Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

Even as she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder, a quiet thought floated in her mind like a cloud refusing to drift away.

What was he hiding?

She knew he was hiding something because Stefan never stopped her from calling Rayna or holding her phone. Never avoided eye contact when talking about business. And he definitely never fumbled when explaining legal issues—he always explained them with confidence.

Something wasn't adding up. Still, Ruby said nothing more.

She didn't want to ruin the peace of the morning. But her heart was no longer settled.

Though Ruby had decided to just stay off her phone and just enjoy the time with Stefan as he'd said, but the odd glances he gave his screen, the tension in his shoulders when she had mentioned calling Rayna, the way he tried too hard to distract her—it didn't sit right.

Though Ruby wasn't the type to jump to conclusions, but something deep in her gut told her there was more to it.

So when Stefan excused himself to the study to "take a quick call," Ruby decided to act quickly.

She reached for her phone from the side table. It was right where she left it, but now it burned with questions.

Unlocking it, she opened her messages and clicked on Rayna's name.

[Hey… are you free to talk?] She texted. Though she would've preferred to call, she didn't want to leave there, just in case Stefan was coming, she'd see him and hide her phone.

She stared at the message, heart thudding lightly, wondering what she even wanted to say. A minute passed. Then another but the three dots popped up.

[Oh my God, Rubes. I've been trying to call. How are you holding up? Are you okay? I hope you're not crying after reading those horrible comments. Please don't let it get to you. None of it is true.]

Ruby froze when she read the text, confusion clouding her mind.

What was Rayna talking about? What horrible comments and why was she so worried?

Instead of asking herself too many questions she didn't have the answers to, she quickly typed it and sent before Stefan could come out.

[Rayna… what are you talking about? What comments? And why do you sound so worried? Didn't you call to tell Stefan you were going out with Ethan? What's going on?]

The reply was almost instant.

[Wait… you haven't seen it?]

[Seen what?] Ruby texted back.

Rayna saw the text and realized she'd probably slipped. Perhaps Stefan had kept Ruby off her phone to keep her from seeing it by lying that she was out with Ethan.

Why didn't she confirm with Stefan first? Rayna asked herself as a deep sigh escaped her lips. There was no hiding it now. She thought.

[God, Rubes, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be the one to break it to you like this… I really thought you'd seen it and was texting me because you were too heartbroken to talk.]

Reading that, Ruby's heart dropped. Her fingers hovered above the screen. This was something really serious. Without hesitations, she rose and headed to the kitchen so that Stefan wouldn't come now when she was about to grasp what was going on.

Ruby started typing the moment she got into the kitchen. [Break what to me, Ray? Please. Just tell me.]

There was a short pause. She paced around, waiting for the reply and just when she thought of calling Rayna direct, her phone buzzed with an incoming text.

[It's a video, Ruby. Ivy posted it this morning. She went public. She's crying, lying to the world that you seduced Stefan behind her back… that you got pregnant to steal her husband. She even said that you were pretending to be her—that it's the reason Stefan divorced her. She said so many lies and people who don't even know the full story are buying it.]

Ruby tried to steady herself as she felt the ground sway beneath her feet, the breath catching in her throat.

Lying? Public? Pregnancy? What was going on? She thought as she felt the walls around her start to spin.

[I wanted to tell you earlier but I haven't been able to get through to you. And honestly, I thought Stefan would've told you by now. Didn't know he was probably trying to keep it away. But I know you, Rubes. You're stronger than this. Don't let it get into your head. Your pregnancy is more important than any of this drama. You didn't do anything wrong. You deserve love. You deserve this happiness. Don't let whatever you're going to see there disrupt your mind or mood, okay?]

Tears stung Ruby's eyes, but not from hurt. From shock. From confusion. And from the realization that Stefan… had been protecting her from whatever Ivy had spilled online. He'd been trying to protect her from it, all day.

He didn't want to upset her. He knew she'd be crushed. That it would break her heart. And instead of telling her, he'd carried the burden alone.

She swallowed hard, her fingers trembling as she opened her browser and searched for the most trending topics.

Ruby clicked the first link she saw with Ivy's name.

And there it was—her sister's face, beautiful and tear-streaked, on camera. Her voice trembled as she spoke those lies directly to the world.

Ruby's vision blurred. She scrolled down to the comments and realized why Rayna had said what she said.

"Disgusting."

"How do you do that to your own twin?"

"Poor Ivy. She doesn't deserve this."

"Ruby and Stefan are horrible people."

Her heart clenched. Not because she believed them. But because… others did.

Strangers. People who didn't know her.

Didn't know her heart. Didn't know the truth.

And Stefan—he had tried to shield her from all of it even when she knew he was going through the backlash too.

Perhaps, that was why he was so busy with his phone even though he was trying not to show it. Those lies were probably affecting the company's reputation.

She returned to the living room and when she saw that Stefan was still not back, she sighed, and then set her phone down gently.

Stefan was carrying too much weight on his shoulders and she needed to do something to help him. She thought and looked up when she heard footsteps approaching.

Stefan entered the room, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked tired, tense, a little disoriented—like someone balancing a dozen problems in his mind.

He had probably just finished giving an explanation to the board or an investor or business associate.

He hadn't expected her to still be in the living room and awake.

"Ruby?" he said softly. "I thought you might've dozed off."

His eyes scanned her face, and the second he saw the phone in her hand—his steps faltered.

Her expression gave it away. She had seen it. He stopped short, swallowing hard. "I… I was going to tell you. I just didn't want you to—"

Ruby rose to her feet and stepped toward him, her eyes warm and steady. "You didn't want me to be hurt," she finished for him.

Stefan nodded once, guilt written all over his face. "I didn't know how to tell you without—without watching your heart break."

She smiled through the weight in her chest. "You don't have to explain. I understand. You were trying to protect me. And you did."

She reached for his hand and pressed it to her cheek. "It hurts, Stefan. Seeing the things they're saying. But what hurts more is knowing you've been carrying all this alone just to shield me. Why?"

He pulled her into a hug so tight it nearly stole her breath. His voice was hoarse when he spoke. "I was so scared it'd break you. That it'd stress you or upset you or…" He trailed off, resting his forehead against hers. "I just wanted to keep you safe and happy."

Ruby's fingers curled around his shirt, anchoring herself to the warmth of his presence. "I'm okay. I promise."

"I'll fix this," Stefan whispered fiercely. "I'll make the world see the truth. I'll make them see you the way I see you."

She looked up into his eyes, nodding. "I know you will. And I'll be right beside you when you do. Just don't keep things to yourself again. Let's fight the world together, please."

He sighed. Perhaps, he'd been wrong to think he can shoulder all the pain and fight alone. Perhaps, the only way they can win against Ivy and whatever else she plans to do was being in oneness with Ruby. Together, they could figure out ways to beat her.

"I won't keep you in the dark again. I won't lie or hide anything from you ever again," he said as he went ahead and kissed her forehead, his arms never loosening.

For a long time, they just stood there—holding each other against the world's lies, the world's judgment, the weight of Ivy's betrayal.

Together, they'd be unbroken.