Chapter 1The Control Group

Rich Blackwood’s younger brother was filming a reality dating show at the family estate.

And as it turned out, Rich and I became the unwitting control group for this celebrity couple.

At first, the internet mocked me. I was just the wallpaper wife, the bland backdrop to a glittering romance. My husband was distant, my mother-in-law impossible.

But then… the comments started to change.

Netizens began tagging the show’s producers:

[@Showrunners We're here for Rich and his wife! A million of us are begging you, give them more screen time!]

[I live for squinting at the corners of the screen, just to catch a crumb of their sweetness!]

[My blood sugar is crashing. I need a dose of the main couple, stat!]

* * *

Leo Blackwood’s love life was a whirlwind romance, the kind that lit up the gossip columns and trended on social media every other day. His girlfriend was Seraphina Vance, one of the most celebrated actresses of her generation.

The infamous playboy was finally settling down.

He’d spent a month wearing down his older brother, Rich, until he finally relented and agreed to let them film their new reality show at the historic Blackwood estate.

Rich didn’t bother telling me until a week before the cameras were due to arrive.

“It’s just for a few segments,” he said, his voice even. “If you don’t want to be on camera, we can move out for the duration of the shoot.”

I was sprawled lazily across our bed, the smooth curve of my shoulder and neck a pale glimmer against the cascade of my dark hair. “Forget it,” I murmured. “Too much effort to move.”

I’d been married to Rich for three years, and the estate had become my home. The thought of packing up and relocating, even temporarily, was exhausting.