Chapter 4

The Alderton Family agreed to the marriage without hesitation.

Two powerful Families joining forces meant both sides would expand their influence exponentially. This marriage was nothing but advantageous.

That night, scrolling through my phone out of boredom, I stumbled on a post from Lawrence.

"Three-day countdown. As long as she kneels before me, apologizes, and writes her apology letter, I'll forgive her."

Most of the comments tore into him for treating his girlfriend like she wasn't human.

A few agreed with him:

"Show her who's boss. Women need to know they're accessories."

"Exactly. After all these years together, she can't live without you. Do whatever you want."

Anna's comment was right there too. She was the first to cheer him on. "Babe, you could break up with her a hundred times and she'd never leave. Come meet me at the bar. This is your last night of freedom."

I felt nothing. I kept scrolling.

Lawrence's reply brimmed with confidence.

"Of course she won't leave me. We already filed our marriage license application. She has no way out. Once my birthday's over, we'll get married right away. Then she'll never be able to run."

His stupidity made me laugh. I was tempted to tell him that the waiting period started from the day the application was filed, not the day after.

His timeline was already wrong.

From the day we got together, marrying him was the one thing I wanted most. I'd fantasized about our happy married life more times than I could count.

But Lawrence treated marrying me like charity he was handing down. He didn't deserve it.

Over the next three days, we remained broken up. He didn't reach out.

Not until the morning I was due to file for the marriage license. That was when Lawrence's call dragged me out of a dead sleep.

"Camilla, don't forget my birthday party at noon today. And the gift you promised me."

Before I could say a word, he hung up. A moment later, the doorbell rang in a crisp rhythm.

I padded to the door in my nightgown and opened it. Adam stood there holding a bouquet of white roses, a composed smile on his face. "Miss Ferrante, I'm here to pick you up."

He looked much the way I'd imagined: sharp, chiseled features, yet with warmth in his eyes, wearing a perfectly tailored suit and neatly styled hair.

I took the flowers, hurried back to my room, changed, and put on light makeup.

He waited by the car with impeccable manners, and when I came out, he gave a slight bow and opened the door for me.

"Miss Ferrante, are you sure you want to marry me?"

I nodded without hesitation and got in. As the door closed, I caught a smile spreading across Adam's face, one that reached his eyes.

He chose a jurisdiction with no waiting period for our registration. By the time we walked out of city hall, we were husband and wife.

"Hungry? Want to grab lunch?" I thought about it, then gave him an address.

When Adam and I walked into the restaurant, Lawrence was at the center of a cheering crowd.

The moment he saw me, he smirked and walked over, stopping in front of me with his hand out.

"I knew you'd come, but you're late. That'll be a ten-page apology, or I'm breaking up with you. And where's my gift?"

I looked at him coldly and pulled my marriage certificate with Adam out of my bag. Thinking I was reaching for a gift, he whistled to his friends behind him and raised his eyebrows smugly.

"This is my gift to you."

Lawrence stared at the marriage certificate in my hands. His smile froze on his face. "You got married? To who?"