Chapter 6: Wife vs. Secretary
729 Words
By 7:00 PM, I was ready.
I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my room, wearing an elegant, floor-length emerald green gown. My hair was styled up, showing off my neck and shoulders. Around my finger, I wore the simple but expensive wedding ring—the only proof that I was truly Mrs. Lucas Montenegro.
Tonight, I wasn’t Mia Santos the secretary. Tonight, I was Mia Montenegro, his wife.
I took a deep breath and walked down the grand staircase to the dining hall. Voices were already coming from inside—my parents, his parents, laughing and talking.
And then I saw him.
Lucas was standing near the table, wearing a sharp black tuxedo. He looked breathtakingly handsome. But as I walked in, his eyes widened. He froze, staring at me as if he had seen a ghost.
He didn’t recognize me.
To him, his wife was a mysterious woman he rarely saw, quiet and distant. The woman he liked was the simple, hardworking girl who wore glasses and office uniforms every day.
"Ah, there she is!" his mother said happily. "Lucas, help your wife to her seat, will you?"
Lucas blinked, recovering quickly. He walked towards me, his expression polite but cold—exactly how he treated me at home. He offered his arm formally.
"Good evening," he said flatly. No warmth. No smile. Nothing like the man who called me Mia earlier today.
"Good evening," I replied softly, taking his arm.
We sat across from each other. Throughout the dinner, our parents talked about business, family, and how happy they were with our marriage. Lucas answered politely, occasionally glancing at me—but with indifference.
It hurt. It really hurt.
During the day, he looked at me with affection, with concern, with interest. At night, he looked at me like I was just a stranger he was forced to live with.
Why? I wanted to ask. Why is it so easy for you to like your employee, but so hard to care for your own wife?
Then his father spoke up. "Lucas, how is the company doing? I heard you hired a new secretary recently. Is she doing well?"
My heart skipped a beat. Oh no...
Lucas’s face softened instantly. The cold mask fell away, replaced by a small, genuine smile—the same smile I saw in the car last night.
He looked down at his wine glass, a rare tenderness in his voice. "Yes. She... is excellent. Very hardworking, intelligent... and surprisingly kind. She’s different from everyone else."
I stared at him, stunned.
He was praising ME. He was talking about ME... but he didn't know it.
His mother beamed. "Oh? She sounds special."
"She is," Lucas said quietly, his eyes drifting to me for a second, then away. "I find myself... thinking about her often. More than I should."
I wanted to cry. Right there, in front of everyone.
The man I loved, my own husband, was confessing his feelings for me... while sitting right across from me... thinking he was talking about two different women.
Dinner ended soon after. I excused myself early, saying I had a headache.
As I walked back to my room, I felt a hand grab my wrist gently, pulling me into the dark corridor.
I gasped and looked up. It was Lucas.
In the dim light, his face was unreadable. He looked at me—the wife he ignored—and for the first time, there was confusion in his eyes.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice lower, softer than before. "You were quiet tonight."
I pulled my hand away gently. "Why do you care, Lucas? You barely speak to me unless our parents are here."
He looked taken aback. He opened his mouth, then closed it, as if struggling to find words.
"I... I don't know," he admitted finally. "There is something about you... something familiar. Every time I look at you, I feel... pulled. But it’s different. It’s not the same..."
He stopped himself, as if he almost said too much.
I looked him straight in the eyes, tears threatening to fall.
"Maybe," I whispered, "you just haven't realized yet... that the person you are looking for... has been right in front of you all along."
I turned and ran to my room, leaving him standing there in the dark, confused and silent.
- Writer
