Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

The morning sunlight filtered softly through Rayna's curtains, casting golden stripes across her bedroom floor. But the peaceful quiet didn't last.

The sharp chime of her phone yanked her from the fragile edge of sleep. Groaning softly, she reached for the device on her nightstand, squinting at the screen as the notifications poured in one after another.

Her brows furrowed. Multiple news alerts. She wanted to go back to sleep but her curiosity wouldn't let her. So she decided to just check and see what it was before returning to sleep.

She picked up her phone again and her heart gave a strange lurch as she unlocked the phone wondering what could be trending with so much intensity.

Curious, she sat up straighter, her heart thudding a little harder as she clicked on one of the links on the news alert after seeing the headlines.

And there it was.

Ivy's tear-streaked face filled the screen, her voice soft and shaking as she addressed the camera.

Rayna's breath caught as she turned up the volume.

The video showed Ivy's hands trembling, her eyes glossy with crocodile tears. "I know people will judge me. But I had to speak. I had to let the world see who Stefan really is. Who my sister really is."

Rayna's stomach churned. She could barely breathe as the video ended, her fingers trembling as she lowered the phone to her lap.

The comments under the video were worse.

How could Ruby do that to her own sister?

Poor Ivy. She looks so heartbroken.

Stefan and Ruby deserve each other—two snakes.

Shame on them.

Rayna's heart twisted painfully.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "No, no, no."

She pressed her hand over her chest, her breathing shallow. She felt sick. She felt furious. She felt helpless.

She knew Ivy. She knew what that woman was capable of. She also knew Ruby—better than anyone. The truth was so far from this twisted fairy tale Ivy was painting.

And yet… the world believed her.

Rayna felt her chest tighten painfully, her vision blurring with unshed tears. Her mind raced.

How was Ruby? Had she seen this yet? How was she holding up?

Without thinking, Rayna shot up from bed and paced the room, her heart thudding wildly. The house, quiet as always, suddenly felt suffocating. The familiar walls, the photographs, the furniture—it all felt wrong. Empty. Lonely.

Her eyes fell on the framed photo of her parents on her dresser—the only family she had left in Florittle.

Yesterday, after talking to Ruby, she had gone to visit their old house. She'd stood on the porch, touching the worn wooden door, breathing in the scent of the wildflowers her mother used to plant by the windows. She'd felt the warmth of a hundred childhood memories: birthday parties, holidays, family dinners where laughter echoed through the halls.

She hadn't told Ruby about that visit.

Because standing there, surrounded by ghosts of the past, Rayna had felt something deep inside her shift. The truth was—Florittle wasn't home anymore. Not really. The people who made it home were gone.

And Ruby… Ruby was the only family she had left now.

Her fingers brushed against the edge of her dresser, her heart heavy. She couldn't sit here and do nothing while her best friend faced the weight of the world alone.

Her phone buzzed again. Another news alert. Another wave of ugly comments. Another lie printed in bold headlines.

That was it.

Her decision clicked into place like the last puzzle piece sliding home.

She was going.

She was moving to Zeden.

The steady vibration of her phone startled Rayna from her restless thoughts.

She'd been sitting on the edge of her bed for what felt like hours now, her fingers gripping her knees, her mind spinning in a thousand directions. She hadn't even noticed that the morning light had grown brighter, slanting through her half-open blinds, warming the side of her face.

Her heart jumped as she glanced at the screen. It was Ethan calling. To court her or to tell her about the news? She mused.

A soft breath escaped her lips. Somehow, just seeing his name made the heaviness in her chest ease a little.

Without hesitation, she answered.

"Hey," she murmured, her voice hoarse from sleep and emotion.

"Hey," Ethan's voice came through the line—deep, gentle, and familiar. "I was hoping you'd pick up. Have you… have you seen it?"

As much as he wanted to flirt with her, he knew very well that this wasn't the time.

Rayna let out a humorless breath, standing up and beginning to pace again. "The Ivy video? Yeah. I saw it."

She didn't even try to mask the frustration in her voice. Her fingers pushed through her hair as she stopped by the window, her other hand gripping the curtain.

"I can't believe her, Ethan," she whispered, her voice cracking with disbelief. "I honestly thought I'd seen the worst of Ivy, but this… this is a new low. She's destroyed their names overnight with those lies she was spilling."

Ethan sighed heavily on the other end. "I thought the same thing. It's disgusting how she can twist everything like that and still manage to get sympathy. I swear, I nearly threw my phone when I saw the comments. People just believe her like sheep."

Rayna pressed her eyes shut, breathing deeply through her nose. "I know. Ruby doesn't deserve this. Neither does Stefan. I—" She hesitated, her voice softer now, vulnerable. "I can't stay here, Ethan. I can't just sit here and watch this unfold from miles away while she's going through hell. I can't even imagine what's going through now if she's seen the video."

There was a brief pause before Ethan's voice, softer but curious, filled her ear. "What are you saying?"

He could understand how worried she was for Ruby but what she meant by she couldn't "stay here" was what he didn't understand.

She exhaled shakily, her decision finally breaking through the fog of indecision that had clung to her for days. "I'm moving to Zeden."

Though the words felt weighty, real and final but oddly… they brought her peace.

"Are you serious?" Ethan's voice rose slightly, surprise thick in his tone. "You're really moving?"

"Yeah," Rayna murmured, her eyes tracing the familiar outline of the quiet street outside her window—the place she'd called home for longer than she could remember. "I've been thinking about it for a while... since Ruby accepted Stefan back into her life. I just… I needed the push, I guess. And this? This is it. I'm going."

She heard Ethan blow out a low whistle. "Wow."

He was quiet for a moment, and then he asked gently, "Do you have any idea where you'll stay? What you'll do there? Have you thought it through?"

It was going to be hard for him but then, he just had to support her decision. He'd do same for Stefan.