Mia sat in her apartment, watching her phone blow up with notifications. Text messages, calls, social media mentions—everyone was talking about her.
**"Ryan Blake's Secret Wife!"**
**"Billionaire Love Triangle Scandal!"**
**"Pregnant and Deceived: The Maya Alvarez Mystery!"**
The headlines got worse and worse.
Emma sat next to her, reading them out loud. "Oh God, Mia. They're saying terrible things."
Mia felt numb. "Let me see."
Emma hesitated but handed over her tablet.
The comments were brutal:
*"She's obviously a gold digger who tricked him."*
*"Bet she got pregnant on purpose to trap him."*
*"Ryan Blake deserves better than this liar."*
*"She created a fake identity to steal his money!"*
Mia closed the tablet, feeling sick. "They all think I'm a monster."
"They don't know the whole story," Emma said firmly.
"It doesn't matter. The damage is done."
A knock at the door made both women jump.
"Don't answer it," Emma warned. "It could be reporters."
But the knock came again, followed by a familiar voice. "Mia, it's me. Grandpa Samuel. Let me in, dear."
Mia rushed to open the door.
Samuel came in quickly, followed by two large security guards. "These men will stay outside your door. No one gets in without your permission."
"Thank you," Mia said, her voice shaking.
Samuel hugged her gently. "How are you holding up?"
"I've been better," Mia admitted, trying to smile.
"I know who leaked the story," Samuel said, his expression dark.
Mia's eyes widened. "Who?"
"Jessica. Ryan's mother."
Emma gasped. "His own mother?"
"She never wanted this marriage," Samuel explained. "She thought if she exposed everything, Ryan would divorce you immediately and she could find him a 'proper' wife from their social circle."
Mia felt anger rise in her chest. "She doesn't get to decide who Ryan marries."
"No, she doesn't," Samuel agreed. "And Ryan knows what she did. He's furious."
"Where is he?" Mia asked quietly.
Samuel's expression softened. "At his office, dealing with the press. But he asked me to make sure you were safe."
Mia's heart twisted. Even after everything, Ryan was worried about her safety.
"What happens now?" Emma asked.
Before Samuel could answer, all of their phones buzzed at once.
Another news alert.
Samuel looked at his phone and cursed—something Mia had never heard him do before.
"What is it?" Mia asked fearfully.
Samuel turned his phone to show her.
**"BREAKING: Documents Reveal Mia Carter's Marriage to Ryan Blake Was a Scam from the Start!"**
Mia grabbed the phone and read the article. Her hands started shaking.
The article claimed that Mia had planned everything from the beginning. That she'd deliberately put herself in position to "save" Grandpa Samuel, knowing he'd be grateful enough to arrange a marriage to his grandson.
"This is a lie!" Mia said. "I didn't plan anything! I just happened to be there when Grandpa Samuel had his heart attack!"
"I know, dear," Samuel said gently. "But someone has fabricated evidence to make it look planned."
"Who would do this?" Emma demanded.
Samuel's jaw tightened. "I have my suspicions."
---
**At Blake Enterprises...**
Ryan stood in his office, surrounded by his legal team and crisis management experts. Everyone was shouting suggestions at once.
"We need to issue a statement denying everything—"
"No, we should claim it's a private matter—"
"Mr. Blake should do a press conference—"
"ENOUGH!" Ryan roared.
Everyone fell silent.
Ryan's assistant, Tom, stepped forward carefully. "Sir, we need to decide on a strategy. The longer we wait, the worse the speculation gets."
Ryan paced to the window, looking out at the reporters gathered below like vultures.
His phone rang. His mother.
Ryan answered coldly. "What do you want?"
"Ryan, darling, I know you're upset—"
"Upset? You leaked private information to the press! You've destroyed Mia's reputation!"
"I did what was necessary," Jessica said firmly. "That woman deceived you. She doesn't deserve to be a Blake."
"That's not your decision to make!"
"Ryan, listen to me. I've found someone perfect for you. Victoria Chen, from the Chen Industries family. She's beautiful, educated, and from a respectable background—"
"I don't care!" Ryan shouted. "I'm married! And my wife is pregnant!"
Silence on the other end.
Then Jessica's voice, ice-cold: "Then you're a bigger fool than I thought."
She hung up.
Ryan threw his phone across the room. It shattered against the wall.
Tom stepped back nervously.
"Sir," one of the lawyers said carefully, "there's been another development."
"What now?"
The lawyer pulled up a news article on his tablet. "Someone has released documents claiming your wife's meeting with your grandfather was planned. They're saying she orchestrated everything to trap you into marriage."
Ryan grabbed the tablet and read the article. His blood boiled.
The "evidence" was clearly fabricated. But it looked convincing enough that people would believe it.
"Who did this?" Ryan demanded.
"We're investigating," the lawyer said. "But sir, we need to respond. These accusations are serious."
Ryan thought about Mia, alone in her apartment, reading these horrible lies about herself.
He made a decision.
"Schedule a press conference," Ryan said. "Now."
"Sir, are you sure—"
"Do it. I'm going to set the record straight."
---
**Thirty minutes later...**
Ryan stood in front of a podium, facing a room full of reporters with cameras and microphones.
Tom stood to the side, looking nervous. This could go very wrong.
"I'll make a brief statement and take no questions," Ryan began.
The room fell silent.
"My name is Ryan Blake. As you all know, I've been married for three years to Mia Carter. What you don't know is that this marriage began as an arrangement made by my grandfather after Mia saved his life."
Cameras flashed. Reporters scribbled notes.
"For three years, I avoided my responsibilities as a husband. I left the country and had no contact with my wife. This was wrong. Mia did nothing to deserve that treatment."
Ryan paused, his jaw tight.
"Recently, I returned to request a divorce. I had never met Mia and had no interest in trying. Then I met a woman named Maya Alvarez. She was brilliant, strong, and unlike anyone I'd ever known. I fell for her."
More camera flashes.
"What I didn't know was that Maya and Mia were the same person. My wife had created a new identity to compete in business because she wanted to prove herself on her own merit, not as Ryan Blake's wife. When I discovered the truth, I was angry. I felt betrayed."
Ryan took a deep breath.
"But I was the one who betrayed her first. I abandoned my wife. I treated her like she didn't exist. And when she finally showed me who she really was—intelligent, capable, worthy—I still couldn't see her."
He looked directly into the cameras.
"The rumors you've heard are lies. Mia did not plan our marriage. She did not trick me. She did not get pregnant to trap me. The only person who failed in this marriage was me."
Reporters started shouting questions, but Ryan held up his hand.
"Mia Carter is an incredible woman. She deserves better than what I've given her. Whether she chooses to stay married to me or not is her decision. But I will not allow anyone—not the press, not my family, not anyone—to destroy her reputation with lies."
Ryan stepped away from the podium.
Reporters mobbed him with questions, but his security team pushed through and got him to his car.
---
**At Mia's apartment...**
Mia, Emma, and Samuel watched the press conference on TV.
Tears streamed down Mia's face.
"He defended you," Emma whispered. "In front of everyone."
"He told the truth," Mia said. "About everything."
Samuel smiled. "I told you. Beneath all that stubbornness, he's a good man."
Mia's phone rang. It was Ryan.
Her hand shook as she answered. "Hello?"
"Did you see it?" Ryan asked.
"Yes."
"I meant every word," Ryan said. "Mia, I'm sorry. For everything."
Mia wiped her tears. "Ryan—"
"Let me finish. I was wrong. About all of it. You did what you had to do because I forced you into an impossible situation. And instead of seeing how amazing you are, I pushed you away. Again."
"I lied to you," Mia said. "I should have been honest from the start."
"Maybe. But I never gave you a reason to trust me." Ryan paused. "Can we meet? Please? I want to talk. Really talk. About everything."
Mia looked at Samuel, who nodded encouragingly.
"Okay," Mia said. "When?"
"Tonight. I'll pick you up at seven. We'll go somewhere private."
"Okay," Mia said again.
After they hung up, Emma squealed. "He's taking you on a date!"
"It's not a date," Mia said, but she was smiling. "It's just... talking."
"Sure it is," Emma teased.
Samuel stood up. "I should go. You need to rest and get ready."
As he left, he whispered to Mia, "Give him a chance, dear. He's finally starting to see clearly."
---
**That evening...**
Ryan picked up Mia in his car. She wore a simple blue dress, her hair down, no Maya disguise.
Just Mia.
Ryan couldn't stop looking at her.
"Where are we going?" Mia asked.
"You'll see."
They drove to the outskirts of the city, finally stopping at a beautiful hilltop with a view of the sunset.
"Wow," Mia breathed. "It's beautiful."
Ryan spread out a blanket and they sat down together, the city lights beginning to twinkle below them.
For a while, they just sat in comfortable silence.
Then Ryan spoke. "I've been thinking about what you said. About how I never tried to see you."
"Ryan—"
"You were right. I was so focused on my anger about the arranged marriage that I never considered you might be someone worth knowing. That was incredibly stupid of me."
Mia smiled sadly. "I shouldn't have lied about who I was."
"You showed me who you really were," Ryan corrected. "You just didn't tell me your name. Everything else—your intelligence, your strength, your fire—that was all real."
He turned to face her. "I fell in love with you, Mia. Not Maya. You."
Mia's breath caught. "You... what?"
"I love you," Ryan said clearly. "I probably started falling for you that first day at the conference when you beat me. I just didn't realize it because I was too stupid to connect the dots."
Tears filled Mia's eyes. "Ryan..."
"I know I don't deserve it," Ryan continued. "I know I've hurt you terribly. But I'm asking for a chance. A real chance. To be the husband I should have been from the beginning."
Mia looked at him, her heart pounding.
This was everything she'd wanted to hear for three years.
But could she trust it?
"I need to know something," Mia said. "Are you saying this because you love me? Or because I'm pregnant?"
Ryan took her hands. "I'm saying it because I can't imagine my life without you. The baby..." he smiled. "The baby is a gift. But my feelings for you aren't about the baby. They're about you. Just you."
Mia searched his eyes for any hint of deception.
All she saw was honesty and hope.
"I love you too," Mia admitted. "I have for a long time. That's why it hurt so much when you left."
Ryan pulled her close, and finally—finally—they kissed.
It was soft and sweet and full of promise.
When they pulled apart, both were smiling through tears.
"So what now?" Mia asked.
"Now," Ryan said, "we start over. Properly this time. I want to date my wife."
Mia laughed. "That's a little backwards."
"Everything about us is backwards," Ryan grinned. "Why stop now?"
They sat together, watching the sunset, talking about everything—the baby, their future, their hopes.
For the first time in three years, Mia felt happy.
But neither of them noticed the car parked down the hill.
Or the person inside, watching them through binoculars.
Jessica Blake lowered the binoculars, her face twisted with rage.
If her son wouldn't leave that woman willingly, Jessica would have to take more drastic measures.
She pulled out her phone and made a call.
"It's me," she said coldly. "I need you to take care of a problem."