The Ugly Wife's Glorious Comeback

"Rosalie, remember what I told you. It's not safe for anyone to see how beautiful and talented you really are before you turn twenty."

For fifteen years, Rosalie Sinclair had kept her mother's dying words, hiding herself away in this house, pretending to be ugly and foolish.

Today was her twentieth birthday. Today, she would finally stop hiding.

She filled the bathtub, pouring a special cleansing solution into the water. She began to undress, ready for a long, hot bath to scrub away every trace of the hideous makeup from her face.

A sharp pounding at the door stopped her. She had no choice but to answer.

The haughty housemaid, Alaiya Tucker, stood outside. "Rosalie, what are you doing sneaking around in this storage room? Today is Miss Isabelle Hayes' wedding day. If you don't make an appearance, people will say Mrs. Genevieve Hayes is mistreating you. Get to the main parlor. Now!"

It was hardly the way a maid should speak to the daughter of the house.

Sneaking around? She'd been shoved into a storage shed out back and forced to live there for fifteen years!

Ever since her mother died and her stepmother, Genevieve, had wormed her way into the family with her illegitimate daughter, the entire household had treated her with contempt-including her own father, Arthur Hayes.

"I'll get changed and be right there," Rosalie said.

"With that face? What's there to change? Let's go! The Sterlings have already arrived, and the courthouse registrar is here to handle the marriage license for Mr. Damian Sterling and Miss Isabelle Hayes. Your mother wants the whole family to witness this sacred moment!"

Rosalie sneered inwardly.

The Sterlings were the most powerful family in Bridgeford, and their heir, Damian, was the brilliant, elusive man at the helm of their empire. His bride-to-be was Isabelle, Bridgeford's most celebrated socialite, and their union was the talk of the town.

The media had been relentless, calling them the perfect couple-a match made in heaven. They'd been showered with every cliché in the book.

Social media was on fire, with fans begging their "dream couple" to just get married already.

Genevieve framed it as a noble family event, but her real goal was simple: to shove her daughter's happiness in Rosalie's face.

Rosalie followed Alaiya to the main parlor.

The Hayes house was lavishly decorated, no expense spared for Isabelle's grand send-off.

Everyone was dressed to the nines. Rosalie, in her cheap t-shirt and ripped jeans, was a jarring contrast, her garishly painted face completely out of place.

Genevieve, who was chatting with Damian's grandfather Terry Sterling, paused when she saw Rosalie. A wide, saccharine smile spread across her face. "Rosalie, I had a new dress laid out for you. Why didn't you wear it?"

As if!

Before today, Rosalie would have played dumb, going along with Genevieve's act. But she was done pretending. She couldn't even bring herself to reply.

She turned to Terry instead. "Mr. Sterling, it's a pleasure to see you."

Terry chuckled.

"Ah, Rosalie. Your sense of style has certainly become... unique."

Rosalie touched her wild, frizzy hair. Terry was surprisingly diplomatic, she had to admit. He hadn't called her an eyesore, at least.

After greeting Terry, her gaze shifted to the man seated beside Terry.

In truth, Rosalie had noticed him the moment she walked in.

From his tailored suit and his seat of honor, she guessed he had to be the rarely-seen Sterling heir, Damian.

Nothing she'd heard did him justice. He was breathtakingly handsome, the kind of man who seemed to have stepped out of a dream. Rosalie found herself staring, captivated.

"Hey, you ugly! How dare you stare at Isabelle's fiancé? Have you no shame?"

"She's so hideous! Her staring is an insult to Damian!"

At a pointed look from Genevieve, Alaiya made sure her voice carried.

Isabelle hooked her arm through Damian's in a territorial gesture. "It's all right," she said, feigning grace. "Damian is an exceptional man. Naturally, many women are drawn to him."

She didn't see Rosalie as a threat. In fact, she welcomed the attention. It only proved what a great catch she'd landed, another way to keep Rosalie forever beneath her.

Arthur's face darkened. "You ungrateful little wretch. Get out of my sight!"

Ignoring her father completely, Rosalie hooked a nearby chair with her foot and sat down, directly across from Damian.

Damian's expression remained unchanged, his aloofness almost unnerving.

Terry cleared his throat awkwardly and turned to the courthouse registrar. "Please, proceed with the registration."

"Of course," the registrar replied.

He opened his laptop and typed Damian's name into the system.

"Mr. Damian Sterling," he stammered, a look of utter confusion on his face. "The system... it shows you're already married. To Rosalie Sinclair."

What?!

A stunned silence fell over the room. The registrar's words had landed like a bomb.

Rosalie's eyes widened. She was married? To Damian?

How could she herself not know?!