Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 1

In the seventh year of her marriage, Summer Vance finally discovered the truth: she was merely a stand-in for Xavier Sterling's first love.

And that first love was none other than his brother's former partner, Lily Sutton.

To make matters worse, Lily was pregnant with his child.

But there was one crucial detail Xavier didn't know—he was sterile.

A cheating scumbag wasn't worth keeping, so Summer decisively brought up divorce.

Xavier, however, refused. Frowning, he demanded in a low voice, "You're asking for a divorce just because I gave Lily a hug? What do you think marriage is? What do you take me for? Summer, you can't just throw a tantrum and treat our marriage like a game just because you know I love you. Don't bring up divorce again. I won't agree to it."

Hah.

He loved her?

What a joke.

A few days ago...

"Xavier, Lily is coming back to the country. Are you still not going to divorce Summer? Don't tell me you actually fell for that stand-in?"

The door to Xavier's office had been left slightly ajar. Hearing her own name, Summer paused, her hand hovering over the handle.

Divorce?

A stand-in?

Before she could process the shock, Xavier's soft scoff drifted from the room. "How could I? The only woman I've ever loved is Lily."

"That's what I thought," replied Julian Hawthorne, Xavier's close friend, his tone dripping with disdain. "Summer is just a glorified bedmate."

She, his lawful wife, was just a stand-in bedmate?

The man who had been tangled in the sheets with her just last night, the man who had tirelessly whispered her name over and over, the man who had breathed sweet declarations of love into her ear.

In this moment, not only did he fail to defend her, but he personally confessed his love for someone else.

Tears welled up in Summer's eyes before she even realized it.

A chilling numbness spread through her veins, leaving her trembling in the quiet hallway.

Back when they first got together, Xavier had pursued her relentlessly.

But Summer had heard rumors about his childhood friend, Lily Sutton.

Lily was the quintessential golden girl—hailing from a good family, breathtakingly beautiful, and incredibly talented.

She was the textbook definition of an unforgettable first love.

Summer was a rational woman; she had no intention of dating or marrying a man who was still hung up on someone else.

So, when Xavier confessed his feelings for the ninety-ninth time, she had asked him directly.

"Xavier, is Lily your first love?"