Replaced by His First Love, I Found a Better Match

Chapter 2

On their wedding night, Gavin didn't come to bed until well past midnight. He looked exhausted. Without so much as glancing at Layla, he lay down on his side with his back to her, the mattress dipping beside her. Layla didn't move, and even her breathing remained steady. She had never fallen asleep. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, as if surveying the ruins of her marriage.

Their marriage certificate rested on the nightstand. Three years earlier, Layla and Gavin had reunited at a class reunion. After a few drinks, someone brought up the crush she'd had on Gavin in high school. Gavin had merely smiled and turned toward her. "So that's how it was." The party ran late, and the front desk put them in the same suite by mistake.

Nothing happened that night, yet Gavin took her to get a marriage certificate afterward. He even set aside a $6 million budget and promised to give her a flawless wedding.

After they married, Gavin chose a house far from the Weston estate because his mother, Vivian Weston, strongly disapproved of Layla. Whenever he went with Layla to visit the Bennett family, he cleared his schedule and arrived with lavish gifts, making sure no one could look down on her.

He had once treated her well—except for the one woman in his heart she could never reach.

Layla had naively believed everyone has a past. Given enough time, if Gavin would only meet her halfway, they could eventually become a genuinely loving couple. So she set aside her doubts and committed herself to the marriage. She even gave up her career to become a homemaker. But she was the only one who ever made efforts in this relationship.

Then news arrived that Sabrina's husband, Nathan Brooks, Gavin's close friend overseas, had died in an accident. Gavin flew out that night to handle the funeral. After he returned to Bayhaven, he never touched Layla again.

Layla slowly closed her eyes. She knew better than anyone—this dead marriage had reached its end.

The next morning, the moment Layla opened her bedroom door, Milo's shrill laughter floated up from downstairs, along with Gavin's endlessly patient coaxing. It sounded like one perfectly happy family.

Expressionless, Layla shut the door again. In the bathroom, she splashed cold water over her face. The woman in the mirror looked pale, but her eyes were bright and clear. Layla patted her cheeks firmly, then headed straight for the private study adjoining the bedroom.

Before marrying Gavin, Layla had been one of the brightest AI students at Bayhaven University. She and her former classmate Blake had founded a company before she even graduated. Although she had spent the last 3 years as a homemaker for the sake of her marriage, she had never stopped studying cutting-edge developments in the field or regularly submitting papers to leading academic journals.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard until the last line of code fell into place. Layla saved the document and prepared to do one final review before submitting it to AI Science.

She drew back the curtains, let the bright sunlight pour in, and took a deep breath of freedom.

Downstairs in the dining room, Gavin was patiently feeding Milo. Across from him, Sabrina glanced toward the master bedroom upstairs and silently curled her lips into a smug smile.

"Go see why Layla isn't up yet," Gavin said.

Sabrina's smile stiffened. She quickly put on an anxious expression. "Gavin, is Ms. Bennett angry? Does she blame Milo and me for intruding on you two?"

Gavin smiled. "Of course not. Layla's kind. She won't be angry."

Sabrina clenched her teeth in silence.

Just then, Nancy knocked and entered the study. "Mrs. Weston, breakfast is ready."

Layla nodded and went downstairs to eat, arriving just as Gavin was about to leave.

Sabrina stood beside him and asked sweetly, "Would you like me to fix your tie?"

Gavin smiled and waved her off. "No, thanks."

Then he looked up and met Layla's eyes on the stairs.

"Layla, come fix my tie." He beckoned her over.

Layla laughed coldly to herself. 'What does he think I am—a dog he can summon whenever he pleases?'

"Sorry. My stomach's acting up. I don't feel well." Layla ignored him and treated them both as if they were invisible.

Gavin reached for her, but Layla stepped aside as if avoiding an obstacle. He paused with his hand suspended in midair. Instead of getting angry, he merely shook his head with indulgent resignation and left.

Sabrina remained where she was, thinking, 'Who would've guessed Gavin would become head of the Weston family after only a few years? If I'd known, I would've chosen him back then instead of Nathan. He was never going to live long anyway!'

"Are you in love with Gavin?" Layla's sudden question made Sabrina jump.

Sabrina smoothed her hair. "You're joking, Ms. Bennett. Gavin and I are just friends. He's simply kind enough to feel sorry for a widow and her son."

"Then you didn't send these?"

Layla thrust her phone in front of Sabrina, revealing one suggestive message after another. Guilt flashed across Sabrina's face as she turned away. "You've made a mistake. Why would I send you anything like that?"

"Really? Good thing I know my way around computers. I can trace the sender's IP address."

Sabrina dropped the act. "So what if I sent them? Gavin doesn't love you. He only married you because he felt responsible!"

"Then if he loves you, will he marry you?" Layla's lips curled in mockery. "Do you honestly think the Weston family would let its heir marry his best friend's widow?"

Sabrina froze. To Milo, that was proof Layla was bullying his mother. He charged at Layla. "Don't be mean to Mommy!"

Layla hit the floor hard enough to scrape her palms.

At that exact moment, Gavin returned. He frowned at Layla on the floor. "What happened?"

A self-mocking smile touched Layla's lips as she pointed at Milo. "He pushed me."

Gavin's response was flat. "Milo is a sweet boy. Why would he push someone on purpose?"

Layla showed little disappointment—she had expected nothing else. She struggled to rise, but Gavin dropped to one knee and lifted her into his arms. As he carried her upstairs, he told Nancy to bring the ointment. In the sitting area of the master suite, he lowered Layla gently onto the couch and ruffled her hair. "How did you fall? Is your blood sugar low again?"

Layla turned her head away from his touch. She had already told him what happened. If he refused to believe her, she had nothing more to say.

A knock sounded at the door. Nancy brought in the ointment and Layla's phone, its screen shattered.

Gavin took it before Layla could. "The glass is cracked. Be careful not to cut yourself."

He must have touched something, because the phone unlocked, and Sabrina's suggestive messages appeared.

Tilting her head with deliberate curiosity, Layla asked, "Who do you think sent me those messages?"

Gavin gave a short laugh. "Who cares? Whoever it is clearly has too much time on their hands."

He deleted every message with a single tap.

Layla pressed her lips together. "I think Sabrina sent them."

"Impossible!" Gavin's expression turned stern. "I know you're unhappy about Sabrina and Milo staying here—but they're good people, gentle and kind, just like you. Once you get to know them, you'll understand."

Layla didn't follow him to argue. She quietly opened the Notes app, created a new file, and titled it Evidence for Divorce.