THE WIFE HE THREW AWAY

VICTOR POV

I spent the entire night reading through that box.

Every magazine article. Every award. Every photo. The story of Evelyn Williams was nothing like the woman I thought I married.

She was not some poor girl from nowhere who needed my family name to survive. She was royalty in the fashion world. Her designs had been worn by queens and movie stars. Her company generated more revenue in a year than mine did in five.

And I had made her cook my dinners and iron my shirts.

My hands shook as I picked up another photo. Evelyn at age twenty five, standing on a runway, designers and models gathered around her. The caption said she had just won her third consecutive Designer of the Year award.

Three years before she met me.

What happened? Why did she give all this up? Why did she hide her identity and marry me, a man who did not even know her real name?

The contract. The marriage contract she signed ten years ago.

I found the original in my safe. Read through it again with new eyes.

Ten years. Two children. Support my public image.

And in return, I provided financial security and social standing.

She did not need any of it. She never had.

My phone rang at seven in the morning. Unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Emmanuel." A formal voice. "This is Charles, attorney for the Williams Empire. We are calling regarding your wife."

My heart slammed against my chest. "What about her?"

"Mrs. Evelyn has requested that all communication between you go through our legal team from this point forward. Any attempts to contact her directly will be considered harassment."

"She is my wife."

"She is also the majority shareholder of Williams Fashion Empire. And our client." The attorney paused. "You will be receiving formal divorce papers within the week."

The call ended.

I sat frozen, phone still pressed to my ear.

Divorce papers. She was actually going through with it.

I dialed the private investigator. "I need everything you can find on Evelyn Williams. Not Emmanuel. Williams. She was a fashion designer before our marriage."

"Williams?" He let out a low whistle. "You mean the Williams family? Sir, they are one of the most powerful families in the country."

"I know. Get me information. Now."

While I waited, I went to the office. Amanda was already there, sitting in my chair with her feet on my desk.

"I heard you got some interesting news last night," she said, smiling like a cat with cream.

"How did you know about that?"

"I have my sources." She stood up and walked toward me, hips swaying. "Does it matter? She is gone, Victor. We can finally be together publicly. No more hiding."

I looked at her. Really looked at her. The woman I had chosen over my wife a hundred times. The woman I had secretly married three years ago in a moment of foolish impulse.

"You knew," I said quietly.

"Knew what?"

"Who she was. You knew Evelyn was a Williams."

Amanda's smile flickered. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"Do not lie to me." My voice rose. "You worked at Williams Empire before you came here. Your resume said you were in their design department."

Her face went pale. "That was years ago..."

"You knew exactly who she was. You knew she was worth billions. And you never told me."

Amanda's mask dropped. The sweet smile vanished, replaced by something cold and hard.

"So what if I knew?" She crossed her arms. "What difference does it make?"

"What difference?" I grabbed her shoulders. "I treated her like nothing for ten years. I humiliated her. I let my mother abuse her. And you knew the entire time that she was more powerful than all of us combined."

"She gave it up for you!" Amanda shoved me away. "She chose to be nobody. That was her choice. I just made sure she stayed that way."

"What do you mean?"

Amanda laughed, high and bitter. "Who do you think whispered in Samuel's ear all those years? Who convinced him that his mother was weak and pathetic? Who made sure Evelyn never rebuilt her confidence enough to remember who she really was?"

My blood ran cold. "You poisoned my son against his own mother."

"I did what I had to do to protect my future." Amanda's eyes blazed. "You promised me everything, Victor. Marriage. Power. The Westbrook name. And I was not about to let some forgotten princess wake up and take it all away."

I stepped back from her. This woman I had held, kissed, and called my future wife. This woman I had chosen over Evelyn a thousand times.

She was a monster.

"Get out," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"Get out of my office. Get out of my company. We are done."

Amanda stared at me. Then she laughed again.

"You think it is that simple? I have proof of everything, Victor. Our secret marriage. The hidden accounts. The money you transferred to me." She picked up her bag. "You try to throw me away, and I will burn your entire world down."

She walked out, slamming the door behind her.

I sank into my chair, head in my hands.

What had I done? What had I become?

My phone buzzed. A news alert.

BREAKING: Fashion Icon Evelyn Williams Returns After 10-Year Absence. Williams Empire Stock Soars on News of Prodigal Daughter's Homecoming.

I clicked on the article. A photo filled my screen.

Evelyn, standing on a red carpet, wearing a gown that made her look like a goddess. Cameras flashing everywhere. A smile on her face I had never seen before.

She looked happy. Alive. Powerful.

Next to her stood the man from the old photo. Benjamin. His hand rested on her lower back, possessive and protective.

Another photo showed them at a charity event. Evelyn laughing at something Benjamin said. Their faces close. Too close.

The caption read: Williams Heiress Evelyn spotted with longtime family friend Benjamin. Insiders say romance is blooming.

My vision went red.

She had left me. Found another man. Reclaimed her life like I never existed.

No. No, this was not over. The contract was still valid. She could not just walk away.

I called my attorney.

"Find every loophole," I ordered. "She broke the contract by leaving. I want full custody of both children. I want her stripped of everything."

"Sir, I will try, but if the Williams family is involved..."

"I do not care who is involved. Make it happen."

I hung up and stared at the photo of Evelyn on my screen.

You think you can just leave me? You think you can find someone else and forget everything?

I will drag you back if I have to. I will remind you exactly who you belong to.

But even as the anger burned through me, another emotion lurked beneath it.

Regret.

Because looking at that photo of Evelyn, radiant and free, I realized something I should have known years ago.

I had the most valuable woman in the world. And I threw her away for nothing.

Now she was gone. And the man holding her close was not me.

My office door opened. My attorney stood there, face white as paper.

"Sir, we have a problem."

"What now?"

"Amanda just leaked everything to the press. Your secret marriage. The hidden accounts. All of it."

I stared at him.

"It gets worse," he continued. "The Williams family is calling a press conference tomorrow. They are going to publicly announce Evelyn's return and her divorce from you."

The room spun around me.

"Sir?" My attorney stepped closer. "What do you want me to do?"

I had no answer.

Because for the first time in my life, Victor Emmanuel had no idea how to fix what he had broken.