The Wife Who Woke Up Chapter 1

Before we married, my husband, Caleb Thorne, had a girl who chased him relentlessly for five years. He rejected her because he fell in love with me at first sight.

Three years later, that girl returned to the States as an internationally acclaimed photographer. She was radiant, successful, and breathtakingly beautiful.

And me? I was a stay-at-home mom, weighing over 180 pounds, with zero achievements to my name.

At a party, someone joked with Caleb: "You know, Serena Vance is still saving herself for you..."

Caleb immediately snapped, "Don't talk nonsense!"

But that night...

I found him on the balcony, chain-smoking until dawn.

* * *

I was changing my daughter's diaper when Caleb dropped the news that Serena was back.

My hand froze. "Is she going to be at the party tonight?"

Caleb buttoned his cufflink, avoiding my gaze. "Yeah. It's a welcome-back dinner for her, hosted by Ryan, her childhood friend."

"Are you coming?" he asked, purely out of habit.

Since giving birth, I rarely went out with him. My world had shrunk to the four walls of our nursery. He expected me to say no.

But for some reason, the words that came out of my mouth were:

"Yes. I'll go."

Caleb paused, surprised. But he was a man who prided himself on decorum. He masked his shock quickly.

"Okay. I'll wait for you downstairs."

When we walked into the private dining room at the upscale bistro, the chatter died instantly.

At the center of the room sat a woman with long, flowing hair and an aura of effortless elegance. She tilted her head, her gaze locking onto us.

"Caleb. Long time no see."

Her voice was bright and melodic.

Caleb glanced at her, smiled politely, and placed a protective hand on my shoulder. "Serena. Don't you recognize your sister-in-law?"

Serena blinked. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't recognize her at first. Hi, Lily."

I nodded with a faint smile. "Hello."

Before I could finish, Serena looked away, her eyes slightly red.

"Can you blame her?" Ryan, the wealthy heir and Serena's fiercely loyal friend, drawled from the corner. His eyes swept over me with thinly veiled disdain. "Lily has... changed a lot."

My face burned. I tugged at the hem of my shirt.

Post-pregnancy, I had ballooned from a size 2 to a size 14. My once-slender frame was now heavy, my face round and puffy. It was the reason I hid from the world.

"Watch your mouth, Ryan!"

Caleb grabbed a lighter from the table and tossed it at his friend.

Ryan caught it, smirked at me, and downed his drink. "Fine, fine. My bad. I'll drink to apologize."

The conversation quickly shifted back to Serena. Everyone wanted to know about her life abroad.

She was now a famous photographer. Her recent portfolio on African wildlife had just won a prestigious international award.

"Remember when Serena used to chase Caleb around with a camera?" someone laughed. "Now she's a big-shot artist and an influencer! She just launched her Instagram and already has 100k followers!"

"Serena, you look incredible. I almost didn't recognize you. I thought a supermodel had walked in!"

Serena soaked up the praise with a graceful smile. She held a slim cigarette between her fingers, her leather jacket draped over her shoulders, revealing a figure that was sharp, sexy, and free.

I looked down at myself.

Flat shoes. Wide-leg pants. An oversized blazer I had frantically dug out of the back of my closet because nothing else fit.

In front of this group of polished, successful young elites, I looked like a joke.