Chapter 2

Ellie’s P.O.V.

“Leave? No!”

I blurted out before I could organize my thoughts.

“Dad, please. Grandma is dead. I don’t have anywhere to go…”

But my dad didn’t even let me finish.

“You should have thought about it before, Ellie.”

He spoke coldly.

“Do you have any idea what you have done? You have disappointed me. You embarrassed Jared. You humiliated both the Walton and Hunt families in front of the entire city.”

His face darkened with fury.

“If it wasn’t for Alice’s sacrifice… I would have lost my face in public. At least, she understands what’s at stake.”

His every word pierced into my soul like pointed needles, tearing my entire existence apart. Tears rolled down my cheeks as my dad continued, praising Alice, calling her the sensible one.

My stepmom placed a hand on his shoulder, sighing softly.

“What’s done is done, Camryn. Scolding her won’t fix anything.”

Her eyes met mine, sharp and calculating.

“But mistakes can still be corrected.”

My father frowned slightly.

“What are you suggesting, Susan?”

She didn’t hesitate. “The Walton family won’t let it go. Not after what happened today. But…”

A shiver ran down my spine as she added in a mysterious tone.

“But they might reconsider our alliance if we compensate them properly.”

“Compensate them?” My dad repeated.

“Yes.” She folded her hands calmly. “We still have something they can’t easily refuse.”

She gazed at me coldly. “Jared’s uncle.”

“No!”

My stomach dropped instantly.

But Susan continued, as if I wasn’t standing there.

“He is currently single, and after that party’s incident, no family is willing to be associated with him.”

Before she could utter more nonsense, I shook my head.

“No. You can’t be serious.”

“You don’t get to decide anything here, Ellie.” My dad swiftly raised his hand. “Susan, I am listening.”

However, I couldn’t stay silent. My mind went back to the hushed whispers about Jared’s uncle, the conversations that stopped when someone got too close.

His name itself was a scandal, something that people avoided mentioning.

“They said he was found with prostitutes at a party,” I said, my voice unsteady despite my efforts to stay composed.

“Then he collapsed during an alleged orgy...”

“Rumors!” Susan cut in lightly. “Exaggerated, as they always are.”

She looked up at my dad and continued.

“He lives alone now in the estate outside the city. You have heard of it, Camryn.”

Of course.

The whole city had heard of it.

White mansion. A place that no one ever visited.

“He isn’t well.” She added. “And he needs someone by his side twenty-four by seven. And only a good wife can do that.”

My stomach knotted.

“What are you saying?”

Susan didn’t look away. “You will marry him, Ellie.”

“No!”

I staggered a step back, disbelief crushing over me.

“No, I am not doing this.”

My pulse started to race a freaking thousand beats per second as I spluttered, my words toppling over one another.

“I can fix this. Just give me some time. I will handle this situation.

Trust me, I will…”

“You have already done enough, Ellie. Apologies won’t fix it.”

My dad spoke harshly. “The damage has been done. And it needs to be settled.”

His icy glare cut through my heart. I whimpered weakly.

“I’m not a business deal, Dad.”

“No, you are the consequences.”

That statement hit harder than anything else he had said until now. My throat burned with tears.

“This isn’t fair.”

“Fair?” Susan raised a brow. “Was today fair for us, Ellie?”

Her sharp query zipped my lips.

My dad took a step forward and said, his voice cold and calculating.

“This is the only way to resolve this situation. The Walton family gets what they want. Our reputation remains intact.”

His hard glare then settled on me. “And you will take this responsibility, Ellie!”

Responsibility?

For what?

For loving someone who didn’t choose me?

Or for trying hard to fit into a mold and failing?

“I won’t do it,” I said, though my voice didn’t sound as strong as I wanted it to be. “I won’t marry Jared’s uncle.”

My dad’s face darkened instantly. He said, his frosty voice sending an icy wave through my body.

“That wasn’t a request, Ellie.”

….

I argued.

I refused.

I begged.

But none of it mattered.

At one point, I realized that they weren’t listening anymore.

Or perhaps they never did, as decisions like this weren’t made with me. They were made about me.

The house didn’t feel the same after my dad’s final decision. He discussed it with Jared’s dad, and by the evening, everything was arranged. I wasn’t asked again or given a choice, not even when the Walton family’s lawyer arrived.

“Sit.” He spoke politely.

I lowered myself into the chair; my wedding dress still wrapped around me like a memory I couldn’t take off.

The documents were placed in front of me at the table, neatly organized.

“This is a standard marriage contract.”

The lawyer said calmly. “Please review it and sign where indicated.”

My father stood behind me, watching my every move as Susan sat across from me, her expressions composed as if this was nothing more than a routine agreement.

I swallowed hard, my fingers hovering over the documents. The lawyer tapped at the middle of the paper and continued.

“This section addresses confidentiality to protect Mr. Walton’s privacy. You are required to keep all the matters regarding his health and personal life secret.”

Then he added professionally. “He isn’t in a position to deal with public exposure. Any breach of this agreement will have legal consequences.”

Susan said smoothly. “Of course. That won’t be an issue, Mr. Charles.”

I looked up and asked quietly. “You are agreeing for me?”

Her merciless gaze locked onto me.

“You have done enough damage, Ellie. The least you can do is cooperate.”

Unfazed by our family issues, the lawyer pointed at another page.

“There are other clauses regarding residence. You will live at Mr. Walton’s estate. Your presence is expected there.”

A heavy silence followed his explanation, only the frantic throbbing of my pulse audible to the ears.

My dad’s voice sliced through the air, low and final.

“Sign!”

For a second, everything felt distant, muted, like I was watching someone else, sitting there and making decisions that couldn’t be undone. My fingers trembled as I picked up the pen, my voice faint.

“I can still fix this. I can explain…”

“Sign!”

My heart leapt to my throat.

Lowering my head, I signed everywhere they pointed, and without any vows or a ceremony, I became someone’s wife within a few minutes.

“Good,” that lawyer said, arranging documents categorically.

“We will proceed immediately.”

My father was in more of a rush than others as he escorted me to the car waiting outside, closing the door with his own hands.

The lawyer took the front seat, and then the driver started in silence, my dad’s voice echoing from behind.

“There shouldn’t be any complaints now, Ellie!”

My eyes burned, dry and aching after crying all day. I leaned back against the car seat, staring out of the window as the city lights passed by, unlike the darkness in my world.

Soon, the roads grew emptier and the buildings disappeared, the noise softening until there was nothing left but the low hum of the engine.

My reflection stared back at me, faint and distorted.

I still looked like a bride, but not the kind anyone would celebrate!

At some point, the road changed, getting narrower and darker. Trees lined both sides, tall and dense, their shadows stretching across the path.

As it had been an hour, I straightened slightly and asked.

“Where are we?”

“The white mansion is located outside the city.” The lawyer replied. “The environment is more suitable for his condition.”

And that was all he said during the next fifteen minutes' ride.

Then the car slowed down, iron gates coming into view ahead. They opened before we reached them, but still, I didn’t see anyone.

The road continued longer than I expected until the massive building of the white mansion arrived, tall and majestic like something that existed outside the rest of the world.

The car came to a stop in front of the entrance, and then the lawyer spoke politely.

“We are here. From now on, this will be your residence... Mrs. Walton.”