The CEO Fell for His Dead Wife

Regina learned early that silence could hurt more than screams.

The silence in the Gray mansion that night was thick, suffocating, and intentional. The chandeliers glowed warmly above polished marble floors, but there was no warmth for her. Not here. Not anymore.

She stood in the center of the living room, fingers tightly clutched around the strap of her old backpack-the only thing she had been allowed to keep. Inside were her medical textbooks, pages creased, margins filled with handwritten notes. Proof of her existence. Proof of her dreams beyond balance sheets and boardrooms.

Across from her, her parents sat next to each other on the cream leather sofa, composed and tidy, as if this were a business meeting instead of a punishment.

"You've embarrassed us enough, Regina," her father said, without looking up. His voice was calm, even bored. "This is the consequence of your stubbornness."

Her mother's lips formed a thin, disappointed line. "We gave you everything. And you chose to disgrace the Gray name by insisting on medicine instead of loyalty."

Regina swallowed hard. Her throat burned, but she wouldn't cry. Crying had never softened them.

Only one person in the room was smiling.

Sasha.

Her twin sister leaned casually against the staircase railing, arms folded, black hair cascading perfectly over one shoulder. She looked radiant-effortlessly so-like someone meant to be adored. Her brown eyes met Regina's, glimmering with something dark and triumphant.

"You should thank us," Sasha said lightly. "At least you're still breathing. That's more than you deserve after ruining my engagement."

Regina's heart clenched.

The contract marriage.

She hadn't wanted it. She had begged-quietly, desperately-to be spared. But when Sasha cried about marrying Damian Harrison, the ruthless billionaire heir, the family had turned to Regina instead.

*You'll do it,* they said. *You owe us.*

And she had almost broken. Almost.

But fate intervened cruelly.

One reckless night. One stranger in a bar. One mistake that felt-if only for a few hours-like freedom.

Now that mistake pulsed inside her womb, a secret no one here wanted to understand.

"You're no longer a Gray," her father continued. "From now on, you are nothing to us."

Nothing.

The word echoed in her chest as security stepped forward. Not to gently escort her-but to ensure she didn't touch anything on her way out.

Regina lifted her chin. "I won't beg," she said softly. "I never wanted your approval anyway."

Sasha laughed. A sound too sweet to be kind.

"You won't last a year out there," she murmured. "People like you don't survive without family."

Regina met her gaze, something fierce flickering behind her green eyes. "People like *you* don't know how to survive without hurting others."

For a split second, Sasha's smile faltered.

That night, Regina Gray walked out of the mansion with nothing but her bag, her pride, and a future that scared her.

---

Two months later, she met Damian Harrison.

She didn't know his name at the time. All she knew was that he had