He Married Me to Get His Ex Back

As her mother lay dying, she held ten-year-old Zoe Lincoln's hand and gazed at her daughter's face, which was already strikingly beautiful despite her young age.

With the last of her strength, she whispered, "Zoe... remember what I'm telling you... Beautiful women get deceived by men... and they end up suffering... You have to protect yourself... Hide that pretty face of yours..."

Zoe never forgot those words.

From that day on, she deliberately made herself look unattractive.

Her bangs grew thicker, her glasses became heavier, and she wore nothing but plain, dull-colored clothes.

Her father arranged countless blind dates for her, but every man took one look at her appearance and ran.

By the time her hundredth blind date rolled around, Zoe found herself sitting in a café across from a man in a tailored suit.

The moment he saw her, he frowned.

"Ms. Lincoln," he began, making no effort to hide his disgust. "The matchmaker never mentioned that you... looked like this."

Zoe lowered her head without saying a word.

"Seriously, looking like that, how do you even have the nerve to go on blind dates?" The man sneered. "Who the hell would marry you?"

Zoe tightened her grip around her coffee cup.

Suddenly, the man picked up his own cup and threw its contents straight into her face.

"There. Ruined makeup suits you better."

Cold coffee streamed down her cheeks, washing away patches of her muddy foundation and exposing the fair skin underneath.

Zoe raised her head and was about to stand when...

Bang!

A slender hand shot out from beside her, seized the man's wrist, and twisted it sharply.

"Ahhh!" the man screamed.

"Apologize."

The voice was deep and icy.

Zoe turned and saw a man in a custom-tailored suit.

He was tall and stood with impeccable posture. His eyes were deep-set, his nose straight, and his thin lips pressed into a firm line. There was something effortlessly refined and aloof about him.

Right now, he had the other man's wrist locked in his grip, his gaze cold enough to freeze him in place.

"Who the hell are you?" the man demanded, struggling to pull free.

"Apologize," the stranger repeated.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an authority that left no room for argument.

Intimidated, the man stammered an apology to Zoe before scrambling away.

The stranger released him, took a handkerchief from his suit pocket, and handed it to Zoe.

"Here. Wipe your face."

Zoe accepted it in a daze.

"You shouldn't have to put up with that kind of treatment," he said calmly. "Next time something like this happens, call the police."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Zoe stood rooted to the spot, watching his tall figure disappear through the café entrance.

Her heart was pounding.

She would never forget him.

After returning home, she began looking into his background.

His name was Aiden Carter.

At twenty-six, he was the youngest heir to Carter Corporation. He'd been running the family business for three years, earning a reputation for his decisive leadership and exceptional business skills.

Among the city's wealthy elite, he was widely regarded as the perfect man.

Even more impressively, he kept his private life discreet, and there had never been any public scandals.

Zoe fell for him.

But before she could figure out how to approach him, Aiden showed up at her family's home.

"Ms. Lincoln," he said, sitting in the living room and getting straight to the point. "I'd like to propose a marriage between our families."

Zoe froze.

"Why me?" she asked. "I'm... not exactly pretty."

Aiden looked at her calmly.

"Looks aren't important. I think you're... a good match."

A good match.

There was nothing romantic about those words.

Yet hearing them from him made Zoe's heart race.

Her mother had warned her that beautiful women were easily deceived by men.

But she'd deliberately made herself ugly, and this man still wanted to marry her.

She thought she'd finally found the right person.

For the next three years, Aiden treated her wonderfully.

He never seemed bothered by her appearance. Whenever someone made unkind remarks about her looks, he'd gently take her hand and say, "Zoe, you're wonderful just the way you are."

When she told him she loved design, he invested in a studio for her.

Knowing she had a sensitive stomach, he memorized all the foods she needed to avoid. Whenever he returned from a business dinner, he'd bring her something warm and soothing to eat.

On her birthday, no matter how busy he was, he'd clear his schedule and spend the entire day with her.

Once, Zoe was involved in a terrible car accident.

Her vehicle overturned into a ditch and could have exploded at any moment.

But Aiden rushed to the scene without a second thought.

Using his bare hands, he forced open the mangled car door and pulled her free.

They'd barely made it thirty feet away when the car exploded.

Aiden threw himself over Zoe, shielding her with his body.

Flames swept across his back, leaving him badly burned.

When Zoe regained consciousness in the hospital, the first thing she did was grab a nurse and ask, "Where's my husband? Is he okay?"

"Mr. Carter suffered severe burns to his back, but his life isn't in danger," the nurse assured her. "He's in the next room."

Zoe immediately pulled out her IV and stumbled toward his room.

But just as she reached for the door handle, she heard his mother's voice from inside.

"Aiden! You married such an ugly woman and turned our entire family into a laughingstock! And now you're deliberately risking your life for her! How far are you going to take this?”

Zoe's hand froze on the handle.

Silence followed.

Then Aiden spoke, his voice so calm that it betrayed no emotion.

"Mom, you know what I want."

"I knew it! You're still doing all of this for Mia!" his mother snapped, her voice trembling with anger. "Listen to me. You're the most promising heir our family has. Mia Mitchell will never be welcome in this family, no matter how much you love her! And marrying Zoe just to spite us isn't going to change that!"

Zoe stood motionless outside the door, her entire body turning cold.

What... were they talking about?

For Mia?

Who was Mia?

A wave of terror and a terrible sense of impending doom crashed over her.

She steadied herself against the wall, slowly backed away, and retreated to her hospital room.

Several seconds passed before she managed to take out her phone with trembling hands.

She sent a message to a private investigator.

‘Find out everything you can about Aiden Carter and Mia Mitchell. I want every detail of their connection.’

Every second she spent waiting for a reply felt like torture.

Her head buzzed relentlessly.

His mother's furious accusations echoed through her mind.

You married such an ugly woman and turned our entire family into a laughingstock.

‘You're still doing all of this for Mia!’

And then there was Aiden's calm response.

‘You know what I want.’

The words cut into her heart like poisoned blades, tearing apart the love and trust she'd only just begun to feel secure in.

Finally, the investigator sent over the information.

With trembling hands, Zoe opened the files.

There were pages upon pages of detailed reports, along with dozens of photographs.