Sharing a Husband? I Have a Better Man

On the night of the company's semiannual appreciation dinner party, everyone exchanges little gifts in a blind-box-style game. However, Madeline Lively, the daughter of my fiancé's late mentor, walks straight up to me. "Open mine, Ciara." I glance at the card on her box, which reads, "Exclusively for the mistress." My brows furrow. But just as I'm about to decline, she tears the box open herself and shoves the contents right in my face. It's a marriage certificate—bearing the names of her and my fiancé, Keith Hummel! "I hope you like it!" The room instantly erupts into wild jeers and laughter. "Finally! I never thought I'd live to see Ms. Coleman wear something other than that sour expression!" "It's finally out in the open! That means I can officially call Maddy 'Mrs. Hummel' now, right?" I take a deep breath and turn to the man standing nearby, sipping his wine with a quiet, knowing smirk. "Explain." He finally looks up at me. "Explain what? My mentor died for me, and I'm indebted to him. His only dying wish was for Maddy to find a good man and have a secure future. All she wants is the title. The wedding is still yours." He says all that as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I let out a cold laugh. Come the day of the wedding, I slam a marriage certificate of my own right in front of his face. "Oh, he only wants the title, too," I say to Keith, referring to the man whose name is printed next to mine on the marriage certificate. "But unlike you, I actually want to give him a wedding." Chapter 1 Ciara's POV "Ciara, all I want is to be by Keith's side. That'll be enough for me," Madeline Lively said with a smug little smile, lifting her chin at me. I steadied my wineglass and let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Did it really have to be done like this?" The smile on her face froze. "Don't push it, Ciara." My fiancé, Keith Hummel, frowned at me. This was the first time all evening he'd shown any emotion, and it was all in defense of someone else. Sensing the awkwardness, my coworkers hurried to intervene. "Ms. Coleman, we weren't trying to keep this from you on purpose. You're always so busy, and that's why Maddy married Mr. Hummel without telling you." "Yeah. You should try to move on. Don't take it to heart." "When did you get married?" I asked Keith, my voice so steady it surprised even me. He avoided my gaze, his expression perfectly calm. "Last Saturday." Last Saturday… He'd sent me to pick up an important client that day. I waited at the airport for three hours, only to be told that I'd followed the navigation to the wrong location. In the end, I sent him message after message, apologizing and promising I'd never make such a mistake again. Only then did he reluctantly forgive me. As it turned out, while he was spinning lies to make me feel sick with guilt, he was actually happily taking his young sweetheart to get married. My eyes inexplicably started to sting. I raised my glass and threw it back in one go, grabbed my purse, and walked out without looking back. Behind me, one of my coworkers asked, "Mr. Hummel, aren't you worried Ms. Coleman will throw a tantrum at you?" "She's always been sensible. She'll think it through on her own." Always been sensible. Yet once upon a time, everyone knew me as the spoiled, willful heiress. He was the one who showed up outside my dorm every day with flowers and a cup of coffee, saying, "Ciara, be with me, and you'll never have to learn to be sensible." Later, for his sake, I fell out with my family and stood by his side as he built his business from scratch. We lived in basements, and I lost count of the cold shoulders we received. And just to bring in more investments for him, I drank until my stomach bled. No matter how little he needed me to be "sensible", I had spent the past ten years quietly learning to be exactly that. Back then, he'd hold me in his arms and swear that he'd give me a good life again. Eventually, he kept his promise. We got a bigger house and nicer cars. And now, he was using that as an excuse to assume I'd accept whatever outrageous things he chose to do. I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling like I couldn't breathe. … After taking a cab home, I stood staring at the wedding portrait hanging on the wall. The warm yellow light fell on the face of the man kneeling on one knee, kissing the back of my hand. The illusion of happiness shattered, leaving behind nothing but mockery. Without a second thought, I stepped forward and took the framed photo off the wall. Just as I was about to toss it into the storage room, Keith happened to come home. He took one look at my expressionless face and took the frame from my hands. "Ciara, you're not that young anymore," he said with a helpless sigh. "Can you stop throwing tantrums like Maddy? I don't have the energy to coddle you." He spoke as if nothing had happened. A faint citrus scent lingered in the air. It was the perfume Madeline always wore. I fought back the nausea rising in my stomach and looked up at him. "Why did it have to be today?" Keith paused mid-motion, about to hang the wedding photo back on the wall. "What?" "Why choose to tell me the truth at the dinner party today?" Why had he chosen to humiliate me in front of so many people when he clearly used to hate seeing me suffer more than anything? The living room fell silent for a moment. Keith lowered his hands and set the frame against the corner of the wall. "It's her birthday today. I promised I'd make her happy." My heart seemed to stop for a beat. He turned back to look at me, completely failing to notice the change in my expression. "Don't overthink it. My mentor raised me from childhood. Taking care of Maddy is the least I can do to repay that kindness. It's late. You should get some sleep." With that, he turned and walked into the main bedroom without offering another word of explanation. The wedding photo in the corner reflected a cold glow. The corners of my mouth twitched into a bitter smile as I called out to him in a low voice. "Keith Hummel. You're not that young anymore, either." So it was time for me to get myself a new groom, too. Chapter 2 Ciara's POV Just then, Keith's phone started ringing. The ringtone was short and urgent, one he'd specifically set for Madeline. Without a moment's hesitation, he answered it, his tone impossibly tender. "Don't be scared. I'll have the building management send someone to fix it tomorrow. Just stay on the phone with me tonight." Once upon a time, he had a strict rule about never staying up late, refusing to talk to me after 10:00 pm every single day. Suddenly, I found the whole thing utterly meaningless. I stood up and walked into the guest bedroom. Despite how exhausted I was, I forced myself to send a message to my lawyer. "Please draft a property division agreement as soon as possible." For now, at least, I couldn't afford to fall apart. After a moment's thought, I sent Dad a message, too. "Dad, is the man you wanted to set me up with still single?" When he replied affirmatively, I finally felt at ease enough to go to sleep. … The next morning, when I arrived at the office, I found a crowd gathered around Madeline's desk. "Maddy, you're just way too nice. Ms. Coleman gave you the cold shoulder yesterday, and you're still helping her send out wedding invitations!" "Seriously! She walks around looking like a sourpuss every day, and yet she's still desperate enough to want to be the other woman!" These were the same exact people who'd stood by my side as we built the company from a tiny studio into what it was today. When we distributed bonuses at the end of last year, they even thanked me profusely and said I was the only woman they'd ever recognize as the boss' wife. As it turned out, people's hearts really could change in the blink of an eye. My heart sank a little further. "Don't say that, guys. I'm just trying to help Ciara out," Madeline said with a soft giggle, covering her mouth. "Oh, Ciara, you're here!" She walked up to me and handed me a wedding invitation. "I've already sent out the wedding invitations for you. That way, you won't have to do all that work." I looked at the invitation, where the printed bride's name was "Madeline Lively". "You're sending these invitations out for me? Or for yourself?" She stiffened, and her eyes immediately grew red. A few coworkers jumped in to defend her. "Ms. Coleman, Madeline helped you send out the invitations on top of doing her own work. She's already exhausted, so you should give her a break." My hands clenched at my sides. I barely even felt my fingernails digging into my palms. "She couldn't see the name clearly, and none of you could, either?" Guilt flashed in their eyes as they hurriedly averted their gaze. "Are you done with your little power trip yet?" Someone brushed roughly against my shoulder. Keith walked straight over to Madeline, then turned to me with a baffled look. "Do you really have to humiliate Maddy in front of everyone?" In that instant, I felt like I couldn't breathe. "She sent out the invitations with the wrong name, but did I say a single word to humiliate her?" Madeline put on a helpless expression. "Please don't blame Ciara. It was my fault." A flicker of sympathy crossed Keith's face, and he pulled her in even closer. "It doesn't matter." He turned to look at me, his voice turning cold. "Don't forget, Ciara. When it comes to titles, Maddy is the real Mrs. Hummel around here." I stood there, stunned for nearly three seconds before forcing back my tears. "Fine. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together." For the rest of the morning, I didn't say another word to Keith. Instead, I busied myself gathering information on all the projects I'd been in charge of over the years and checking my shares in the company. Even though I had spent all these years running around and pouring my heart into this company, most of my shares were registered under Keith's name. Only then did I come to a shocking realization—he'd only promoted me to maintain his image as the loving, devoted partner. Before the anger even had time to surface, a dull, physical ache settled in my chest. I sent everything I had collected to my lawyer. At noon, I ran into Keith in the break room. The citrus scent clung to him. "The wedding's been moved up to the day after tomorrow," he announced as he rubbed his temples wearily. "Maddy wants to go on a vacation to the Losta Isles in a few days, and she doesn't want you disturbing her. "There's no time to reprint the invitations, so we'll just keep using the ones we already have. It's only a name, anyway." Chapter 3 Ciara's POV I laughed out loud. "Move the wedding up? How?" He frowned, as if the answer was obvious. "Haven't you already made all the arrangements?" So he did know everything. He knew I'd been running myself ragged planning and taking care of every detail regarding the wedding venue. He knew how badly I wanted to marry him. And that was why he had no qualms about exposing me like this. "Keith Hummel, do you really think you're the only man I could possibly marry?" His breathing noticeably faltered, and just as he was about to speak, a voice cut in. "Keith, what are you doing here?" Madeline walked in and looped her arm through his. "Didn't you promise to make up for my birthday today?" Not wanting to humiliate myself any further, I turned around and walked out. That afternoon, I took a cab to the new house we'd bought—a house meant to be our marital home. I was going to cut every last tie between me and Keith. But when I punched in the door code and stepped inside, I discovered everything had been renovated. The creamy white walls were repainted pink. The walk-in closet had been changed from the blue I loved to pink. Even the nursery had been turned into a pink gaming room. As I approached the main bedroom, unmistakable moaning drifted out. The moment I saw two naked bodies tangled together on the marital bed I had meticulously furnished, my mind went completely blank. I grabbed a vase and hurled it at them with all my strength. Madeline screamed, and Keith immediately threw himself in front of her. The vase smashed into his back, and he let out a muffled grunt. "What the hell is wrong with you, Ciara? Get out!" Pain twisted through my chest. "You have three minutes," I said, my voice so quiet it was barely audible. I staggered into the living room, my legs feeling as heavy as lead. I stared blankly at everything around me. It was both so familiar and yet somehow completely foreign. A wave of nausea hit me, and I doubled over the trash can, throwing up violently. Keith came out and gently patted my back. "Is your stomach acting up again?" He was wearing nothing but a bathrobe. I recoiled from his touch. It was disgusting. All of it was beyond disgusting. He stiffened, then walked over to the couch, sat down, and lit a cigarette. "Maddy's afraid I'll abandon her after I get married to you. She's insecure, so I plan on giving her a baby." Smoke swirled before my eyes. I struggled to my feet, feeling as if I couldn't breathe. "This is my marital home, Keith. Do you have a heart at all?" A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. "Ciara, did you misunderstand something?" A giggle came from behind me. Madeline emerged in her pajamas and pulled a blind box from the cabinet. It was clearly something she'd prepared in advance. The card attached to it read, "For the Ultimate Sucker." "If you didn't like the blind box from last night, how about this one?" Instinct told me something wasn't right. I snatched the box from her and ripped it open. The moment I saw the deed to the property, I froze. "Owner: Madeline Lively." The transfer had taken place six months ago. Back then, I was running all over the place, overseeing every detail of the renovations. I even developed pneumonia just from personally supervising the construction on site, coughing nonstop every single day. At the time, Keith held me in his arms as he thanked me for all the hard work. He looked at me with a heartbroken expression and red-rimmed eyes and promised that soon, we'd have a home of our own. So that had all been a lie. Meeting Madeline's taunting gaze, I couldn't stop myself from trying to shove her away. The next second, however, someone slammed me hard against the wall. "Have you lost your mind, Ciara?" Keith yelled at me as he shielded Madeline in his arms. Agonizing pain shot through my back. All I could think was how ridiculous I'd been for the past ten years. As he looked at my deathly pale face, he finally seemed to realize he might have taken things too far. He released Madeline and started toward me. "Ciara—" "Don't come near me!" I forced myself to sound calm. "Keith Hummel, we're done. It's completely over between us." With that, I turned and stumbled out of the house. When I reached the ground floor, my phone vibrated. "Ciara, I've just landed at the airport. Are we still on for the arranged marriage?" I wiped away my tears. "Yes, we are," I replied. Chapter 4 Ciara's POV On the wedding day, Keith's face visibly lit up when he saw me arrive at the wedding hall on time. "I lost my temper that day. Maddy is my mentor's daughter, so I have to consider her feelings. Once we're married, I'll make it up to you, Ciara." His voice was gentle, as if the person who had slammed me against the wall that day wasn't him at all. Avoiding his outstretched hand, I grunted in response. At this point, I wasn't going to believe a single word out of his mouth. But when the makeup artist was working on me, Madeline walked in. She was wearing a mermaid-style wedding gown, looking more like a bride than I did. "Ciara, you look beautiful today. I want to try on bridal makeup, too. Can you let the makeup team do mine first?" I looked at her through the mirror. "Are you sure about that?" Indignation flashed through her eyes. She pressed her lips together, then walked away, clearly unhappy. "At the end of the day, it's still coming out of Keith's pocket, anyway." A moment later, Keith came over with a blind box containing a card labeled "No. 2". "Maddy suddenly wants to be the bride, too. She drew 'No. 1', so she'll go first. Let her use your makeup team." I only found it all utterly ridiculous. "Keith, do you really think I came here to marry you today?" "Stop saying things out of spite," he retorted without even a moment's hesitation. "Who else could you possibly marry besides me?" I couldn't be bothered to argue with him. "If you want to marry her, I have no objections. But my family paid over 100 thousand dollars for this makeup team. Would she dare to borrow them even if I really lent them to her?" He froze. Madeline came in behind him and took his arm. "It's okay, Keith. I won't use them." "But Ciara," she said as she looked at me, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Your parents have been living abroad for years, and they've cut ties with you for a decade. Why even bring them up?" I stared at Keith in disbelief, and he guiltily averted his gaze. So all those years I'd poured my heart and soul into loving him had become nothing more than a joke for him to share with someone else. My eyes stung even more. I closed them and forced myself to calm down. It didn't matter. Everything was coming to an end anyway. Just as it was time to make our entrance, Madeline suddenly let out a startled cry. "Keith! My brooch is missing!" Keith ran over to comfort her. "What brooch?" "The one my dad left me before he died. I wanted to wear it on your big day, but it disappeared!" Tears streamed down her face right on cue. "I was still wearing it when I came in to say hello to Ciara earlier… How could it just disappear?" Keith pulled her into his arms, his expression filled with heartache. "Ciara, if you took it, hand it over right now," he ordered, turning to look at me. "Don't hold up the wedding." The staff around us stared in utter shock, their eyes darting back and forth between Madeline and me. I held my bouquet, my expression calm. "Just because of what she said, you're accusing me of stealing it?" "Who else could it be but you? Let's be honest. You're still bitter about how Maddy humiliated you at the dinner party." So he did know that what she'd done was considered humiliation after all. Seeing that I remained silent, he continued, "Hurry up and hand it over. Otherwise, we're not getting married today." I glanced toward the guests in the main hall. I'd personally placed every single name card on those seats. Among the guests were longtime business partners Keith had worked with over the years, as well as benefactors he claimed to respect deeply. But now, because of a single word from Madeline, he was willing to postpone the wedding. Fortunately, he wasn't the man I was marrying today. "It's okay, Keith," Madeline said tearfully. "It's just a brooch. If Ciara doesn't want to give it back, then so be it. Don't let it delay your wedding." Keith's breathing hitched. "Ciara Coleman! Do you even want to get married today or not?" He turned to the bodyguards nearby. "You! Search her!" he ordered icily. "Hold on." I looked at the angry man standing before me and asked calmly, "Keith, you once told me you'd give her nothing but a title. But what have you ever given me?" Respect, dignity, and the certainty of being the one he chose without hesitation—he'd given me none of it. He avoided my gaze, his tone full of irritation. "I've already told you I'll make it up to you after the wedding. Stop bringing up the past!" "Fine. Let's not talk about the past. Let's talk about the present, then." I let out a cold laugh and tossed my marriage certificate in front of him. "Coincidentally, he only wants a title, too. But unlike you, I actually want to give him a wedding." Keith burst out laughing, clearly convinced I was bluffing. "Stop messing around, Ciara. Besides me, who else would marry an old woman like you?" Before he could finish, the doors to the hall swung open. He turned around. The moment he saw who had arrived, his eyes widened in shock.