Chapter 1 A Wife for One Year
MY WIFE, MY STRANGER
Chapter 1: A Wife for One Year
Anaya Sen never imagined she would marry a stranger to save her family.
But when her family's publishing house faced bankruptcy, she had only one option left.
Ira Malhotra.
Twenty-seven, wealthy, intimidating, and known for her cold heart.
“I can clear your family's debts,” Ira said, sitting behind her office desk. “But I want something in return.”
“What?”
“Marry me. One year.”
Anaya stared at her. “You don't even know me.”
“Then let's keep it simple. It's a contract, not a love story.”
Anaya wanted to refuse. But remembering her family's struggles, she picked up the pen.
“One year,” she said. “Then we walk away.”
“Agreed.”
Six days later, Anaya became Ira Malhotra's wife.
Their new home was a luxurious penthouse overlooking the city. Yet it felt colder than any place Anaya had ever known.
Ira handed her a sheet of paper.
“Three rules. Separate bedrooms. No questions about past relationships. And neither of us expects love.”
Anaya forced a smile. “Don't worry. Falling in love with you wasn't on my list.”
For a moment, Ira's expression changed.
Then she turned away.
“Good.”
That night, Anaya opened a chat with the one person who had always understood her.
Moon 🌙
For three years, Moon had been her anonymous soulmate. They had shared their fears, dreams, and secrets without ever exchanging real names.
Little Star ⭐: I got married today.
Moon 🌙: Are you happy?
Little Star ⭐: I don't know. I did it to save my family.
Moon 🌙: Just promise me you won't lose yourself trying to save everyone else.
Anaya smiled sadly.
Little Star ⭐: I wish you were here.
Across the penthouse, Ira sat alone in her study.
Her wedding ring lay on the desk beside her phone.
The screen glowed in the darkness.
A familiar chat was open.
Little Star ⭐: I wish you were here.
Ira closed her eyes.
For three years, she had known Anaya as Little Star.
She knew Anaya hated bitter coffee but drank it during stressful mornings. She knew she reread the same comforting book whenever life became overwhelming. She knew she apologized too quickly, worried too much, and carried pain as if asking for help would make her a burden.
Ira had fallen in love with a woman she had never met.
A woman whose real name she had never known.
And now that woman was her wife.
Ira had recognized Anaya the moment she walked into the office six days ago. The familiar way she tucked her hair behind her ear. The stubborn lift of her chin. The little pause before she spoke when she was frightened but refused to show it.
Then Anaya had looked directly into Ira's eyes.
And Ira had realized that the woman she had spent three years searching for was standing right in front of her.
Little Star.
Her Little Star.
But Anaya hadn't recognized her.
Online, Ira was Moon—the person Anaya trusted with her most private thoughts.
In real life, Ira Malhotra was the woman Anaya believed incapable of love.
And Ira had made a terrible choice.
She could have told Anaya the truth.
She could have confessed everything before the wedding, before the vows, before Anaya signed a contract that would tie their lives together for a year.
Instead, she had remained silent.
Because she was afraid.
Afraid that Anaya would discover the truth and see her as a liar. Afraid that the love they had built through a screen would disappear the moment Anaya saw the woman behind it.
So Ira had convinced herself that silence was safer.
That she could tell Anaya someday.
When the time was right.
When Anaya trusted her.
When it wouldn't hurt so much.
Her phone vibrated.
Little Star ⭐: Goodnight, Moon. I'm glad I still have you.
Ira stared at the words until they blurred.
Then she typed a reply.
Moon 🌙: Goodnight, Little Star. I'm always here.
She sent it.
And for the first time in three years, the words felt like a lie.
Because she was here.
She was closer to Anaya than she had ever been.
She was the woman Anaya had married.
The woman Anaya had promised not to love.
And Anaya had no idea.
Ira set the phone down and looked toward the bedroom corridor.
A closed door separated them.
Only a few steps.
Only one truth.
Yet Ira had never felt so far away from the woman she loved.
She whispered into the empty room.
"Well done, Moon."
Her voice broke.
"You've finally found her."
She looked at the wedding ring on her finger.
"And you've already lied to her."
End of Chapter 1.
