Chapter 17
This was the third time Shane noticed Lina’s unusual interest in Chase Industries.
Standing at the study doorway, he observed her slender silhouette rigid beneath the desk lamp, her pen slashing decisive marks across the paper–it didn’t resemble data analysis so much as the methodical dissection of an enemy.
“Looking at Chase reports again?” Shane entered with hot milk, deliberately making his footsteps audible.
Lina’s fingers imperceptibly trembled before quickly closing the folder. “Routine analysis,” she accepted the milk, her lips curving into a perfect arc. “Just getting acquainted with future competitors.”
Shane didn’t expose her lie.
For three months, she had studied Chase Industries with frequency far exceeding any other company, sometimes working until dawn. Yet whenever he inquired, she swiftly changed the subject, especially after that one–sided encounter in Paris.
“Don’t stay up too late,” he finally said, setting down the mug. “We have an early meeting tomorrow.”
Lina nodded, though her gaze had already returned to the documents.
As Shane closed the study door, he heard the pen resuming its scratching against paper, like the physical manifestation of an obsession.
At 3:17 AM, a piercing scream shattered the mansion’s silence.
Shane leapt from bed, medical instincts instantly clearing his mind–the sound came from Lina’s bedroom.
He rushed over without even donning slippers.
Pushing open the door, the sight before him made his heart clench.
Lina was curled in the corner between headboard and wall, her hands fiercely clutching her own throat, her face paper–white.
Her nightgown was soaked with cold sweat, clinging to her thin back, her entire body shaking like a leaf in the wind.
Most alarming were her eyes–pupils dilated, gaze unfocused, as if witnessing some horrific scene not present in the
room.
“Lina!” Shane knelt before her, careful not to touch her suddenly. “Look at me. Can you hear my voice?”
But no response.
Lina’s breathing grew increasingly rapid, her lips turning bluish–acute PTSD episode.
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Just a Stand In?! My Billionaire Hubb’s OTHER Wife
17.34
Chapter 18
Chapter 18
“First, water rushes into your nose–burning like fire,” Lina’s voice was soft, as if telling someone else’s story. “Then your lungs spasm, trying to breathe but only drawing in more water. The worst part is…” she raised her eyes, “feeling your life slipping away while being completely powerless.”
Shane noticed her left ring finger’s unnatural twist–the inevitable deformity left by a fracture that hadn’t received proper medical treatment.
“I dreamed…” Lina suddenly stood, walking to the desk and extracting a manila envelope from the bottom drawer.
“You should see this.”
Shane accepted the heavy envelope, emptying its contents–photographs, medical records, and… a coffee–stained marriage certificate photocopy.
“So this was your original…” Shane’s words died on his lips, shocked by what lay before him.
Lina sprawled in a pool of blood, a ghastly forehead wound, the carpet beneath her stained dark red. The medical report listed: [Three fractured ribs, right index finger comminuted fracture, pulmonary effusion…]
“This is…”
“Dominic Chase’s handiwork,” Lina’s voice was unnervingly calm. “He was my ex–husband…”
She paused briefly, then shifted her gaze to the marriage certificate: “No, we actually had no relationship at all.”
She laughed bitterly. “He thought the person in the sack was a thug who’d hurt his wife, but inside was… me.”
Shane turned to the next page, seeing surveillance screenshots—a tall man repeatedly pushing a bagged figure into a pool, while a beautiful young woman stood nearby, smiling.
“Stella Reed,” Lina pointed to the woman. “His legal wife. And I… was just a joke.”
Shane finally understood her obsession with Chase Industries. This wasn’t ordinary business competition but bone–deep hatred.
‘So you want to destroy him.” He stated with absolute certainty.
Lina walked to the window, her shadow stretching long in the moonlight.
‘I want him to taste complete emptiness,” her fingers lightly traced the glass. “Losing his company, his reputation, losing…”
Her voice abruptly halted.
Shane stood behind her, not touching, simply present.
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Just a Stand–In?! My Billionaire Hubby’s OTHER Wife…
13.3
Chapter 18
He spoke softly, “Revenge won’t bring true peace.”
“Then what will?” Lina suddenly turned, dark fire burning in her eyes. “Forgiveness? Forgetting?”
She yanked open her nightgown collar, revealing a horrific scar below her collarbone: “He gave me this with an iron rod! Ninety–nine blows, counted precisely!”
Shane stared at the scar, then suddenly pulled her into his arms. Lina stiffened momentarily before collapsing against his chest, all strength deserting her.
“I’m not trying to stop you,” Shane’s chin rested on her head. “I just don’t want to see you consumed by hatred.”
He gently held her misshapen finger: “These injuries… they shouldn’t define your life.”
Lina didn’t answer, but Shane felt his shirt growing damp.
Outside, the sky began lightening.
Looking at the woman finally calming in his arms, Shane made a decision.
“Show me your plan,” he said. “Every detail.”
Lina looked up, surprise flashing in her swollen eyes.
“If this will help you truly move on and start fresh,” Shane wiped the tears from her face, “I’ll help you.”
As the first ray of sunlight filtered through the curtains, Lina was explaining her acquisition strategy for Chase
Industries to Shane, pointing at the shareholder structure diagram.
Her voice remained hoarse, but her eyes had regained clarity.
Sunlight fell across the scattered documents, illuminating the ruined marriage certificate. Lina stared at it briefly, then casually tossed it into the wastebasket.
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