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.”

His face darkened with fury.

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

His every word pierced into my soul like pointed needles. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

“It wasn’t that…”

My stepmom interrupted, placing a calming hand on Dad’s shoulder.

“Scolding her won’t fix anything, Camryn.”

Her cold eyes landed on me.

“But mistakes can still be corrected.”

Dad frowned. “What are you suggesting, Susan?”

“The Walton family won’t let this go easily after today’s humiliation,” She said calmly. “But perhaps… they’ll reconsider the alliance if we compensate them properly.”

“Compensate them?” Dad repeated.

“Yes.”

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

A shiver ran down my spine.

“Jared’s uncle.”

“What?” I gasped.

But Susan continued as if she hadn’t heard me.

“Zackary Walton is single. And after that party scandal, no respectable family wants to be associated with him.”

The whispers I had heard over the years resurfaced immediately.

Jerad’s uncle was a lecher, who was caught in an alleged orgy at a party. Five years ago, every news channel in the city had reported this story for weeks.

People always lowered their voices whenever his name came up.

Susan 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. 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. "I am not doing this.”

Dad snapped coldly. “You don’t get to decide anything here, Ellie.”

Susan supported him. “Zackary Walton needs a wife. This marriage will settle today’s disaster. Isn’t it good for both families?”

“I’m not a business deal, Dad.”

“No.” Dad spoke harshly. “You are the consequences.”

That statement hit like a slap. My throat burned with tears.

“This isn’t fair.”

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

Silence crushed me.

Dad stepped closer, his expression final.

“This marriage fixes the situation. The Walton family keeps their dignity, and so do we.”

Then his hard gaze settled on me.

“And you will take responsibility for your actions, Ellie.”

Responsibility?

For loving Jared?

For trying so hard to become someone he could proudly stand beside?

I refused.

I cried.

I begged.

But none of it mattered.

At one point, I realized that Dad wasn't even listening.

Or perhaps he 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 the Walton family, and by the evening, everything was arranged. I wasn’t asked again or given a choice, not even when the 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.”

Then he added professionally. “He isn’t in a position to deal with public exposure. Any breach of this agreement has a penalty of one billion dollars.”

One… billion dollars?

Before I could process it, Susan spoke smoothly, as if he mentioned peanuts instead of this massive amount.

“That won’t be an issue, Mr. Charles.”

I glanced at Susan in disbelief. “You are agreeing for me?”

Her expression didn’t change.

“You have caused enough trouble already, Ellie. The least you can do is cooperate.”

Unfazed by our family issues, the lawyer pointed at another page and explained the other terms.

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 it, Ellie.”

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.

“Dad… I can explain everything to Jared…”

“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. Your presence is expected at White Mansion, Mrs. Walton.”

…

The drive to White Mansion felt endless.

The city lights disappeared gradually behind the tinted windows until nothing remained except the occasional glow of distant streetlamps.

As the car finally slowed near the estate, massive iron gates opened automatically, revealing a long pathway surrounded by towering trees.

White Mansion stood at the end of it like something untouched by time.

Less than twelve hours ago, I was supposed to become Jared’s wife.

Now I belong to another man, a stranger whose name was a scandal in the society!

An old maid escorted me to a luxurious bedroom and placed a silk dress on the bed.

“You should change, madam.”

A strange unease curled inside me as my gaze fell on the dark red lacy nightdress. It didn’t look like something a sick, dying man’s wife should wear.

The thought made my stomach twist.

But I had no other choice, so I changed silently.

The silk clung uncomfortably against my skin, the sleeveless design exposing more than I liked. I kept pulling at the fabric afterward, trying to make myself feel less exposed.

It didn’t work.

Sighing, I sat stiffly on the edge of the massive bed, my hands twisting together anxiously.

My mind replayed everything over and over again.

Jared.

Alice.

Dad’s disappointment.

The contract.

The penalty clause.

And now…

This unknown husband who was waiting somewhere behind these walls.

I swallowed hard, glancing toward the closed door.

“What kind of man was I about to meet?”

The rumors surrounding Jared’s uncle returned unwillingly to my mind.

Even his name carried scandal.

And now… I was his wife!

My pulse quickened frantically.

I almost flinched as the sound of the door unlocking echoed through the room.

Slow footsteps entered the bedroom, followed by a deep masculine voice.

“You must be Ellie Hunt.”