Signed To Be His Wife - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

The silence in the mansion was heavy.
Amara sat alone in her bedroom, hugging her knees on the bed, eyes fixed on the wall. She hadn’t moved in an hour. Her mind replayed the same moment again and again—Dominic’s voice, cold and sharp, as he found her in his study.
"You have no idea what you’ve just done."
What had she done?
She didn’t know what the photograph meant. All she knew was that the woman in the picture looked just like her, and the name on the back—Elena Rivas—was not a name she’d ever heard before.
But Dominic had known her. That much was clear.
Amara finally stood up. She couldn’t sit around feeling sorry for herself. She had to survive this marriage. Whether she liked it or not, she had signed the papers. She had accepted the money. Now she had to figure out who exactly she had married… and why he seemed so haunted.
The next morning, Dominic was gone before she woke up, as usual.
A maid brought her breakfast, but Amara couldn’t eat. Her appetite had vanished. Instead, she wandered around the mansion, trying to get used to the place. It was too big, too clean, and too empty. It didn’t feel like a home—it felt like a prison.
There were so many closed doors, so many places she wasn’t allowed to go. She passed one room that was locked, another that was dark with sheets over the furniture. No photos on the walls. No signs of life. Just luxury and silence.
She found herself in the backyard, standing under the morning sun, wondering how she had ended up here. Just a month ago, she had been chasing jobs, submitting applications, hoping for a legal internship. Now, she was married to a billionaire CEO with secrets buried deeper than the ocean.
And somehow, it had everything to do with a dead woman who looked like her.
Later that day, her phone buzzed.
It was Lara, her best friend.
Lara: Girl! Are you alive? Married life made you forget your people?
Amara smiled for the first time that day.
Amara: I’m alive. Barely.
Lara: What does that mean?? Is he treating you badly?
Amara: He’s cold. Like ice. And this house is too quiet. I feel like I’m living with a stranger.
Lara: Want me to sneak in and drag you out? 😤
Amara: I can’t leave. Not yet. I signed something.
Lara: A contract? Amara!
Amara: I’ll explain later.
Lara: Just be safe. Call me if anything feels wrong.
Amara closed the chat, her heart aching. She missed her friend. She missed freedom. She missed feeling like herself.
That evening, as she walked past the staircase, she heard voices coming from Dominic’s home office.
She paused.
He was on the phone.
“No. I told you, I don’t care what the board says. That file was supposed to be deleted. We can’t afford another scandal.”
Silence.
“I said delete it, or I will.”
Another pause.
“And if anything leaks, you know what to do.”
The call ended.
Amara backed away before he could notice her.
She went to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, heart racing.
He was hiding something. Something big.
That night, she couldn’t sleep. Again.
She tossed and turned until finally, she gave up and went downstairs to get a glass of water.
As she returned upstairs, she saw a door slightly open—the one to Dominic’s private study.
Her heart jumped.
She knew she shouldn’t go in.
But curiosity was stronger than fear.
She tiptoed into the study, careful not to make a sound. The room smelled like leather and old wood. The desk was clean, except for a single file lying on top.
Her hand hovered above it.
Should she?
No. She should leave.
But then again… what if the answers were inside?
She picked it up.
Inside the file were papers she didn’t understand—business terms, company transactions, code numbers. Nothing useful.
But beneath the papers, something slipped out.
A second photograph.
Not of Elena.
But of Dominic.
He looked younger. Happier. He was holding someone’s hand.
And that someone was Elena.
Amara stared at it.
The way he looked at her… it wasn’t just a coworker.
They had been in love.
She felt a sting in her chest.
So this was it.
He hadn’t married her because he liked her.
He had married her because she reminded him of someone he had lost.
Someone he couldn’t let go.
And she was just… the replacement.
Suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the silence.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Amara spun around. Dominic stood in the doorway, his face unreadable.
She dropped the photo in panic. “I’m sorry, I—”
“I told you never to come in here again.”
“I know, I know, I just—”
“You just what?” he snapped. “Wanted to play detective? Look through my personal life?”
“I just wanted to know the truth!” she cried.
He walked toward her slowly, eyes burning. “The truth? You can’t handle the truth.”
“Then tell me!” she shouted. “Tell me who Elena is. Tell me why you married me. Tell me why you’re lying to me every day!”
His jaw tightened.
“Elena was my fiancée,” he said coldly. “We were supposed to get married last year. She died. And now she’s gone.”
Amara’s breath caught.
“She was killed,” he added. “And the police ruled it suicide. But I know better.”
Amara stared at him, heart thudding. “You think someone murdered her?”
“I don’t think,” he said. “I know.”
“Then why marry me?” she whispered.
“Because I needed someone who looked like her.”
The words crushed her.
“That’s it?” she asked, voice breaking. “You just needed a copy of your dead lover?”
His silence was worse than an answer.
Tears filled her eyes. “You’re using me.”
“I’m protecting you,” he said.
“From who?” she demanded.
Dominic walked past her and picked up the photo. He looked at it for a long time before saying, “Someone killed Elena because she found something. A secret. About the company. About someone powerful.”
Amara wiped her tears.
“And now… because I look like her… they think I know something too?”
Dominic nodded.
She shook her head in disbelief. “You should’ve told me. You should’ve warned me.”
“I didn’t want to drag you into this.”
“You already did,” she said bitterly. “The moment you gave me that contract.”
Dominic looked tired. Worn out. As if the weight of the past had finally caught up with him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, voice low. “I never meant to hurt you.”
Amara stared at him.
For the first time, she saw not just the cold CEO—but the broken man behind the mask.
Still, she couldn’t forgive him. Not yet.
Not when the truth had cost her so much.
That night, Amara sat by the window of her room, looking out at the stars.
She felt numb. Confused. Angry.
But most of all, she felt trapped.
She had agreed to a marriage thinking it would give her peace, money, and a chance to help her family.
Instead, she was caught in a dangerous web of lies, secrets, and a dead wo
man’s shadow.
Her phone buzzed again.
A new message. Unknown number.
"Elena died because she looked too deep. Don’t make the same mistake."
Amara’s blood ran cold.
Someone was watching.
And the game had just begun.