He Betrayed Me for a Model,Then I Reclaimed My Empir

My husband, Caleb Gilbert, was a top lingerie designer.

As his wife, I suffered from severe stress-induced chest trauma. Even the slightest touch brought unbearable pain.

He'd brought in a lingerie model with a stunning figure, Faye Snow, and I gave her an approving nod after looking her over.

Great lingerie deserved a great model to showcase it. It would only help his career.

But when Caleb saw me nod, his fingertips grazed casually across Faye's chest.

"Good that you agree. From now on, Faye will take over your wifely duties when it comes to this."

I froze, staring at him in disbelief.

"What did you just say?"

He cradled my face in his hands, his eyes full of tender affection.

"Sweetheart, I need real feedback to design better pieces."

"I don't want you to suffer, and I need this for work, so..."

I blinked rapidly, forcing back the sting of tears.

"If she's going to replace me, then she can have the title of Mrs. Gilbert too."

The moment those words left my mouth, Faye's eyes lit up.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Caleb cut her off. "Go get dressed."

After Faye left, he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Sweetheart, don't talk nonsense. Faye is only replacing one small part of what you do. We've depended on each other since we were kids. You'll always be my one and only Mrs. Gilbert."

The absurdity of it crashed over me like a wave.

We'd grown up together in an orphanage, built everything from nothing until his name was known everywhere. I'd been by his side through all of it. He'd promised he would never betray me.

And now, in the same breath that he spoke of how we'd always had each other, he was doing exactly that.

Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them.

Caleb gently wiped them away.

"Sweetheart, I know this is hard for you, but you have to see things from my side."

"I'm a man, and I'm a designer. I need real experience and real feedback. You can't even be touched. What normal man could live with that?"

I couldn't hold back the sob that tore from my throat.

"Caleb Gilbert, you bastard. You know exactly why I have this condition."

Five years ago, before a major international competition, someone had tried to kidnap Caleb.

I'd thrown myself in front of him, shielding him with everything I had. I was the one they took instead.

Those men had brutalized my upper body, one after another, leaving me with crippling trauma that never healed.

A flicker of guilt crossed his face, gone almost as quickly as it appeared.

"Fine, I'm a bastard. But I gave up that competition to save you. I've put up with this for years. You should be grateful."

I unclenched my fingers from where they'd been digging into my palms and slapped him across the face as hard as I could.

He didn't dodge. The red mark bloomed instantly.

He didn't lose his temper. He just caught my hand and held it. "If it makes you feel better, hit me as much as you want. But once you're done, let's stop fighting about this."

I opened my mouth, about to speak.

The sharp click of heels echoed down the hall.

"Caleb, this vintage gown has such beautiful fabric. I want to take it apart and use it as lining for a new lingerie design."

Faye Snow walked out wearing a pale ivory vintage gown.

The moment I recognized it, I rushed toward her. "Take it off. Now."

That gown was a wedding gift, hand-sewn for me by Mrs. Whitmore, the late director of the orphanage who had raised us both.

Faye stepped back. "I'm not taking it off. Caleb said I could try on whatever I wanted."

I reached for the collar of the gown, but the instant before my fingers made contact, a sharp sting pierced my chest.

Faye had a pin hidden between her fingers. She drove it into my skin and yanked it out, pressing down hard on the spot for good measure.

Then she clutched her own chest and crumpled to the floor, pointing at the pin on the ground and shrieking, "Sophie, if you didn't want me to have it, you could've just said so! Why would you stab me with a needle?"

Caleb's expression darkened. He rushed over and pulled Faye to her feet. "Faye, are you okay?"

The searing pain and the flood of visceral, uncontrollable anguish hit me all at once. I curled in on myself, unable to stop the tears from pouring down my face.

I tried to reach for my medication, but Faye grabbed my arm and held me back.

"I didn't even touch you! You're the one who hurt me. Why are you playing the victim?"

I shoved her off and stumbled toward the pills.

The second my fingers closed around the bottle, a hand shot out and smashed it to the floor. Pills scattered everywhere.

Caleb stood over me, a vein pulsing at his temple. "Sophie, she didn't lay a finger on you. Cut the act."

Without another word, he scooped Faye into his arms with exaggerated care. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

I grabbed the hem of his pants, my whole body trembling.

"The pills my pills"

He paused and looked down at me, something unreadable shifting behind his eyes.

"Pills? What good are they? You pop them and you're still the same. Can't even handle being touched."

He turned and strode away. His leather shoes ground the scattered tablets into powder.

My vision blurred. I crawled across the floor, fingertips searching for whatever remained, scraping up the crushed powder and licking it off my hands.

I lay there on the cold floor, consciousness fading in and out, but one thought burned with perfect clarity: divorce.

Through the haze, my memory drifted back.

Back then, I was an up-and-coming model, and he was a rising designer. I turned down every high-paying offer that came my way and worked exclusively for him.

Five years ago, on the eve of an international competition, a rival hired thugs to kidnap and destroy Caleb. I threw myself in front of him, shoved him out of the way, and they dragged me into the car instead.

Those men used the most vile methods imaginable to brutalize my upper body.

They sent the footage to Caleb. If he dared compete, the videos would be leaked across the internet.

He withdrew from the competition overnight.

Then he came for me alone, charging in single-handedly. Right in front of my eyes, he burned every tape, every negative, until nothing remained but ash.

In the glow of the flames, he held my shaking body against his. "It's just a competition. You're all I need."

After that, I developed a severe case of trauma-induced chest sensitivity disorder.

Any contact with that part of my body triggered a flood of negative emotions and searing phantom pain. I couldn't stop the tears, and in the worst episodes, the scenes of what they'd done to me would replay in vivid, suffocating detail.

I saw countless doctors. The medication only bought brief windows of numbness.

The night I insisted on breaking up, Caleb jumped into the river right in front of me.

When they pulled him out, his hand was locked around mine in a death grip. "Sophie, I'll die before I let you leave me."

Because of those words, I stayed. Devoted. Unshakable.

But the man who would rather die than lose me was gone now. Completely gone.

The medication took effect, and my breathing steadied.

I pulled out my phone and sent Caleb a message: Let's get a divorce.

Then I dialed an international number.

"Dad. Mom. I'm ready to come home and take over the family business."

Four years ago, my parents had found me and confirmed I was their long-lost daughter. But back then, all I wanted was a quiet life with Caleb, so I refused the inheritance.

Now I saw the truth. I'd given my heart to the wrong person.

I hung up. Caleb's reply popped onto the screen:

Sophie, are you a child? You want a divorce over something this petty?

You're an orphan. You have no one in this world. Without me, where would you go? Who would you turn to? Stop being ridiculous.

Tears welled in my eyes. I didn't reply.

I went to the hospital, then to the consulate to expedite a visa.

By the time I got home, it was the middle of the night.

I went upstairs to pack my bags.

Breathless moans seeped through the crack in the bedroom door.

I raised my phone and aimed it through the gap at the two of them, tangled together.

Faye spotted me and let out a shriek.

Caleb immediately wrapped the blanket around her.

He snatched up a bathrobe, threw it on, and grabbed the phone out of my hands, jabbing furiously at the screen. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

I snatched my phone back. "I sent the divorce papers to your email. Sign them."

Caleb sighed, exasperated. "Stop being angry. Faye's been shouldering your burden. You shouldn't be jealous over nothing."

"I brought you a gift. I was going to give it to you tomorrow..."

"Oh! I'm so sorry." Faye's voice rang out from under the covers in a startled little gasp.

She sat up, a gold-and-gemstone necklace dangling from her neck. "Sophie, I accidentally put on your necklace."

She unclasped the pendant resting against her chest and walked over, reaching to fasten it around my neck. "Please don't be mad. I'm giving it back."

The moment the chain touched my skin, it was still warm from her body heat, slick with her sweat.

Nausea surged through me. I ripped the necklace off and hurled it at her.

She let out a shriek. "Caleb!"

He frowned. "Sophie!"

I backhanded him across the face, then turned and walked out of that revolting place.

Without thinking, my feet carried me to a run-down little apartment.

This was the place we'd rented five years ago, back when our careers were just starting to take off. Later, once the money started coming in, Caleb bought it for me.

I stepped inside. The room was filled with plaster torso casts in various shapes and sizes.

After I got sick, he'd started draping his designs on the casts instead of using live models, so I wouldn't overthink things.

He'd pinned photos of those casts to the top of his social media page with the caption:

My eyes are my measuring tape, and they only measure you.

The whole internet envied me. Some people even started placing bets on how long Caleb could keep it up.

I walked farther in and accidentally knocked into a pile of clutter.

A projector flickered to life.

As the images played, I froze where I stood.

It was Caleb. With different women. Scene after scene after scene.

The plaster casts surrounding me and the bodies moving on the screen blurred together. My fists clenched so tight my nails bit into my palms.

I drew a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm.

Then I sat down at the computer, organized every piece of evidence, and prepared to release it all.

I opened the social media platform and my eyes went wide.

The top trending topic was a public service campaign: "End Violence, Protect Women."

It featured a set of lightly blurred photos and video clips.

They were images of me being assaulted during my kidnapping five years ago.

Faye's face was resolute on camera. "This is my best friend. She survived an unspeakable assault."

"I've helped her move past her fear. The ones who should feel shame are the attackers, not the victim!"

The comments section overflowed with praise for Faye. But even more of them read:

"Link please."

"HD unblurred, DM me."

People were already sending me obscene messages.

My hands shook as I dialed Caleb's number, trembling with fury.

"You told me every copy was destroyed! Why do you still have them?"

"What gave you the right to hand my photos to Faye for a publicity stunt?!"

His tone was matter-of-fact.

"Faye's been getting some bad press lately. A few brands are about to drop her. She needs a positive, charitable image to stabilize things."

"This doesn't just help Faye through a rough patch. It's good for you too. It helps thousands of women like you step out of the shadows."

Before I could respond, a breathy voice cooed from his end of the line. "Caleb..."

He hung up immediately.

I pressed my hand against my chest, gasping for air.

Just then, my phone rang again. It was the chief counsel of Barber Group.

"Miss Barber, our PR team has already mobilized. We will see that justice is done on your behalf, and we will make them pay dearly."

A moment later, another voice came through, low and commanding, carrying the unmistakable weight of a man accustomed to authority.

"Sweetheart, my private jet is about to land. Pull back for now. Your father will handle the rest."

I put on my sunglasses, grabbed my documents, and walked out the door without a shred of hesitation.

I had barely made it downstairs when Caleb appeared, heading straight toward me.

His brow furrowed. "Where do you think you're going? Come back with me."

I didn't respond. I kept walking toward the exit.

He seized my wrist. "Faye is pregnant. You're coming back to take care of her."

I let out a cold laugh. "Her pregnancy is your problem. Why should I take care of her?"

His grip tightened.

"Your body isn't suited for childbirth. I found someone to carry the baby for you. Once it's born, the child will call you its mother. That baby will be your security for the future. Don't you think you should take care of her?"

I wrenched my hand free. "I don't need that. And I'm not going back. Let go of me!"

He flicked his wrist.

Two bodyguards stepped forward and pinned me in place.

I fought with everything I had, but they dragged me back to the Gilbert residence anyway.

Faye watched me come through the door, a smile stretched across her face that never reached her eyes. "Sophie, thank you so much for coming back to take care of me. Caleb says the herbal foot soak you make is the best for warming the body."

Caleb grabbed his coat. "I'm going out to buy things for the baby. Go make a herbal foot soak for Faye."

He shot a look at the bodyguards before leaving.

I refused to move. The bodyguards grabbed my hands and forced me to do it.

Then they glued my hands to the basin and carried it over to Faye for her foot soak.

Faye reached for the basin, leaning close to my ear. "Thank you, Sophie."

The instant her fingers touched the rim, she suddenly thrust her stomach forward into the basin.

The basin was still glued to my hands. Scalding water splashed across the floor. Faye toppled backward, hitting the ground with a shriek.

The front door swung open at that exact moment. Caleb walked in carrying shopping bags.

He saw Faye on the floor, saw the blood, and dropped everything. He rushed to her side. "Faye!"

He spun toward the bodyguards, roaring, "Call 911!"

Faye clutched her stomach, her voice thin and fragile. "Caleb... I only wanted to carry a baby for Sophie out of kindness. How could she..."

I shook my head. "I didn't do it. She threw herself into the basin."

"Enough!"

Caleb's eyes were bloodshot, every vein in his neck straining.

"Who else could it have been? How can you be this vicious? You won't even spare a child? That was your baby too!"

Sirens wailed in the distance. Caleb scooped Faye into his arms and rushed out.

The door locked behind him, trapping me inside.

I used the hot water to soften the glue until my hands separated from the basin.

I tried to escape, but every window had been sealed shut. I had no phone. Bodyguards stood watch outside.

Before long, the door opened.

Caleb walked in.

His shoulders sagged, his face hollowed out with grief. "The baby's gone."

I took a step back until my spine pressed flat against the wall.

Caleb closed the distance in two strides and gripped my shoulders with both hands.

"Sophie, how long are you going to keep this up? Do you need to destroy everything before you're satisfied?"

I met his gaze, unflinching. "I told you it wasn't me."

He exhaled long and heavy, as if making some enormous concession.

"You're going to the hospital to take care of Faye. You'll stay until she recovers. Until she's carrying our next child."

I lowered my eyes. "Fine."

As long as I got out of here, I would have a chance to run.

At the hospital, Faye scrawled two full pages of ridiculous items for me to buy.

Caleb handed me a thick stack of cash and added with tender concern, "Sweetheart, be careful out there. Get everything and come straight back. Don't make me worry."

Then he nodded to the bodyguard. "Keep my wife safe."

Watching that lovingly devoted act of his made my stomach turn.

I gave a small nod and left.

While shopping, I slipped away long enough to buy a powerful sedative. Later, during a rest break, I crushed it into the bodyguards' water when they weren't looking.

I watched both of them slump over in their chairs, out cold. Then I pulled my hat low over my eyes and slipped into a narrow alley, disappearing into the crowd.

But as I cut through the narrow alley, three hulking figures stepped out to block my path.

The same three men who had kidnapped me five years ago.

My heart seized. I spun to run, only to find the other end of the alley sealed off.

The ringleader licked his lips.

"Well, well. Long time no see, sweetheart."

"Someone paid top dollar for us to take you on another little trip down memory lane..."

I forced myself to stay calm and tried to negotiate.

"I'm the lost heiress of Barber Group. Let me go, and I'll pay you whatever you want."

They exchanged glances, then burst out laughing.

"You're the Barber heiress? And I'm the CEO of Barber Group! Come here, little princess. Let me take real good care of you."

He lunged at me, tearing at my clothes.

I kicked and screamed, thrashing with everything I had. "I really am the Barber heiress! You have no idea what you're"

Crack!

A vicious slap sent my skull ringing, black spots swimming across my vision.

They closed in.

I shoved against them with both arms pressed to my chest, but two of the men seized me and slammed me against the wall, pinning me there.

The trauma hit all at once.

Tears poured down my face. Pain tore through every nerve. The memories of what they'd done to me five years ago came flooding back in vivid, sickening detail, and I screamed and sobbed until my throat was raw.

"Look at that, she's having one of her episodes. Listen to her scream!"

They laughed, excited, ripping at my clothes while I thrashed.

I tried to scream again, but all that came out was a shredded whisper. "Stop... get off me..."

Their filthy hands crept closer, about to cross the last line.

Bang! !

An SUV came barreling into the narrow alley and plowed straight into the ringleader, launching him off his feet.

"Get your hands off her, you animals!!"

A roar of pure, volcanic fury shattered the air.

A coat settled around my trembling shoulders, carrying the cool, clean scent of cedarwood.

I looked up.

It was him.