My whole life revolved around two things— the books I wrote and my fiance, Liam. But, Cindy robbed me both. She plagiarized my books on the day I was getting engaged. And, when I tried to confront her during the banquet which was supposed to be my engagement, I was thrown out of the banquet hall, being branded as a thief who was trying to steal Cindy's works.

“Liam, trust me. I’m not a thief. It's Cindy. She robbed my work.” I begged. But, he snapped back at me, “Stop it, Mia. The world knows who you are. So, am I. The poems you impressed me with, were never yours. It belonged to Cindy. She is the one I love, not you.”

He placed the engagement ring on Cindy's finger, kissing her passionately before my eyes.

“What are you looking at? Do you want to follow us to our bed?” Cindy sneered, “No one wants you here, Mia. Why don't you just get lost from our lives?”

My life was never the same after that. I was labelled as the plagiarized author, receiving hate from all over the world. And, the book Cindy stole from me became the bestseller, taking her to the heights of fame and wealth.

But, Cindy didn't stop at this. She encouraged her fans to ruin my life, from cyberbullying to death threats.

They didn't stop anywhere. Having been fed up with continuous bullying, I decided to end my life, but got saved by a stranger.

Denver Beckham, a well-known scientist, not just saved my life but filled me with motivation to begin writing again.

I married this man and loved him for five years only to overhear his conversation with his friend, sending chills down my spine.

“Does your wife know you have been plagiarising her works and sending them to Cindy all these years so that she keeps up with the fame and wealth she has been receiving for years?”

****

“She is not smart enough to discover the truth because if she was, she would never have been robbed of her first book in Cindy's hands.”

Denver's indifferent tone was a stark contrast to the soft and gentle voice he always used to motivate me while writing.

“First Cindy plagiarized her book to become the bestseller author in the country, then you kept stealing her works and sending them to Cindy to maintain her fame.” Denver's friend said, his voice desperate,

“She has trusted her life on you and you have been deceiving her since the very beginning. Don't you think you have been harsh on her all these years?”

“I don't care, as long as Cindy is happy,” he said, his voice laced with affections that wasn't meant for me but her,

“I saved Mia’s life because I wanted her to write for Cindy. She has the gift of writing and I want to use it for Cindy.”

“What if your wife finds out? Won’t she create troubles for you or Cindy?” Denver's friend asked. Denver only grinned at him before he said, “Even if she finds out, she can't do anything. She doesn't know the pen name I selected for her when she began writing was Cindy’s.”

“All the books that she had been writing were actually ghostwriting for Cindy. During these five years, I have collected enough evidence that can prove Cindy as the original author and Mia as the plagiarized author.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” His friend asked, “If you have enough evidence to prove Mia wrong, then why are you still keeping up with this unwanted marriage because we all know how much you love Cindy.”

“It's because of the current book Mia is working on. I only shared the initial few chapters with the publisher and he is already crazy about it.”

“According to him, her new book is the masterpiece that comes once in a decade. Once Mia is done with the manuscript, I’ll not wait to divorce her.”

I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I had just finished writing the current book and came out of my study room only to share the news with my loving husband, still clutching the manuscript in my hands. I couldn't help clenching them in my hands.

So, all the love and care he offered me these years was just a lie. The person I thought was an angel who came to save my life, was actually a devil who had been sucking my soul throughout my life and I was completely unaware of it.

I stared at the manuscript in my hand for which I had spent countless nights without sleeping as I turned to leave but a familiar yet distant voice froze me right there.

“What are you doing here, Mia?” Denver walked out of his room, his gaze never leaving the sight of my hands that were holding the manuscript. He asked excitedly, “Are you finished writing your book?”

I was standing frozen at my place, completely numb. A flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes as he asked, his tone nervous, “What were you doing outside the room, Mia? Why didn't you knock or just walk in?”

I cleared my throat as I curled my lips into a faint smile before I said, “I just got here, Denver.”

“Oh,” Denver's expression immediately softened, “Why did you come out of your study room, Honey? You should have called me if you needed coffee or anything. I’m always there to help you. You should only focus on the book you are working on.”

He stepped forward, his hands slowly reaching out to my manuscript as he added, his voice still laced with gentleness and curiosity, “How far did you reach with your story? Let me see…”

But, I immediately stepped back, not letting him reach for my manuscript. He hesitated as he looked up at me with a pair of suspicious eyes.

But, I smiled mischievously before saying, “It's a surprise, Denver. I want you to read the book only when it's finished. I still have the climax to write.”

He smiled back as he stepped back to stand at his place, saying softly, “As you wish, Mia. No matter what you do, I’m always with you.”

“Denver,” I called him, my voice barely above a whisper, trying to see through his eyes, “You said You will ask the publisher to reveal to the world that the author writing behind the pen name ‘Little Fox’ is me. Were you telling the truth? Are you really going to do that?”

“Of course, Honey!” He said, his voice soft and gentle as he continued, “You have been writing for five years under this pen name and people all over the world love your books so much.”

“After they come to know that these books were written by you, they will automatically believe that you could never steal someone's book with that God gifted talent in you.”

“Your image will be cleared, and you don't have to live behind the curtains. You can proudly announce to the world that you are the bestselling author of the USA.”

Tears were formed in my eyes, not because of the sweet dream he just mentioned before me but because of realizing how good of an actor my husband was.

He was never going to announce my name as the author yet he was lying to me so confidently that I could not see even a curve of hesitation on his forehead.

I didn't argue with him. We had our dinner early that was prepared by him. After he went to sleep. I quietly walked out of our bedroom.

He didn’t doubt me as I used to take care of his work the whole day and write at night. But, this time I didn't walk to my study room but his.

The door was locked with a smart lock system invented by his company. As expected, it opened with Cindy’s birthdate.

A smile of mockery spread through my lips as I slowly opened his laptop, password Cindy's dog’s name. What a shame to our marriage!

As I opened his laptop, I discovered his chat with Cindy's and the documents he sent to her. My gaze fixed on the last text in which he mentioned,

“Don't worry about the controversy arising about your work, Cindy. After the publisher announces you as the author behind ‘Little Fox’ pen name, no one will ever judge your talent.”

“When are you going to do that, Denver? I can't wait to watch my haters die of envy.” She replied.

“Next week, Cindy. Just when Mia finishes the book.” Denver wrote.

I closed the laptop, and couldn't get to read any longer. I had been blinded in love for years that I never met my editor or publisher even for once.

I entrusted everything to Denver. The only thing I did was write my books and give the manuscripts to him. The contract, publishing and marketing, these were all done by him and I never raised a question against it.

But, all that he was doing was deceiving me. His love, his care, his motivation, all lies. He was a wolf in the skin of my husband, waiting for the right moment to bite me.

But, one thing that he didn't know was that I had seen through him. I knew what kind of a person he was, and the manuscript he had been planning to steal from me, still belonged to me.

And, I was not going to let him manipulate me again with his sweet lies. I was never going to become the fool I had been for years.

I went back to my study room, tore the last pages of the manuscript and wrote a different climax to my story. After finishing my work, I wrote a letter to Denver.

‘You wanted my manuscript, Denver. Here it is.’

The next week, I was working for Denver's company, taking care of the necessary documents required for his latest project when one of my colleagues rushed in, saying, “Mrs. Beckham, come with me.”

“What happened, Lydia?” I asked.

“Just come with me,” she said before dragging me to the common hall where everyone had already gathered.

“Mrs. Beckham, you are so lucky,” someone said.

“Yes, you are so lucky to have a husband like Mr. Beckham. He loves you so much.” Another one added.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to process what had been going on. Meanwhile, my gaze fell on the projector, showing the live telecast of Denver's interview with the press.

Reporters were asking him about the launch of his newest technology. In his response he replied,

“Tomorrow is my wife's birthday. So, I’m going to launch my latest technology tomorrow to dedicate it to my wife.”

His response got a lot of appreciation from the reporters as well as his employees. They all envied me for the love my husband was presenting before the media.

But, only I knew it was only the foged affection that he had been manipulating me with all these years. His words, his actions, were all lies just to hide his evil intentions behind them.

“If the launch is tomorrow, then why did you call all the reporters today, Mr. Beckham? And, what is Mr. Brad doing here?”

“Isn't he the Senior Editor of Dreamy land publishing company? A very renowned company who publishes Little Fox’s story?” another reporter asked.

“It's because we are going to reveal the identity of Little Fox to all of you.” Mr. Brad said, his words causing turmoil all over the world.

Everyone was curious to know the person who had been entertaining them with their words for years.

“Is it really happening? The world wants to know our Little Fox personally.”

“Yes, where is she? We all want to meet her and take the interview.”

“It will be the best gift to her fans. They are all waiting for her recent book. Her showing up on the day of book signing would be amazing.”

The reporters began asking questions over and over. Brad laughed before he replied, “Have a little patience, you all. This meeting was only to announce the partnership between Mr. Beckham and my company and the news of Little Fox personally showing up on the day of book signing for her fans.”

“So, be prepared everyone. If you want to meet your favourite author, don't forget to buy a ticket.”

With that the press conference came to an end. Soon enough my phone rang. It was Denver. After I picked up the call, his excited voice sounded,

“Mia, I have a surprise for you. Can you come and meet me at Sunrise hotel with your finished manuscript? You were going to finish it today, right?”

I stared at the manuscript and the letter I wrote, placed inside my bag before I replied, “Yes, It's finished.”

“Come and see me then,” he said in haste before he hung up.

I racked my mind and thought maybe just maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe he was playing tricks with Cindy and was actually going to announce me as Little Fox.

After all, the first thing he promised me after we got married was that he would let Cindy pay for her crimes.

I took a long breath before I decided to give him one more chance. I took the manuscript with me and arrived at the location he asked me to.

But, before I could reach his room, my legs paused as I heard a familiar voice coming out from his room, a voice I hated the most in my life.

It was Cindy!

“How long are you going to play with that fool, Mia?” She asked, her voice filled with arrogance.

“Just today. After she hands over her manuscript to me, she is of no use.” He replied, his voice laced with honesty.

“You called her here, even when I’m with you. Don't you think she will be dubious?” She asked, “What if she refuses to hand her manuscript to us?”

“Don't worry, the receptionist will notify me once she arrives at her counter.” He replied casually.

He didn't know that I didn't go to ask about him to the receptionist. Instead, I tracked his location with my phone.

“And, even if she refuses to give the documents, I have plenty more ways to force her.” He added.

The room was then filled with the voices of their moans and groans, making it unbearable for me to stand any longer.

A lump was formed in my throat as I turned back. He broke the smallest bit of trust that had brought me to see him. The file of manuscript in my hands was mocking me as I wiped the corner of my eyes.

I had lost everything. The man I loved, the passion for writing that I had hardly regained, I lost everything once again. What was the need of going on like this?

Just then my phone rang. It was a call from Denver's research centre. I picked the call and the voice sounded desperate from the other end,

“Mrs. Beckham, Mr. Beckham is not picking up the call. Is he with you?”

I smiled in sarcasm before I asked, “What's the matter?”

“The girl who was going to be the lab rat for Mr. Denver’s freezing machine, just bailed out. The launch is tomorrow and we don't know what to do.” He spoke in haste.

I stared at my manuscript, recalled what Denver said to Cindy. In that split second, I realized I had no reason to continue living.

Taking a long breath, I replied, “It's okay. Carry on with the plan. You will find the girl for your test.”