The Woman He Chose
The first time I realized my marriage was over was when a reporter mistook another woman for my husband’s wife.
“And how does it feel,” the reporter asked with a bright smile, “to stand beside Mr. Reed after helping him build such an incredible company?”
I froze.
The woman standing beside Lucas wasn’t me. It was Sophia Vaughn. His first love. Sophia looked surprised for all of two seconds. Then she smiled.
“Lucas worked very hard for everything he achieved.”
The reporter laughed. “What a humble couple.”
A few people nearby chuckled. Nobody bothered to correct her. Not Sophia. Not the reporters. Not the guests and definitely not my husband. I stood ten feet away, staring at him.
All Lucas had to do was say three words. She’s not my wife. Instead, he smiled and moved on to the next interview. A strange ache settled in my chest. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. Maybe he hadn’t heard.
Maybe—
“Elena.”
I looked up. Sophia was walking toward me. She looked elegant, beautiful and perfect. She was the same woman Lucas had once planned to marry.
“It’s been so long,” she said warmly.
“Three years.”
Her smile widened. “Has it really been that long?”
Three years. Three years since she had left the country. Three years since Lucas had married me. Three years since I had convinced myself he had finally moved on. Apparently, I had been wrong.
Before I could respond, someone called Sophia’s name. She glanced over her shoulder. Lucas was standing near the stage. Waiting for her and not me, her.
“Excuse me,” she said softly. Then she walked away.
Straight to my husband. The knot in my stomach tightened. A few minutes later, the lights dimmed.
The anniversary presentation was beginning. Applause filled the ballroom as Lucas stepped onto the stage, looking confident, successful. He was admired by everyone. I used to love watching him like this. Now I wasn’t so sure. Lucas accepted the microphone.
“Three years ago, Reed Technologies was nothing more than an idea.” The audience applauded.
He smiled. “People often ask how I built this company.”
More applause. Then his gaze found someone in the front row.
Sophia.
Not me, again. Sophia. My chest tightened.
“There was one person who believed in me when nobody else did.”
Something felt wrong. Terribly wrong. Lucas extended his hand toward the audience. “Sophia, would you join me on stage?”
The room erupted. People immediately started whispering. Sophia looked shy as she stood but she didn’t refuse. She walked onto the stage and stopped beside him. Exactly where a wife should have stood.
I couldn’t breathe. Lucas smiled at her. Then he turned back to the crowd. “Tonight,” he said, “I’d like everyone to meet the woman who made Reed Technologies possible.”
The spotlight landed on Sophia. Thunderous applause exploded through the ballroom. My ears rang. I stared at the stage. At the woman standing beside my husband. At the crowd celebrating her. At Lucas. The man I had loved for six years. The man I had sacrificed everything for. Three years ago, Sophia hadn’t been there when banks rejected him. She hadn’t been there when creditors threatened him. She hadn’t been there when Reed Technologies was weeks away from collapsing.
I had. But nobody knew that. Nobody except me. Lucas reached for Sophia’s hand.
The applause grew louder. And as cameras flashed around them, I finally understood something I should have realized a long time ago. No matter how much I had given him—
I was never the woman Lucas had truly wanted.
