He Kept Me as His Secret Lover for Eight Years

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I'd been in a secret relationship with my best friend's brother for eight years.

During the day, Ethan Rivers treated me like just another secretary at the office.

At night, he cherished me completely, holding me close and whispering sweet promises of love.

One day, I accidentally discovered he'd bought a lifetime commitment ring - the kind you can only customize once in your life.

Heart full of joy, I followed him to the prepared venue.

Only to watch Ethan kneel on one knee before a woman who looked eerily like me, promising to marry no one else but her.

After the successful proposal, Ethan's friends congratulated him while teasing:

"Now that your first love is back, when are you planning to break up with Luna?"

Ethan exhaled a lazy smoke ring, his eyes dark and unreadable:

"Luna is crazy about me. She can't leave me even if she wanted to. Let's just... take our time with that."

I pressed my hand over my mouth to muffle my sobs, turned around, and texted my family:

[Mom, I agree to come back for the arranged marriage.]

By pure coincidence, Ethan's wedding day happened to fall on the exact same day I was getting my marriage certificate.

When he saw the photo of my marriage announcement, his face went deathly pale...

After calling my mother to finalize the arranged marriage, I immediately booked a plane ticket.

Forcing myself not to replay what I'd just witnessed, I rushed home and started packing as fast as I could.

When I went to the living room to grab some things, Ethan came home.

He wrapped his arms around me, his expression happier than I'd ever seen it.

"Luna, I love you so much. Let's stay together forever, okay?"

He leaned in to kiss me, his breath reeking of alcohol, the gardenia perfume on him so strong it was suffocating.

Ethan used to constantly give me gardenia-scented perfume. Even after I told him countless times that I preferred jasmine, he kept enthusiastically buying me gardenia.

A few times when I forgot to wear it, he got really angry with me.

Only now did I understand - the one who loved this perfume, the one Ethan truly loved, had always been another woman.

From the very beginning, he'd only been trying to recreate a substitute.

Nausea rising in my throat, I dodged away from Ethan's advance.

But the desire on his face didn't fade. He suddenly pinned me against the door, his cool hands already sliding under my clothes.

"Ethan! Let go of me!"

The man's eyes flashed with surprise. I'd never used this tone with him before.

Just as Ethan was about to speak, the doorbell rang.

When he opened the door, a woman rushed in and threw her arms around him, quickly planting a kiss on his cheek.

She saw me and smiled brilliantly, blindingly so.

"You must be Miss Grey, the secretary who's been by Ethan's side for eight years, right?"

"Hi there! I'm Vivian, Ethan's fiance. Thank you so much for taking care of him all these years!"

The strong scent of gardenias rushed into my nostrils as she moved, the exact same fragrance that was all over Ethan just moments ago.

I didn't move, just looked at Ethan.

Ethan only froze for a moment before avoiding my eyes and nodding.

"Yes, she's the secretary I told you about."

"She doesn't make much, so I let her stay in the guest room here. It's convenient having her around to help with various tasks."

Vivian waved her hand dismissively:

"Ethan, why are you explaining this to me again? I'm not some petty woman who can't separate business from personal matters."

"Besides, Miss Grey looks so much like me - of course you'd feel more comfortable and familiar having her around! Actually, I should be thanking Miss Grey!"

"Oh, and since Miss Grey is familiar with the layout here, I'll trouble you to move all my luggage to Ethan's room! Ethan and I are getting married soon, so it's time we started living together!"

Vivian excitedly bossed me around. Ethan showed no sign of objecting.

I remembered the several times I'd begged to move into the master bedroom. Ethan had always refused, saying couples also needed their own space.

Only occasionally, when passion struck, would he let me stay the night in his room.

If I accidentally left anything behind, he'd darken his expression and say he hoped I could be more mindful of boundaries.

So in the end, it was simply because the position of mistress of the house had never been meant for me.

Ethan suddenly gestured at his phone. I looked down to see a message from him in our chat.

[Vivian and I are only in a nominal alliance marriage, just for show for the company merger. Don't misunderstand.]

I couldn't help but laugh. Even now, Ethan was still treating me like a three-year-old child.

Fine. If he said his alliance marriage was fake, then it was fake.

As long as mine was real, that's all that mattered.

I headed to the guest room to finish packing my luggage, but saw Vivian get there first.

"Miss Grey, Ethan is going to be all over me from now on, so it won't be convenient for you to keep living here. You should hurry up and pack your things and find your own place..."

"Oh my, Miss Grey, you've already packed half your stuff? And your clothing style is so similar to mine! We're so meant to be!"A chill spread through my heart, impossible to stop.

What Ethan loved most was buying me clothes and jewelry.

I used to think it was proof of how much he cherished and loved me.

Now, looking at this roomful of clothing and accessories that completely clashed with my own style, I could see that every single piece would look absolutely perfect on Vivian.

It made me look like the intruder who'd stolen someone else's nest.

I didn't want to question anything anymore, but Ethan grabbed my hand with a dark expression, his tone urgent:

"Why would you suddenly start packing for no reason? Answer me!"

I turned my face away, not wanting to respond, when I saw Vivian reaching for my music box.

"Don't touch it!"

CRASH! The music box fell heavily to the floor, the lid and the little figurines scattering everywhere, shards covering the ground.

"Ah... I'm so sorry, Miss Grey, I didn't mean to... Ethan, my hand... it hurts so much..."

Vivian clutched the scratch on her palm and started crying.

Ethan ran over to check her wound. The next second, he stomped his foot down hard on the music box remains, his face black with anger.

He glared at me viciously:

"It's just a broken decoration! Did you really need to deliberately scare people like that, Luna!?"

"Hurry up and throw this pile of garbage away. I don't want to see it in my house again!"

After saying this, Ethan ground his foot harder on the remains, then picked up Vivian and left without looking back.

Tears splashed onto the music box wreckage. The shards cut my fingers, but I couldn't feel any pain.

When I was sixteen, my parents were getting divorced.

Not knowing what to do, I ran to my best friend Claire Rivers' house. She wasn't there, but I ran into Ethan, who'd just come back from playing ball with friends.

"Luna, you're Claire's friend, right? Why are you crying? Tell me what's wrong."

Eyes red, I tried to leave, but Ethan grabbed me, frowning as he chased away the friends who wanted him to game with them.

He told me to wait, then ran out alone in the rain to buy the best desserts and cakes in the entire city, piling them all in front of me.

He ruffled my hair to comfort me, then mysteriously pulled out a music box from behind his back. It played a gentle melody, with little figurines of a hero and princess slowly spinning in circles on top.

"Luna, don't be afraid."

"No matter how others treat you in the future, I'll protect you for the rest of my life. Let this music box be my promise."

The way teenage boys comfort people is always pure and direct, but in that moment of helplessness, it made me fall completely for him.

From that day until today, I'd loved Ethan Rivers for a full ten years.

I still remembered the promise he made. But the person who made that promise had long since forgotten it completely.

Cradling the remains in my palms, I took one last look before throwing them in the trash.

If that's how it was, then I didn't want the promise or Ethan anymore. Never again.

Ethan didn't come back until the next morning.

After shipping my luggage home, I went to the office to print my resignation letter, preparing to hand it in to Ethan's office.

On the way, Ethan sent me a message.

[Baby, I spoke too harshly yesterday. I ended up sleeping at the office after working late last night, just woke up. I'll head home soon.]

I looked up at Ethan's empty office in front of me and placed the resignation letter on his desk.

I didn't reply, just exited the chat and unpinned him from the top of my messages.

A red notification appeared in my contacts - Vivian had added me.

The moment I accepted, a message from her popped up.

[Ethan, when you get back from the convenience store, remember to buy a few more boxes of condoms! You were so intense last night... you used up everything we had at home!]

Followed by several blushing emojis.

Right at the two-minute mark, Vivian deleted the message.

[OMG I'm so sorry Miss Grey... I sent that to the wrong person... You didn't see anything, did you?]

My heart ached, but I was too tired to play along with her act. Still, I instinctively opened her Instagram.

Photos and posts unfolded before me like a movie.

Turns out Vivian had been back for a month.

During that month, Ethan had taken every spare moment to travel with her to various places.

Looking back at the dates, I realized these were all trips Ethan had claimed he was assigning to other employees so I wouldn't be overworked.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, Mount Fuji in Tokyo...

All places I'd begged Ethan to take me to.

He'd always held me and coaxed me, saying yes, yes, as soon as work wasn't so busy, he'd take me.

I waited eight years and never saw the day when he'd have free time.

Vivian had only been back one month, and suddenly he wasn't busy anymore.

At each location, Ethan cooperated with Vivian to take many photos.

But during all these years with Ethan, I'd never been allowed to point my camera at him.

"If my sister finds out I stole her best friend away, she'd probably kill me."

"Luna, you're my secretary after all. Office romances attract gossip - I don't want you to get hurt."

But when you truly love someone, how can you possibly hide it?

I was too slow to realize - Ethan had kept our relationship shrouded in secrecy for eight years. I should have understood long ago that he simply didn't love me!

I was about to exit the app when I saw a new photo pop up on Vivian's profile.

The background showed a bed. Vivian wore a skimpy camisole, her slender fingers trailing across the man's firm, muscular abs.

Tears finally spilled out uncontrollably, landing right on Vivian's caption.

[Last night's beautiful memory. He said the imitation is just an imitation - it could never compare to even half the flavor of me, the original.]

I wiped away my tears and casually liked the post.

Turning to leave the office, I ran into my best friend Claire Rivers, who was there on business. I told her directly that I'd be going back to get married soon.

All these years, because Ethan made me keep our relationship secret, whenever Claire brought up romantic topics, I'd deliberately change the subject.

Now that I was leaving, I at least needed to tell her goodbye properly.

Claire looked completely shocked. "So sudden! Does that mean we'll barely get to see each other anymore!"

I nodded helplessly. The next second, she grabbed me playfully.

"Luna, you always said you were too busy with work, so I never got a chance to have my mom really meet my best friend."

"Now that you're leaving, you absolutely cannot bail on me today!"

Just like that, Claire dragged me to attend a dinner party her family was hosting that evening.

I'd always avoided Claire's invitations before because Ethan said he wanted to wait until he officially made our relationship public to personally introduce me as the future Rivers daughter-in-law.

In all these years together, I never got to see the day when Ethan would introduce me to his family.

Who would have thought that now, as I was leaving, I'd finally get the chance.

After getting styled, Claire and I arrived at the Rivers estate just as the family dinner was already halfway through.

Ethan stood beside Mr. and Mrs. Rivers with Vivian on his arm. Various celebrities and elites took turns coming forward to offer congratulations on their engagement.

So that's what tonight's dinner was for - to officially announce their engagement.

Ethan Rivers really couldn't wait to tell the whole world he was marrying Vivian.

I instinctively wanted to leave, but Claire was already pulling me toward them.

"Dad! Mom! I brought my dear best friend to meet you!"

When Ethan saw me, his expression froze, and he slightly loosened his arm from around Vivian.

The moment Mrs. Rivers saw me, her face lit up with joy.

"I've always heard my daughter mention she has such an accomplished and kind best friend. Now that I've met you in person, you really are as lovely and sweet as she said!"

I shook my head awkwardly.

Looking at Mrs. Rivers holding my hand so warmly and affectionately, I felt an indescribable desolation.

We'd almost been able to become mother and daughter-in-law who genuinely got along.

"By the way, Miss Grey, Claire mentioned you've been so busy with work all these years that you haven't had time to date anyone. There are many wonderful young men at our dinner party tonight - would you like me to introduce you to someone?"

Before I could refuse, Ethan let out a cold laugh:

"She doesn't need that."

Right, I didn't need it anymore. After all, I was about to go back for an arranged marriage.

Claire jumped in to help explain:

"Mom, Luna really doesn't need it. My precious best friend is about to go to New York to get married. I don't even know how many times a year I'll get to see her after this..."

Hearing this, Ethan's previously smug expression suddenly froze. He stared at me, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Midway through, I went to the restroom. When I returned to the banquet hall, Ethan pulled me into a corner and held me in his arms.

The man lazily lowered his head, his voice carrying a hint of reproach as he spoke in my ear.

"Baby, don't make up stories about marrying someone else anymore. Even I get jealous hearing that."

I looked at him, finding it somehow absurd:

"But aren't you about to marry another woman too?"

Ethan frowned. "Don't be difficult. You know this is just for the company."

A moment later, he softened his voice to coax me:

"Alright, baby, you've always been so understanding, haven't you? After the banquet ends, go home and finish packing. I'll take you to move into the new apartment."

"After all, Vivian and I are officially engaged. It's not appropriate for you to keep living at the house."

Because I was understanding, I obediently stayed in a secret relationship with Ethan for eight years that no one knew about.

Now, was he planning to keep me as some kind of mistress who could never see the light of day?

I was about to say "no thanks" when Vivian's crying suddenly echoed from the main hall. Ethan immediately released me and rushed over.

"What's wrong, Vivian?"

Vivian held out her left hand, pointing at her empty ring finger, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ethan, the proposal ring you gave me is gone... That's the ring you can only customize once in your life, and it was still there before I went to the restroom..."

Vivian looked at me, then grabbed me while crying:

"Miss Grey, you and I were the only ones in the restroom... I know you've been Ethan's secretary for many years, so you probably have some possessive feelings toward your boss... but that ring is really important to me. If you took it, please, I'm begging you to give it back!"

With this move, Vivian made everyone see me as the thief.

"I knew these secretaries were all trouble. She even deliberately made herself look like Miss Vivian. A sparrow is still a sparrow - did she really think using cheap tricks would turn her into a phoenix!?"

"Exactly! And she actually had the audacity to steal an engagement ring! This kind of low-class woman should be permanently banned from our circle!"

All kinds of cutting, mocking words shot toward me.

I instinctively looked at Ethan, only to see him darkening his expression and snapping at me:

"Hand it over!"

Even knowing he didn't love me, I still couldn't believe that in his heart, he actually thought I was capable of doing something like this.

"How am I supposed to hand over something I never even saw!"

I bit my lip hard, struggling to control the sob in my voice.

I absolutely could not cry here. If I cried, I would truly lose everything.

Ethan shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment in me.

"You're still making excuses!? Since you won't return it voluntarily, I'll have to have you searched!"

With that, Ethan called over several servants to search me on the spot.

Claire rushed over:

"Ethan, don't do this to Luna! I've known her for years - she would never do something like this!"

Mrs. Rivers also anxiously tried to intervene:

"That's right, Ethan. I also think Miss Grey doesn't seem like someone who would do this. Could there be some misunderstanding?"

Ethan laughed coldly:

"There can't be any misunderstanding! Vivian has always been kind-hearted, not the type to falsely accuse people. If she hadn't done something, why would Vivian suspect her for no reason?"

My heart turned to ash.

Even Mrs. Rivers, who'd only just met me, was willing to believe in my character and speak up for me.

But Ethan had known me for ten years, and we'd been together for a full eight years!

One casual accusation from Vivian made him completely disregard all those years we'd spent together, nailing me to the pillar of shame as someone with rotten character!

The difference between being loved and not being loved truly was the most insurmountable chasm in this world!

I was held down by several servants and could only close my eyes in despair as they roughly searched me.

Only after they'd searched everywhere did Vivian suddenly cry out in surprise.

She pulled the engagement ring out of her purse:

"Oh my... I'm so careless... I forgot I'd already put it in my bag before washing my hands..."

"Miss Grey, I'm so sorry... I misunderstood you. I apologize..."

Vivian spoke the words of apology, but the next second she covered her face and ran out crying.

Ethan only glanced at me once, said nothing, and then chased after Vivian to comfort her.

Exhausted in body and soul, I declined Mr. and Mrs. Rivers' apologies on Ethan's behalf, left the Rivers estate, and got straight into a cab headed for the airport.

I sat numbly in the airport waiting to board my rescheduled flight. In the meantime, Ethan sent me a message.

[You shouldn't have made Vivian lose face like that at the event. She's technically your superior now. Remember to apologize to her later.]

The announcement for my flight boarding just happened to come over the speakers.

A relationship no one knew about didn't need a breakup.

I replied with a simple [Okay], treating it as my final goodbye to Ethan.

Then I exited the chat, blocked him on every platform, and boarded the plane to New York without looking back.

......

A few days later, Ethan's wedding day with Vivian arrived.

But he stood in the wedding hall smoking one cigarette after another.

When his friends asked what was wrong, his furrowed brow showed concern:

"Luna hasn't made a peep these past few days. With how big my wedding is today, she's probably crying somewhere right now."

One of his friends looked stunned and pulled out his phone, showing it to Ethan:

"You don't know yet? The Cross family - New York's wealthiest - just announced a wedding this morning. Their eldest son, Sebastian Cross, is marrying your secretary..."