightened.

Something flickered in his eyes.

“Raina,” he said slowly, “do you always have to make everything difficult?”

I turned my head.

Looked away.

“Get out.”

Two words.

Empty.

Final.

For a moment, he didn’t move.

Then he exhaled sharply and walked into the bathroom.

Water ran.

Cabinet doors opened.

Closed.

He came back with a cold compress.

Held it out.

“Use this.”

“I said no.”

Silence fell again.

Heavy.

Unmoving.

Then…

Without another word…

He knelt.

Took my ankle.

And pressed the cold cloth against it himself.

I flinched.

My body reacting before I could stop it.

But his grip tightened.

Not rough.

Not gentle either.

Just… firm.

“Tell me if it hurts,” he muttered.

The words were quieter this time.

Lower.

Something almost unfamiliar hidden inside them.

I didn’t respond.

Didn’t look at him.

Didn’t acknowledge anything.

I simply closed my eyes.

Pretended to sleep.

And shut him out completely.

Time passed.

I didn’t know how long.

The cool pressure shifted again and again.

Careful.

Measured.

Consistent.

He stayed.

Longer than I expected.

Longer than he ever had.

Several times, I felt his gaze on me.

Heavy.

Searching.

Like he wanted to say something.

But didn’t.

When the swelling eased…

His movements slowed.

Gentler.

He placed my foot back carefully.

Almost… cautiously.

Then stood.

The room felt different when he stepped away.

Colder.

Quieter.

He lingered.

Just for a moment.

Then turned.

And left.

The door closed softly behind him.

Morning arrived whether I was ready or not.

My head throbbed faintly from the alcohol.

My ankle… better.

Not perfect.

But manageable.

I didn’t think about why.

Didn’t give him that space in my mind.

After a shower and a fresh set of clothes, I stepped into the office like nothing had happened.

Like everything was normal.

Like I hadn’t just watched my marriage collapse piece by piece.

The whispers started immediately.

Low.

Excited.

Barely contained.

“Did you hear? An intern bumped into Sophie this morning, right in front of Mr. Grant.”

“And?”

“He fired him. On the spot.”

“What? He never does that…”

“Exactly. People are saying there’s something going on between them.”

The voices cut off the moment I walked in.

Eyes shifted.

Avoided mine.

I said nothing.

Reacted to nothing.

Sat down.

Opened my files.

Worked.

At 9:30…

The door burst open.

And there he was.

Harrison.

Holding Sophie upright.

Her face pale.

Her body leaning into him like she belonged there.

“Raina,” he said immediately, urgency threading his voice, “she had an accident. Check her.”

I looked up.

Met his eyes.

Then hers.

And felt…

Nothing.

“Sit,” I said, gesturing calmly.

Professional.

Detached.

Distant.

Sophie lowered herself carefully, soft breaths escaping her lips as if every movement cost her something.

Harrison stood beside her.

Close.

Protective.

Present.

I conducted the examination.

Quick.

Efficient.

Precise.

“No injuries. Vitals are stable,” I said, stepping back. “If you’re still concerned, take her to a hospital.”

Sophie looked up at me.

Smiled faintly.

“Thank you,” she said gently. “If not for your… help… I wouldn’t have advanced so quickly.”

I held her gaze.

Unblinking.

“Don’t thank me,” I replied softly.

Then my eyes shifted.

To him.

Standing there.

Watching her like she was something fragile.

Something irreplaceable.

“Next time,” I added quietly, “be more careful.”

A pause.

Then…

“Mr. Grant won’t always be there to catch you.”

The room fell silent.