Using Me as a Substitute? Did You Know Your Best Friend Calls Me Wife?

Owen Sinclair spoke, enunciating each word. Mia Kane found herself unable to refute his point.

Even though she knew she was innocent, Vivian Lynch’s scheme had made her imprisonment a foregone conclusion.

If Adrian Preston hadn’t intervened, she would have been finished long ago.

"Owen, what’s all this? Didn’t you leave?"

"Who said I left? Didn’t I tell you? I was just taking a few days off. Since I couldn’t help with getting you out, I decided to stabilize the company for you first."

"I wasn’t idle during my time off. I went back to our alma mater to give a lecture and ’tricked’ a bunch of people into joining us. For now, we’ve completely dissociated the studio from the toxic fabric incident. If we manage things carefully from here on out, we can definitely make a comeback."

"Owen..."

’So I was the only one being narrow-minded.’

’I thought Owen and I couldn’t even be friends anymore.’

Owen Sinclair smiled. "I’m not that petty. We’re still partners, and I’m still your senior. Let’s... just go back to how we were before, okay?"

Mia Kane nodded emphatically.

"Thank you, Owen."

"For now, just get some proper rest. Take a real vacation. I can handle things here."

Owen Sinclair knew she had just survived a major ordeal and a subsequent illness, and her body was only just now recovering.

He couldn’t bear to see her overwork herself and insisted she rest.

Mia Kane had originally intended to come back and handle things, but Owen Sinclair had everything running so smoothly that she wasn’t needed.

As soon as she got downstairs, she was surprised to find Chase Lockwood’s car parked behind hers.

He was leaning against the car door, clearly waiting for her.

"What is it?"

"Grandma moved back in with my uncle."

"Hm? Grandma’s coming back?"

Mia Kane was a little surprised.

"There’s going to be a family dinner. Grandma wants you to come." He hesitated for a moment, pressing his lips together before speaking.

’Grandma actually made me come and say this in person, even though Mia and I are in such an awkward situation right now. I’d harbored romantic feelings for her before. When Vivian Lynch agreed to let me keep Mia on the side, I was happy, thinking I could have the best of both worlds. But in the blink of an eye, Mia was suspected of causing the death of my son and Vivian’s lifelong infertility. This was my first child. As a father-to-be, I naturally treasured it. Overwhelmed with rage, I hadn’t believed Mia and had only wanted to make her pay. But then, unexpectedly, Rosalyn Shield took all the blame. If Vivian had still insisted that Mia was the one who pushed her, I would have assumed Adrian Preston was deliberately meddling, trying to sacrifice Rosalyn to save Mia. But Vivian had to go and change her story, her words becoming evasive. She said it had been too chaotic at the time and she wasn’t sure what happened. When she woke up and heard Rosalyn’s testimony, she had been predisposed to think Mia pushed her. Her words basically put me on the spot. So, she wasn’t sure. The person involved wasn’t even sure, so on what grounds could I insist that Mia was the culprit? Maybe Vivian’s hand slipped. Maybe she accidentally twisted her ankle. When I remember how I had pointed and roared at Mia, demanding a life for a life, my cheeks burn with shame even now. Adrian Preston had believed her, while I hadn’t given her a single shred of trust.’

"Fine, I’ll go." Mia Kane nodded. "I’ll ask Grandma for the specific time and address myself. Thank you for letting me know, President Lockwood."

’I don’t want anything to do with Chase Lockwood; there’s no need for any further interaction.’

She opened her car door and was about to get in when Chase Lockwood suddenly grabbed her hand.

She tried to struggle, but Chase Lockwood was too strong; she couldn’t break free.

She looked back at him, annoyed, only to see that the corners of his eyes were red.

They were filled with complex emotions as he stared deeply at her.

"You... don’t you have anything you want to say?"

’If she had cursed me out or slapped me a couple of times, that would have been a normal reaction. But instead, she was calm, her words were flat, and her gaze was so indifferent it was startling. The way she looked at me now wasn’t with disgust or disappointment, but with a placid, ripple-free tranquility. It was like she was looking at a stranger.’

"I’m leaving, President Lockwood," she said softly.

’When Vivian Lynch had stormed into my studio, shouting that in ancient times she would have been willing for us both to serve one husband, and that even now she would agree to let him keep me as a mistress on the side... They can degrade themselves all they want, but they shouldn’t come and disgust me. I tried to explain, but those two couldn’t understand reason. Wasn’t I just being a fool trying to communicate with them? Chase Lockwood is just unwilling to let go. Vivian Lynch sees me as a rival and feels she has to compete. But I truly don’t see either of them as anything worth my time.’

"Mia, about that incident..."

’I was wrong...’

The last three words were stuck in his throat, impossible to say.

For a man to cast aside his pride to apologize, to admit he was wrong, is a very cruel thing.

He couldn’t say it, so he could only look at her with hopeful eyes. ’She has to understand,’ he thought. ’After all, it was the pain of losing a child, and Vivian also paid a terrible price. Mia will surely understand, right? She definitely won’t blame me.’

"President Lockwood, if there’s nothing else, I really must be going! If you don’t let go, I’ll pull the surveillance footage and show it to Vivian Lynch. See how you’re getting tangled up with your ex?"

Vivian Lynch had just had a miscarriage, and her hormones were unstable. Not wanting to cause trouble for himself, Chase Lockwood quickly let go of her hand.

She opened the car door to get in, but unexpectedly, Chase Lockwood called out to her again.

"Wait a second."

Mia Kane’s patience had run out.

"I know we can’t hide the fact that Vivian is infertile for life. Adrian Preston will find out, which means you will too. But Vivian just lost the baby, and this has hit her very hard. She’s still in her confinement period. If she finds out she can’t have any more children, I’m afraid her recovery will be even worse."

"I know you resent her, but with what happened with Rosalyn, she’s a victim too. Things were chaotic then. You two were pushing and shoving, and she couldn’t tell what was what. This matter... can we keep it a secret for as long as possible, please?"

"Do you have any idea that if the charges had stuck, I could have been sentenced to over ten years in prison!"

"But you weren’t sentenced, were you? Vivian lost her child and her ability to get pregnant!"

’I’m a victim too! I’ve lost a son, and now my wife is infertile. Who am I supposed to talk to about my own suffering? When you tally it all up, Mia Kane’s losses were the smallest.’

’My head is throbbing. So it’s my fault that they failed to frame me? Am I supposed to turn around and cover for my tormentor? To be considerate of my tormentor’s feelings?’

She looked at Chase Lockwood coldly.

’Does he really love Vivian Lynch that much? Not necessarily. Now that they’re husband and wife, they’re in the same boat; their fates are intertwined. Sometimes, protecting Vivian Lynch is the same as protecting himself. Forget it. There’s no reasoning with him.’

"As long as Vivian Lynch doesn’t cross me, I won’t go out of my way to tell her she’s infertile for life."

"Good. For this family dinner, she’s still in her confinement period, so I won’t have her go."

Not being able to go out during her confinement was a very good excuse.

Mia Kane got in her car, slammed on the gas, and drove off.

As Chase Lockwood watched the car disappear, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

’What if I had never broken up with Mia back then?’