Seven Years a Shadow: The Stand-In's Escape novel Chapter 35

On my wedding day, Marcus Grayson's long-lost love returned from the dead.

He forced me to listen to their nightly entanglements, indulged her as she shattered my grandmother's heirloom, and let her poison the child I had yet to bring into this world.

Gripping my chin, he warned me, "A substitute should know her place."

Later, I became the true heiress of the richest family in River City.

Yet, on a stormy night, he knelt in the pouring rain, crying and begging, swearing that he had only ever loved me.

I felt nothing but disgust.

Marcus, you brought this upon yourself.

On the day of my wedding with Marcus, his long-lost love, who was supposed to be dead, suddenly appeared.

Her name was Anna Oakley. Five years ago, she was in a car accident and fell off a cliff, vanishing without a trace.

It was my first time seeing her.

She sat in a wheelchair without saying a word, her stubborn eyes locked onto Marcus and me.

Marcus, who had always been cold and reserved, lost control in an instant. Ignoring everything, he rushed down from the stage, kneeling beside her and asking over and over again, "Anna, is it really you?"

I was the only one left, standing alone at the center of the stage, watching this ridiculous spectacle like a clown.

As expected, the wedding was canceled.

But what I didn't expect was that Marcus pushed Anna, still in her wheelchair, straight back to the Grayson Family's home.

Anna's features bore an uncanny resemblance to mine—at least eighty percent similar. The moment she saw me, she smiled.

"Marcus, don't tell me you found a woman who looks like me to be my substitute?"

Her watery eyes glanced at me, as if she were casually discussing a pet with him.

"I had your old room cleaned up again, Anna. Let me take you upstairs."

Marcus acted as if I didn't exist, pushing her past me without a second glance.

"Marcus!" My voice trembled with suppressed emotions as I tried to demand an explanation.

He paused for a moment but never stopped walking.

I suddenly remembered the first time he brought me home. I had curiously looked around, and he had lovingly patted my head.

"After we get married, this whole house will be yours."

As we passed a locked bedroom, I had asked why it was locked.

He didn't answer. Instead, he held my hand and said, "Just don't go in there."

No reason.

Now I understood—that room had always belonged to Anna.

The next day, the news exploded on social media:

#Mr. Grayson's First Love and His Unforgettable Obsession

Marcus publicly responded: "It's just a misunderstanding. There won't be a divorce."

"Anna, do you really think he loves you?"

"Is it guilt or love? You know better than I do."

Silence.

I walked away without waiting for a response.

I had been an orphan since childhood.

I never knew my parents—Grandma told me they passed away when I was very young. She raised me all on her own.

Life had been tough but manageable—until five years ago, when Grandma suddenly fell ill.

To pay for her expensive treatments, I took on multiple part-time jobs.

I met Marcus for the first time while working as a lounge singer in an upscale bar.

That night, he wore a loose white shirt, reclining lazily on the sofa, his long legs crossed in a casual manner.

After my performance, he called out to me, "What's your name?"

His deep, magnetic voice sent a shiver down my spine.

The crowd around us erupted in teasing laughter as he strode toward me, his tall frame looming over mine.

I straightened my back, mustering my courage to meet his dark, unreadable gaze.

"Clara... Clara Hope."