He Wanted an AI Bride Swap? Surprise, I Swapped Husbands for Real! Chapter 05

Damian slammed the phone down.

The screen cracked. Nathan’s taunt split apart into fragments.

Sienna flinched. Didn’t dare pick it up.

Damian loosened his tie and suddenly laughed.

“A wedding photo and a caption. You think that makes me believe it?”

“Damian — is Elara really—”

“She wouldn’t dare.”

He cut Sienna off, eyes still pinned to the shattered screen.

“Whenever her parents cause trouble, she always comes running to me. Nathan can play along with her little act, but can he bail her out for the rest of her life?”

Sienna stopped talking.

Damian took her phone and called his PR director.

“Sienna takes over Elara Voss’s account starting today. Have her livestream and sell products tonight.”

He paused. His fingertip pressed hard on the desk edge.

“If Elara wants to ask questions, she can come to me herself.”

*****

After the ceremony, Nathan took me to the hospital.

After reviewing the report, the doctor ordered further tests and warned me not to take any medication on my own. My treatment plan would depend on the results.

That evening, I threw up again.

My stomach was empty. The dry heaves wouldn’t stop. I gripped the sink, tears falling into the water, knees weak.

Nathan called for a nurse. Once the worst of the nausea had passed, he helped me sit down, then wrung out a warm towel and gently wiped my face.

“Want to rinse?”

I nodded. He handed me a cup, steadying my hand.

In the mirror, my face was puffy. My lips were pale. My hair stuck wet to my skin.

“Nathan. Am I ugly?”

He crouched down, eye level with me.

“You’re sick, Elara.”

The towel brushed gently at the corner of my eye.

“Tell me when you’re uncomfortable. You don’t have to think about how you look first.”

I lowered my head and held the cup tighter.

*****

That night, I had Nathan put the livestream on the hospital TV.

Sienna sat in the studio I’d built with my own hands, in a tight dress, waving at the camera.

“Hi everyone, I’m Sienna. Elara isn’t feeling well. From now on, I’ll be here for you on this account.”

The comments flooded with questions about where I was.

She sighed. Her eyes went red.

“Elara tried some extreme methods because of body-image issues. She’s still recovering. Mr. Cross has been worried sick. Let’s not bring it up.”

My fingers curled. The blanket bunched in a deep crease.

That lamp. That backdrop. Even the desk ornaments. I’d picked every one.

Now she sat there, using my account to speak for Damian.

Nathan picked up the remote.

“Don’t turn it off.”

I released the blanket, grabbed my phone, and sent the recording of the livestream to my lawyer.

“Keep this too.”

Damian had taken over my account because he expected me to come crawling back and beg him.

But I was leaving him. Not throwing away years of my own work.

After the message sent, I motioned for Nathan to turn off the TV.

The confirmation of the company’s new administrator access was still on my phone.

I backed out of the page and canceled the number I’d used for seven years.

*****

That night, Sienna’s diet product got hit with complaints over licensing.

Questions and accusations flooded the screen. She repeatedly stumbled over the product details before finally turning to someone off-camera for help.

Damian sat in his office. Didn’t stop the stream.

He picked up his glass and dialed the familiar number.

“The number you have dialed has been disconnected.”

His grip on the glass tightened.

The glass struck the edge of the desk with a sharp crack and shattered. A shard pierced his palm, and blood dripped between his fingers onto the carpet.

*****