The Billionaire’s secret wife

Maya Bennett had spent three years believing she had survived the worst night of her life. She was wrong. The envelope arrived at 8:17 on a rainy Tuesday morning. No return address. No sender. Just her name written across the front in black ink. MAYA BENNETT. Maya stood in the doorway of her small apartment, staring at it. Something about the handwriting made her uncomfortable. She couldn’t explain why. She had seen it before. Or at least, she thought she had. She picked up the envelope and turned it over. A single sentence was written across the back. You deserve to know what they did to you. Her fingers tightened around the paper. For a moment, she considered throwing it away. Then curiosity won. Maya closed the door, walked to the kitchen table, and carefully opened the envelope. A document slid out. She glanced at it. Then froze. It was a marriage certificate. Her eyes moved slowly across the page. BRIDE: MAYA BENNETT. Her heart skipped. “No.” She looked again. Her full name. Her date of birth. Her signature. Everything looked authentic. But the name beside hers made her stomach twist. GROOM: ADRIAN VALE. Maya stopped breathing. Everyone in New York knew Adrian Vale. Thirty-two. Billionaire. CEO of Vale Industries. One of the youngest and most powerful businessmen in the country. His face appeared on business magazines, television interviews and society pages. And according to every article Maya had ever read about him— Adrian Vale was unmarried. Maya looked back at the certificate. The marriage date was three years ago. Three years. The exact year of the accident. Her accident. Her hand slowly moved to her temple. A sharp pain suddenly stabbed through her head. A flash of memory struck her. A white dress. Rain against glass. A man’s hand around hers. Then a voice. A man’s voice. Low. Urgent. “Don’t trust my family.” Maya gasped and grabbed the edge of the table. The memory vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “What was that?” Her breathing became uneven. For three years, doctors had told her that the gaps in her memory were probably caused by trauma. She remembered everything before the accident. And almost nothing from the six months surrounding it. She had accepted that. She had learned to live with it. But now— She stared at the marriage certificate. Could she really have married Adrian Vale? Her phone suddenly rang. Unknown number. Maya hesitated before answering. “Hello?” Silence. Then a man’s voice. Deep. Cold. Familiar. “Where did you get that certificate?” Maya’s heart stopped. She didn’t know why. But something inside her recognized the voice. “Who is this?” “You know who I am.” She swallowed. “Adrian?” Silence. Then his voice came again. “Listen carefully.” There was something dangerous in his tone. “Do not contact me.” Maya frowned. “What?” “Don’t come to my company. Don’t speak to my family.” “Why?” “And whatever you do…” His voice dropped. “…don’t tell my mother that you remember me.” Maya’s entire body went still. “You think I remember you?” No answer. “Adrian?” The call ended. Maya stared at the phone. Her pulse was racing. She looked down at the marriage certificate again. Then her phone vibrated. A message. UNKNOWN NUMBER: Look inside your left wrist. Maya frowned. Slowly, she rolled up her sleeve. There was a small scar on the inside of her wrist. She had had it for years. She’d never known how she’d gotten it. Maya leaned closer. For the first time, she noticed faint marks beneath the scar. Letters. A.V. Her stomach dropped. Another message appeared. You weren’t his secret girlfriend. A second message followed. You were his wife. Maya’s hands began shaking. Then came the final message. And three years ago, you watched someone try to kill your husband. The phone slipped from her fingers. It hit the floor. Maya stared at the screen. Her mind screamed that it was impossible. But another part of her— The part that had been buried for three years— Was beginning to remember. Rain. Blood. A shattered window. Adrian standing in front of her. Someone screaming. A gunshot. Then darkness. Maya stumbled backward. “No…” Her knees weakened. She caught herself against the kitchen counter. A photograph suddenly fell from the envelope. She hadn’t noticed it before. Maya picked it up. Her breath caught. It was a photograph of her. Standing beside Adrian Vale. They were dressed in formal clothes. She was smiling. And Adrian had one arm wrapped around her waist. On Maya’s finger was a wedding ring. The same ring she could suddenly feel against her skin. She looked down. She wasn’t wearing it. But she remembered it. She remembered Adrian sliding it onto her finger. She remembered his voice. “Whatever happens, Maya, I’ll find you.” Her eyes filled with tears. Then she noticed something written on the back of the photograph. Six words. HE DOESN’T REMEMBER THAT NIGHT EITHER. Maya’s phone rang again. This time, the caller ID wasn’t hidden. ADRIAN VALE. She stared at the name. Her thumb hovered over the answer button. Then she answered. “Adrian?” His voice was quieter this time. “Where are you?” Maya looked at the marriage certificate. Then at the photograph. Then at the scar on her wrist. “I think…” Her voice trembled. “I think we were married.” There was a long silence. Then Adrian spoke. “I know.” Maya’s heart stopped. “You know?” “I’ve known for three years.” Her eyes widened. “Then why did you say you never met me?” Another silence. This one felt different. He sounded afraid. “Because,” Adrian whispered, “until this morning, I thought you were dead.” Maya’s blood ran cold. “What?” Adrian’s voice broke for the first time. “Maya…” A loud crash sounded behind her. She turned. The window of her apartment had shattered. Maya screamed. Someone had thrown a brick through the glass. A piece of paper was wrapped around it. She slowly picked it up. There was only one sentence. STOP LOOKING FOR YOUR HUSBAND. Maya looked at the phone. “Adrian…” “Get out of the apartment,” he ordered. “What?” “Now.” “Why?” His voice became urgent. “Because if they know you remember—” A gunshot echoed somewhere outside. Maya froze. Adrian whispered four words. “They’ll come for you.” The call went dead. Maya stood motionless in the middle of the apartment. Then she heard footsteps in the hallway. Someone was coming toward her door. And this time, Maya remembered exactly what happened three years ago. She hadn’t lost her memory by accident. Someone had made sure she forgot.