The Blind CEO's Substitute Wife

The man I secretly loved went blind.

I posed as his fiance, taking care of him for a year.

When the real one came back, I was kicked out of the estate.

Now, Im working multiple jobs overseas, trying to survive.

What I didnt know was that back home, he was tearing the world apart looking for me.

Chapter 1

"Harrison, time for your meds."

I lowered my voice, smoothing the edges until it was a perfect replica of hers. I walked into the bedroom, glass of water in hand.

The man sitting on the edge of the bed turned his head.

The setting sun hit his face, gilding his sharp jawline in gold. He was devastatingly handsome.

But his eyes were empty. Unfocused. Staring at a point just past my shoulder.

"You're late," Harrison said. "Thirty minutes."

His tone held a trace of rebuke, but his smile was soft, directed unerringly at the sound of my voice.

"Something came up at the office. You know how it is."

I mimicked Leightons cadence perfectly, slipping the glass into his hand.

Harrison is my husbandon paper, at least. But in this room, I am playing the role of his childhood sweetheart.

One year ago, a car accident left Harrison temporarily blind. The recovery timeline was a giant question mark.

His fiance, Leighton, is old money. High maintenance, higher pride.

She wasn't about to shackle herself to a blind man, so she bailed. Fled the country to "find herself" while avoiding the fallout.

My brother, Jude, had suffered a severe heart attack.

The surgery he needed was expensive. Astronomically expensive. The kind of debt that crushes you before you even start paying.

The family was quietly looking for a replacement. Someone with the right build. Someone with the right voice to play Leighton.

I was the perfect candidate.

I was a vocal major. Top of my class.

We struck a deal fast.

"Babe, what are we doing for dinner?"

Harrison smiled, his fingers toying with mine.

He spent his days running a business empire from this room, blind. Only when I came "home" from "work" did his shoulders finally drop.

"The cook made that pasta dish you like. I'll bring it up in a bit."

"Good."

Harrisons hand moved up, his thumb tracing the column of my throat.

Then he pulled me in, capturing my lips in a kiss.

Heat flared under my skin. I tried to pull back, but he just tightened his grip on my wrist.

My heart hammered against my ribs. Even after a year, the proximity did this to me.

But the adrenaline wasn't just attraction. It was fear. One slip, one break in character, and it was over.

Harrisons hand slid down my waist, resting heavy and warm on my stomach. He frowned, his brows knitting together.

"Its been so long. Why is there still no movement here?"

"Um these things take time," I lied smoothly. "Plus, work has been insane. I probably need to de-stress before my body cooperates."

He couldn't see the guilt on my face.

Our marriage was a contract. I took my birth control pills religiously.

"Guess I just need to work harder, then."

Harrison grinned, a low, dangerous sound. He leaned in, his teeth grazing the sensitive shell of my ear.

He moved to deepen the embrace, but I scrambled back, putting distance between us.

"IIll go check on the food."

A low chuckle followed me out the door.

I leaned against the hallway wall, my legs shaking.

The warmth of his touch lingered on my skin, but it felt like ice.

His gentleness. His playfulness. His desire.

None of it was for me. It was all for his fiance.

Harrison was brilliant, gentle, and impeccably bred. It was hard not to fall for a man like that.

Especially when I had been in love with him since long before this lie began.

Chapter 2

I went downstairs.

Victoria was waiting at the dining table, posture rigid, like an Ice Queen holding court.

"Perfect timing," she said. Her smile was sharp, not reaching her eyes.

"Good news. We found Leighton. And Dr. Reeves confirmed that Harrisons vision is showing signs of recovery. Your little performance is almost over."

She looked genuinely delighted. The imposter was finally being evicted.

I forced the corners of my mouth up. It felt mechanical. "Congratulations. Im glad its finally ending."

Victorias gaze dropped. It landed on the faint red mark on my necka remnant of Harrisons morning affection.

The temperature in the room plummeted.

"Eden, don't get clever," she snapped, her voice dipping into a cold warning.

"If you blow your cover, or if youre harboring any ulterior motives, you can forget about the rest of Judes hospital bills. I won't pay a single cent."

"Understood, Victoria."

I nodded, ignoring the sting of her disgust.

In private, she forbade me from calling her 'Mom.' To her, I was a cheap knockoff. A bargain-bin replacement.

Being touched by her son was a privilege I didn't deserve.

Harrison belonged to the elite. To dynasties like Leightons.

If Victoria hadn't been desperate to save face at the engagement party, she never would have let a broke girl like me cross the threshold.

That day, she forced me to wear a heavy veil. I wasn't a bride; I was a prop.

After dinner, I carried a cup of herbal tea up to the master bedroom.

Harrison was on the phone, his voice low and commanding as he took a briefing from his assistant.

I sat on the edge of the bed. My heart hammered against my ribs like a drum.

I replayed the script in my head. The lies I had to tell.

Harrison hung up. His hand reached out, fingers searching the empty air until they found mine.

"It's the weekend tomorrow," he said, his thumb brushing my knuckles. "Let's go somewhere. A date."

My breath hitched. "I I can't. I have to go visit my family tomorrow."

He hooked his pinky around mine. Smiled. "Then I'll wait for you."

A heavy stone settled in my gut.

Tomorrow, the deal expires. Tonight is the last time I will ever see him.

"Harrison. Drink your tea. You need to rest."

I guided the glass into his hand.

He drank it down in one go. A stray droplet lingered on the corner of his mouth.

Without thinking, I reached out. My thumb brushed his lip to wipe it away.

The friction was electric.

Harrison froze. A shiver rippled through him.

He turned his head, capturing my finger in a kiss, his lips warm and demanding against my skin.

Something inside me snapped. The control Id held onto for a year shattered into dust.

I leaned in. Wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in the crook of his shoulder.

"Babe?" His voice dropped an octave, rough with sudden need. "You're eager tonight."

"Harrison"

Take care of yourself.

Chapter 3

The next morning, by the time I walked downstairs, the maid had already packed my bags.

Victoria stood by the door. Her eyes scanned me with undisguised contempt, like I was a stain on her pristine marble floor.

"Here." She tossed a bank card onto the console table. "The PIN is your birthday."

I picked it up without a word. My face was a mask of indifference. I turned toward the foyer.

Thump. Thump.

Footsteps echoed from the staircase.

My blood froze. Harrison.

He was standing at the top of the landing, hand gripping the banister.

"Babe?" His voice drifted down, sleepy and confused. "When are you coming back?"

My throat felt like I had swallowed broken glass. I forced the words out.

"Later. I'll be back later."

"Okay," he smiled, soft and trusting. "I'll wait for you."

The knife twisted in my chest. I couldn't look at him.

I couldn't look at that handsome face one more time, knowing I was about to ghost him.

I turned around and walked out the door.

I dragged my suitcase back to my old apartment.

The moment I stepped inside the cramped unit with its peeling paint, my shoulders finally dropped.

It was a dump compared to the estate, but I didn't have to act anymore. I didn't have to walk on eggshells.

After Judes surgery, I took him abroad immediately.

That was the final clause of the contract. When Leighton returns, the counterfeit disappears. Total erasure.

Before we left, I saw Harrison on the news at the airport terminal.

His sight was restored.

He looked magnificent. He was standing at a charity gala, sharp in a tuxedo, eyes bright and commanding.

Leighton stood beside him, elegant and haughty.

They looked perfect. A true power couple.

A bitter wave of nostalgia hit me. It was just like high school.

I remembered the Homecoming assembly. They had stood on the stage just like thatshining, untouchable royalty.

I was a grade below them, just another face in the crowd. But I had known who Harrison was long before everyone else.

Back then, the girls only talked about the hot, popular guys.

But I fell for him over something small.

There was a homeless man who always sat near the school gates. Most students walked past him with a grimace, clutching their noses.

Harrison was the only one who didn't.

Every morning, he stopped. He bought the man breakfast. He spoke to him with respect.

Back then, my family hadn't crashed yet. I was just a girl secretly watching a boy who was too good for this world.

Then, my father gambled away everything. The house, the money, the future. He jumped off a building to escape the debt.

I was forced to transfer schools, going from watching Harrison from afar to working double shifts just to keep the lights on.

Chapter 4

Life abroad wasn't a fresh start. It was a survival course.

I was a stranger in a strange land, navigating a foreign city while playing nurse to Jude during his recovery.

It took six months just to stop feeling like I was drowning.

I hustled. By day, I was a vocal coach at a small, cramped agency. By night, I played piano at a high-end French bistro.

Every cent from the payout went to the hospital. Judes heart needed expensive maintenance.

The future was a gaping maw of bills. I couldn't rest. I had to grind.

I never expected to see him here.

Harrison walked into the restaurant.

Seeing him with his sight restored was a punch to the gut. He looked sharper, more dangerous than he had on the news.

He was deep in conversation with a business partner, commanding the room without trying. He didn't look at me once.

Why would he? Harrison had never seen my face. To him, I was a ghost. A voice. A scent.

But my composure shattered.

My fingers slipped on the keys. A jarring discord sliced through the elegant atmosphere.

Mr. Doyle, the manager, shot me a look from across the room. It was a silent warning: Screw up again, and you're out.

I cut the set short. I needed air.

I ducked into the hallway leading to the restrooms to catch my breath.

I came out a few minutes later, head down, rushing to get back to the bench.

Bam.

I slammed right into a wall of solid muscle.

A smartphone clattered onto the tiled floor.

"I'm so sorry!"

I dropped to my knees, scrambling to retrieve it.

I stood up, phone in hand, and froze.

Harrison was staring right at me. His gaze was intense, scanning my face with a laser focus that made my knees weak.

I forced my heart to stop trying to escape my chest. I checked the screen. No cracks.

"Here," I said, my voice tight. "It looks fine. I have to go."

Our fingers brushed as I handed it back.

A spark.

A jolt of electricity zipped up my arm, frying my nerve endings. It was familiar. It was terrifying.

I yanked my hand back like Id been burned.

""

He didn't say a word. He just stared.

The silence was suffocating. Panic clawed at my throat.

I forced a polite, customer-service smile, nodded, and turned to flee.

"Babe?"

The word was quiet. Tentative. A test.

I slammed on the brakes. My blood ran cold.

I turned around, plastering a look of total confusion on my face.

"Excuse me?"

Harrison stared at me for a second longer. Then the light in his eyes died.

He looked down, the disappointment radiating off him in waves.

"Nothing," he muttered. "My mistake."

Chapter 5

Sitting back at the piano bench, my mind was a wreck.

Why did he call me that? Babe.

Was it a slip? A reflex? Or was he testing me?

I forced my hands to move, playing the next song on autopilot, but every note felt hollow.

I just wanted this night to end. I wanted to disappear.

I could feel him. Harrisons gaze was burning a hole between my shoulder blades.

It made my skin crawl. It made me want to bolt.

Finally, the last chord faded. I let out a shaky breath, grabbed my music sheets, and stood up to leave.

Harrison blocked my path.

"You play well."

He offered a small, polite smile and held out some cash. A tip.

I stared at the bills. Every instinct screamed at me to refuse, to keep my distance.

But across the room, Mr. Doyle was practically vibrating, signaling frantically from across the room.

"Thank you."

My voice was stiff. I reached out, fingers brushing the cash to take it.

He didn't let go.

I looked up, confused. Harrisons expression had shifted.

Suddenly, his hand shot out, locking around my fingers.

I gasped, yanking back, but his grip was iron. He didn't just hold me; he explored me.

His long, calloused fingers slid over the back of my hand, pressing, searching.

He rubbed the pads of my fingers, tracing the skin. He was looking for something specific.

Texture.

His thumb brushed a rough patch of skin. He paused.

His eyes snapped to mine. The polite mask shattered, replaced by a predators triumph. A smirk curled the corner of his lip.

"It really is you."

""

My heart stopped.

I looked down, unable to meet that intense, accusing stare. I used my body weight to wrench my hand free.

"You have the wrong person, sir."

"Do I?" He stepped closer, invading my personal space. "Then why are you shaking?"

His eyes were wilda chaotic mix of excitement and fury.

I stared at the floor, paralyzed. I was cornered.

"Sir? The contract details"

His business partner walked up, oblivious to the tension, waving a document.

Saved.

Harrisons head snapped toward the man, distracted for a split second.

I didn't hesitate. I turned and ran.

"Wait!"

Harrisons shout was desperate. He lunged, his fingers grazing the fabric of my sleeve, but he missed.

I knew this restaurant's layout better than I knew myself.

I ducked through the kitchen, dodging waiters, and burst out the back exit into the alley.

I didn't stop running until my lungs burned and the restaurant was blocks away.

Only when I was sure he wasn't behind me did I collapse against a brick wall, sliding down until I hit the pavement.

Fear washed over me, cold and suffocating.

He knew.

He wasn't just looking for his fiance. He was looking for the fraud who played her.

If he found me if he realized that every tender moment, every soft word he whispered in the dark, was directed at a paid imposter what would he think?

He wouldn't just be angry. He would be disgusted.

I curled my fingers into a fist, digging my nails into my palms until it hurt.

My chest ached, a dull, heavy throb that had nothing to do with running.

Chapter 6

The next day, I walked into the restaurant to quit.

Mr. Doyle, a man who usually treated his staff like gum on his shoe, did a complete 180.

He was beaming, practically begging me to stay. He offered me double pay.

Huge red flag.

Harrison was pulling strings. He was hunting me.

I refused the offer, walked out, and called in sick to the vocal agency.

I went underground.

I hunkered down in the apartment for days, curtains drawn, playing the ostrich.

When no one kicked down the door, I finally exhaled. Maybe he had moved on. Maybe I was safe.

I ventured out to the supermarket. Jude needed real food.

He was seventeen, still frail, and needed his strength if he was going to crush his SATs and get into a decent college.

I trudged up the stairs, grocery bags cutting into my fingers.

I turned the corner to my unit and froze.

A tall figure was leaning against my doorframe.

He was dressed in casual clothes that probably cost more than this entire building. He looked like a diamond in a dumpster.

Harrison.

He looked up. His eyes locked onto mine, dark and simmering with suppressed rage.

"Found you."

He pushed off the wall, taking a slow step toward me