Chapter 3

The poster's description was brief, but the comment section exploded.

[Substitute bride? Aren't you the one who can't even recognize your own wife? The child is already born and only now you're asking what to do!]

[Besides, if she was a substitute bride, she shouldn't have any feelings for you. You've been married so long---didn't you ever find it strange?]

[Right, love and indifference are pretty easy to tell apart, aren't they?]

The poster, who had been silent the whole time, immediately replied to this comment.

[There's no way my wife doesn't have feelings for me. She loves me very much. If it weren't for my work, she wouldn't want to be apart from me for even a moment.]

[I believe she must have had her reasons for taking her sister's place.]

[Don't talk nonsense and try to drive a wedge between my wife and me.]

The comment section went silent for a long time.

Finally, someone slowly typed out a line.

[...Top-tier lovebrain. I've really seen it all now.]

The poster replied again instantly.

[Lovebrain? My wife does have a bit of that. She's beautiful and naive. I often worry about her being deceived by others outside.]

The comment section completely erupted.

[?? Mind-blowing... Are you sure the lovebrain is your wife?]

[It's obvious who the real lovebrain is! But since you posted this, you must want a solution.]

[Right, when it comes down to it, you were still deceived all these years.]

[Deception is poison to a marriage! You must divorce her and make her pay!]

This time, the poster stayed silent for a moment before replying.

[Divorce? That's not necessary... but punishment is still in order.]

After posting that response, no matter how much the comment section goaded him, the poster never replied again.

Looking at the poster's tone, I unconsciously bit my lip.

A ridiculous thought suddenly formed in my mind.

Both involved arranged marriages, both involved substitute brides, and this poster's word choices felt strangely familiar.

Could this post have been made by Holden?

At that thought, I immediately stood up.

I carefully pushed open the bedroom door. The room was very dark, and Holden was still sleeping.

Biting my lip, to completely dispel my concerns, I walked to Holden's bedside and picked up his phone.

In five years of marriage, I'd never checked Holden's phone. After all, he was famously aloof and self-controlled, never getting close to women.

Recalling the few passwords he commonly used, I quickly unlocked the screen.

Before clicking into the app, I hesitated for a few seconds.

The next moment, my wrist was caught.

A man's burning chest pressed against my back, his breath highly aggressive, his voice revealing no emotion.

"Baby, what are you doing?"

I bit my lip hard. My thoughts raced. In my panic, my mouth found an excuse without my control.

"My... my phone died, so I'm borrowing yours."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

What a terrible excuse. As if Holden would believe it.

Unexpectedly, the man was silent for a long time but ultimately said nothing, as if accepting my explanation.

Back in bed, my thoughts couldn't settle for a long time.

I didn't tell Holden that just before he woke up, his phone had received a notification.

It was a new comment from the forum.

[Why hasn't the poster replied? You still haven't said how you're going to punish your wife. You're not really going to divorce her, are you?]

So that poster really was Holden.

Not only did he know I'd deceived him by taking my sister's place, he was also planning to punish me for the deception.

Recalling how the business world had described Holden over the years---vengeful and ruthless---I couldn't help but shiver.

I was done for. I wouldn't survive tomorrow.