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

Adrian Preston held out his hand. His knuckles were well-defined, his palm broad.

Hearing his voice, Mia Kane froze, unable to move.

Just then, the punk, emboldened by alcohol, ran over. "Are you blind? Didn’t you see me? Believe it or not, I’ll fuck you up..."

Adrian Preston said nothing. He simply gave her the umbrella, then subdued the punk in a single move. He took out his phone and made a call. Officers from a nearby police station arrived almost immediately.

"This man was harassing a woman. He’s probably a repeat offender. Take him in, detain him, and give him a warning."

"Yes, sir. We’ll take him in and handle it."

The officers were very polite to him and they quickly took the man away.

Logically, Mia Kane should have taken this chance to run for it. But her legs wouldn’t obey, and she remained frozen to the spot.

"Let me take you home?"

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"A high school classmate of Chase Lockwood’s. We used to be very close. Now, I’m retired and unemployed."

"You used to be a cop?"

Adrian Preston nodded.

Mia Kane was surprised. So he’s not one of the vicious kidnappers, then? There were plenty of people in the world with similar-sounding voices. She was just once bitten, twice shy.

"The rain’s too heavy. Let me take you home. It’s not safe for you to be alone."

Mia Kane wanted to refuse, but after what had just happened, she had no choice but to get in the car.

Adrian Preston had a cold, detached air and seemed to keep others at a distance. He didn’t say a word after she got in the car, but he did give her a blanket and a bottle of water.

He dropped her off at Lockwood Manor and left. Mia Kane stared at the place she had called home for three years, her heart feeling as if it were being squeezed to the point of suffocation by an invisible hand.

Three years ago, the Kane family had gone bankrupt. With her parents on the verge of imprisonment, she’d desperately tried to raise money, even considering selling her body.

Her first client at a nightclub was Chase Lockwood.

She had been so scared she’d burst into tears. But Chase Lockwood was incredibly gentle and considerate. After learning of her plight, he not only saved her parents but also gave her a large sum of money to help her father’s business get back on its feet.

She fell in love with Chase Lockwood, completely and utterly devoted.

Chase Lockwood treated her wonderfully. They were like any couple madly in love, going on dates, out to dinner, and to the movies.

But he was conservative and never crossed the line with her. He had told her, "Mia, I want to be the one to take off your wedding dress on our wedding night."

In that moment, she felt like she had the whole world.

She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have found such a perfect man who treated her like a priceless treasure.

Chase Lockwood never publicly acknowledged their relationship. He would say, "With my status, there are too many people who want me dead. If they found out about us, I’m afraid they’d come after you. How could I bear to let you suffer even the slightest harm?"

She believed him.

But in the end, it was all a joke.

She was just a stand-in. He had never loved her!

She ordered takeout, buying a morning-after pill and some topical ointment for her injuries.

After packing her bags, she went to wash up, wanting to scrub away the scent of another man from her body. She looked at her wretched reflection in the mirror—at the crisscrossing cuts and the hickeys covering her skin.

She squeezed her eyes shut in anguish. Was it worth it? Submitting to the kidnappers’ leader just to survive, just to see Chase Lockwood’s true colors?

She emerged in a bathrobe, planning to apply her medicine, get dressed, and leave. Unexpectedly, the door swung open, and a drunk Chase Lockwood stumbled in.

Seeing her, he was clearly displeased. "Why haven’t you left yet..."

His voice trailed off abruptly.

The drunk man suddenly seemed to sober up. The corners of his eyes were red as he strode forward in a rage.

Mia Kane hastily pulled her robe tight, trying to avoid being exposed. But the next second, Chase Lockwood ripped open her collar and roared, "What is this?"

He stared at the hickeys on her chest, his eyes wide with fury.

Mia Kane let out a laugh, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "Chase Lockwood, what do you think a group of kidnappers would do to a woman who fell into their hands?"

"Impossible. I warned them. They wouldn’t touch you."

"You actually believed a bunch of outlaws! Believed they wouldn’t defile me!"

Mia Kane found it utterly laughable.

She was just his secret lover. With Chase Lockwood taking so long to show up, how could those kidnappers possibly have let her be?

"Who touched you? Was it one of them, or all of them? You bitch, don’t you know how to die? You could have slammed your head against a pillar! Slit your wrists! Jumped into the sea! Anything! But you chose to live and disgrace me!"

Mia Kane froze.

She had thought his possessiveness meant he still had some affection for her. But now she understood. He saw her as his property, and by submitting to the kidnappers to stay alive, she had brought him shame.

Her life was worth less than his pride!

In that instant, her heart ached so much it was hard to breathe.

"What if it were your precious Vivian who fell into the kidnappers’ hands? If she had to submit to them to survive, would you also want her to slam her head against a pillar, slit her wrists, or jump into the sea..."

SLAP—

Before she could finish, Chase Lockwood struck her across the face, leaving her stunned. She saw stars, her cheek burning as her head snapped to the side.

"How dare you curse her?"

Mia Kane’s heart died completely.

His Vivian can’t endure something so horrible, but she can. Is that it?

She didn’t know where the strength came from, but she shoved Chase Lockwood away.

"Chase Lockwood, we’re through. I bless you with infertility, and may your house be full of children and grandchildren!"

With that, she turned to leave.

"Stop right there! You can go, but you’ll leave your things behind. Everything I bought for you stays!"

Mia Kane stopped dead in her tracks. Her suitcase didn’t contain anything valuable, just her everyday clothes. Chase Lockwood had bought them all for her. Forcing her to leave them behind now... wasn’t that the same as telling her to walk out naked?

Gritting her teeth, Mia Kane took out her phone and ordered a courier.

"Once my clothes arrive, I’ll..."

"Now. Strip for me!"

Chase Lockwood turned, his gaze sinister and terrifying.

The man who had once been as warm to her as a spring breeze had become a malevolent specter.

"Chase Lockwood..."

"Of course, you could also beg me."

Chase Lockwood looked down on her with contempt, like a lofty monarch. She had always been obedient, always catering to his every whim. She should know what to do now.

Mia Kane bit her lip so hard it bled. The sickly sweet, metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, making her stomach churn. Her face was as pale as paper, but her fingers slowly began to undo her robe.

Thankfully, her underwear was her own.

Her broken, violated body was exposed to Chase Lockwood’s eyes. The rage that Chase Lockwood had just managed to suppress flared up once more. He never imagined there would be so many.

How many men did she submit to? And for how long did they pleasure her?

The woman he hadn’t touched in three years... he could choose not to touch her, he could even throw her away. But no one else was allowed to pick her up, or to touch her!

"Mia Kane, you deserve to die," Chase Lockwood cursed as he strode forward. She tried to dodge, but it was too late.

Chase Lockwood grabbed her chin and moved in to kiss her, but to his surprise, Mia Kane turned her head away in disgust.

Chase Lockwood was furious. "What, they can kiss you, but I can’t? Where did they touch you? Like this? Did they touch you here? Right?"

His hands traveled down her body, growing more and more licentious.

At that moment, Mia Kane actually felt that submitting to the kidnapper’s leader wasn’t so disgusting after all. Being with Chase Lockwood—that was what felt truly vile!

She struggled with all her might, but the strength difference between a man and a woman was too great. He threw her onto the bed.

"Why do you let other men touch you, but play the chaste maiden with me? I’m going to have you tonight. What can you do about it..."

Before he could finish, Chase Lockwood’s pupils contracted.

DRIP. DRIP.

A warm liquid trickled down.

Mia Kane had actually grabbed the vase from the nightstand and smashed it over the back of his head.

Chase Lockwood’s lips moved, but it was impossible to know what he wanted to say in his last moment of consciousness.

He passed out.

Mia Kane shoved him off her and frantically put her robe back on. When she reached the ground-floor entrance, she told a servant to go up and check on Chase Lockwood.

She walked out into the night alone, dragging her suitcase, filled with terror and uncertainty.

Suddenly, she saw a car parked at the intersection.

It was Adrian Preston’s car.