Erasing My Life to Save Your Lover

I finally brought my wife's first love back from a Middle Eastern war zone after three years of hell.

When the helicopter touched down on the Leigh family's private helipad, everyone was stunned into silence.

Seraphina Leigh looked at me with a mix of shock and pure ecstasy, asking me how the hell I pulled it off.

She had spent a fortune and used every connection she had, yet the government never granted her the clearance to bring him home.

I simply smiled and didn't say a word.

She had no idea that I traded my entire existenceDagreeing to join a top-secret, classified research projectDjust to buy him a ticket back to the States.

From this day forward, my identity would be erased, and I would be sent to a remote facility in the Nevada desert.

I would never see her again.

1.

"Mr. Reed, please settle all your affairs within three days. Headquarters will send a car to transport you to the Nevada facility then."

After giving my confirmation, I started packing the few things I actually owned.

Looking around the house I'd lived in for eight years, I didn't feel sad about leaving. Instead, I felt a strange, liberating sense of relief.

The wedding photo that once hung in the living room had been replaced by a shot of Seraphina and Weston Sterling the moment he got back.

Matching couple's outfits, matching mugs, matching towels

Everything had been swapped out for Weston's stuff.

You couldn't find a single trace of my existence in this house anymore.

I still remember our wedding day. Seraphina's eyes were sparkling as she told me,

"Kaelen, this home will be a record of every moment we're in love."

Back then, her eyes were full of hope for our future. She never imagined this house would become a shrine to her and Weston instead.

In the middle of the night, I got a text from her. I could practically hear her impatient tone through the screen.

[Get over here. We need to talk.]

She attached a location for a high-end lounge downtown.

It was rare for her to reach out first, but I didn't feel the usual spark of excitement. My heart stayed cold.

After hesitating for a moment, I got up and got dressed.

When my Uber pulled up to the lounge, the scene inside was exactly what I expected. Seraphina was draped over Weston, kissing him with a passion that suggested they couldn't wait to get a room.

Her group of friends immediately turned their mocking gazes toward me.

"Kaelen Reed, are you Seraphina's lapdog or something? One text and you come running."

"What do you call this? The 'official husband' having a big heart?"

In eight years of marriage, Seraphina's friends had always looked down on me. Every meeting was an exercise in sharp-tongued ridicule.

And Seraphina never once stood up for me.

She finally pulled away from Weston amidst the cheering, but she didn't get off his lap. She just squinted at me with a lazy, bored expression.

"Weston says he wants to thank you in person."

Weston picked up a glass of whiskey and held it out to me.

There wasn't a hint of gratitude on his face. Only the smug, condescending sneer of a victor.

"Kaelen, thanks for getting me out of that hellhole. I'm toasting to you. Don't embarrass me in front of everyone by refusing."

I didn't take the glass. I just looked at Seraphina, my face like stone.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?"

She clicked her tongue in annoyance, not even bothering to answer my question. Her brows furrowed with displeasure.

"Weston is offering you a drink. Are you blind?"

"Stop being dramatic. Drink it, and then maybe you'll be worth talking to."

The icy temperature of the glass and Seraphina's freezing attitude collided in my chest. My heart felt like it had been shattered into a thousand pieces.

She knew better than anyone that I had been forced to drink and then was mistreated by a group of thugs years ago. I still had the psychological scars.

Back then, she had held me while I cried, telling me how much she hurt for me.

She had promised she would never force me to do anything I didn't want to do ever again.

Under the weight of their insults, I trembled as I downed the glass in one go.

"Now tell me. What is this really about?"

I forced myself to stay steady, trying to keep some shred of dignity.

Weston let out a mocking chuckle and wrapped his arm around Seraphina's waist.

"I just told her I was bored and wanted some entertainment. Kaelen, you have no idea how pathetic you look when you're forced to do something."

"It's almost sad. Too bad Seraphina doesn't fall for your act anymore."

Seraphina didn't even give me a second glance. She leaned in and kissed Weston's cheek, murmuring sweetly,

"I only care about you."

Someone nearby laughed and leaned in.

"Seraphina, tell usDwhich one of them is better in bed?"

"Please, he can't even hold a candle to Weston."

Seraphina finally looked at me again, but her eyes were full of nothing but mockery and disdain.

I didn't even feel angry. Just hollow.

I clenched my fists until my knuckles popped, the pain barely registering against the ache in my chest.

I turned and walked away, unable to listen to another word of their humiliation. The moment I stepped out of the bar, the tears started falling.

I wiped them away quickly, grateful for the dim streetlights. I didn't want her to see me cry.

She'd just think I was still in love with her and mock my desperation.

These tears weren't for her. They were for the version of me that had sacrificed everything for a woman who never cared.

2.

The next morning, the entire city was buzzing with the news. The young CEO of the Leigh Group had been reunited with her long-lost first love.

Giant LED billboards over Times Square were plastered with photos of Seraphina and Weston looking head-over-heels.

People stopped in the streets to gush about how perfect they looked together and how romantic Seraphina's devotion was.

I walked through the crowd, listening to the strangers' blessings, and felt a lump in my throat.

When Seraphina and I first started dating, I posted a photo of us on my social media.

She called me immediately and screamed at me until I was deaf.

"Kaelen Reed! Do you have any idea what my status is? Do you know what kind of rumors this will start?! My competitors will laugh me out of the boardroom!"

I swallowed my pride and deleted every trace of her from my digital life. I never posted another photo.

We didn't even have a wedding. She said she didn't want the media digging into her private life.

Our wedding photos were hidden in a dusty guest room because she didn't want her friends to see them.

But her office desk always had a framed photo of Weston.

Whenever I brought it up, she would just give me a cold, hard look.

"Kaelen, don't forget who gave you everything you have today."

She was right.

Back in college, when I was trying to launch my tech startup and every investor turned me down, Seraphina was the only one who held out a hand.

She wrote me a five-million-dollar check without blinking.

"I believe in this project," she had said casually. "Just do your best. If it fails, consider it a learning experience for me."

When I was at my lowest, she was my only hope.

But that hope had become a cage that kept me trapped by her side for years.

Looking up at that massive billboard now, I realized the dream was finally over.

Helping her bring Weston back was my final payment. I had settled my debt to her.

This was the last thing I would ever do for her.

3.

I ran into Weston at the office around noon.

He strolled up to my desk with a smug grin, looking like he owned the place.

"Kaelen, do you want to know what Seraphina told me in bed last night? She said she's been bored to death by how stiff and unromantic you are. Only I know how to give her what she really wants."

"Don't think you can just sit in that 'CEO's Husband' chair forever. Sooner or later, Seraphina is going to kick you to the curb and marry me."

He watched my face closely, waiting for a breakdown. He looked disappointed when I didn't even flinch.

I reached into my drawer, pulled out the divorce papers, and handed them to him with a calm smile.

"If you can get her to sign these, the chair is all yours."

He stared at the papers, confused and suspicious.

"What kind of game are you playing? I don't believe for a second you'd give up this life so easily."

Even as he said it, he tucked the papers into a pile of business documents, planning to trick Seraphina into signing them.

I checked my watch. My heart felt heavy, but steady.

I had twenty-four hours left.

Resigning was easy. Everyone at the office assumed Seraphina had finally fired me. I finished the paperwork in minutes.

A colleague I was somewhat close to invited me out for a quick farewell lunch.

Right next to the restaurant was a high-end baby boutique. Through the window, I saw Seraphina.

She was leaning on Weston's arm, looking radiant, telling the clerk she wanted the absolute best of everything for her baby.

My colleague nudged my arm and sighed.

"The boss is already a month along. Don't take it too hard, Kaelen. Everyone knows she's been waiting for him for years. It makes sense she'd want to start a family right away."

I let out a bitter, silent laugh.

Before we got married, Seraphina had insisted I get a vasectomy.

She told me she hated children. She said she didn't have the patience or the energy to raise a kid.

Because I loved her and respected her, I went to the clinic without a single hesitation.

And now, eight years later, someone was telling me she was pregnant.

She couldn't wait to carry a child for the man she actually loved.

I felt like a pathetic clown, a joke of a man who had sacrificed his own future for a lie.

Before I could turn away, Weston caught my eye. He walked toward me, looking down his nose at me.

"Actually, Kaelen, I changed my mind. I don't want you to divorce Seraphina yet."

"Raising a kid is a lot of work. I think you'd make an excellent nanny for our baby. I'm sure you'd be happy to help, right?"

I flashed him a cold, mocking smile.

"Too bad for you. It's not your choice anymore."

"Oh? Well, let's see if Seraphina agrees with me."

He started to call out to her, and I immediately turned to leave.

I didn't want any more drama. I just wanted to disappear quietly.

But luck wasn't on my side.

Seraphina's voice, cold as ice, stopped me in my tracks.

"Kaelen Reed! How many times do I have to tell you? Show some damn respect to Weston! Why the hell are you making that face?"

I stopped, feeling the absurdity of it all.

Even with my back turned, I was wrong. As long as Weston was involved, even my breathing was an offense.

Weston played the martyr, acting like the bigger man.

"It's okay, Seraphina. Don't be hard on him. My suggestion was a bit much, and it clearly upset him."

Seraphina asked him what he meant. When he told her, she actually nodded.

She stepped forward and blocked my path, looking annoyed.

"You heard him. Go home and draft an agreement. You'll be responsible for raising our child. Do you understand?"

My shoulders shook with a silent, helpless tremor. Of course she would agree to his insane demands.

I nodded slowly. "Fine," I whispered.

A look of surprise flashed across Seraphina's face. Her cold expression thawed slightly, and she actually reached out to pat my head like I was a good dog.

"See? That's better. The CEO's husband needs to have some class."

Her voice grew uncharacteristically soft. She looked at me with something almost like affection, maybe even pity.

"I had a designer make those matching rings you liked. Tomorrow is our eighth anniversary. I'll put it on your finger myself."

"And don't worry about cooking tonight. I'll pick you up after we're done shopping and take you out to dinner."

Playing the obedient husband was easier this time because I knew it was the last time. I just nodded again.

She walked away, satisfied, telling me to wait for her at home.

The moment she was gone, I went home, packed my final bag, and boarded the helicopter waiting for me.

I signed the papers to erase my identity without a single regret.

4.

On the way home, they passed a high-end French bistro. A red light gave Seraphina a moment to think.

She vaguely remembered that every year on their anniversary, Kaelen would book a table here.

But she was always too busy. Most of the time, she never showed up.

Lately, it had been all about Weston.

A sudden pang of guilt hit her chest.

She took a deep breath and looked at Weston.

"Kaelen's been a lot more cooperative lately. I think I'll give him a real wedding tomorrow. It's been his dream for years."

She didn't notice Weston's face turning pale with rage.

"You should apologize to him tomorrow. We've been a bit hard on him lately. I want to treat him better from now on."

For some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about the look in Kaelen's eyesDstubborn, yet full of love.

When the car reached the house, she hurried inside, eager to tell Kaelen the news about the wedding.

But the house was silent. Kaelen was nowhere to be found. She started frantically calling her security team to track him down.

Just as she was about to spiral, she saw a document on the coffee table.

It was the divorce agreement. Kaelen had already signed it.