Chapter Three

Morning arrived far too quickly.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the luxury suite, spilling across the enormous bed.

Natalie groaned and buried her face deeper into the pillow.

For one blissful moment, everything felt normal.

Then the memories returned.

The wedding.

The vows.

The kiss.

The stranger she had somehow married.

Natalie's eyes flew open.

She bolted upright so quickly that the blanket slid onto the floor.

"No."

Her voice came out as a whisper.

"No, no, no."

The wedding wasn't a nightmare.

It had actually happened.

Panic surged through her.

She looked around the room.

The elegant furniture.

The expensive decorations.

The unfamiliar surroundings.

Then her gaze landed on the wedding dress folded neatly over a nearby couch.

Her stomach dropped.

Slowly, another realization dawned on her.

Natalie looked down.

She wasn't wearing the dress anymore.

Silence.

Then—

"What?!"

She jumped off the bed.

Pure horror flashed across her face.

Without thinking, she stormed out of the bedroom.

"YOU RAPIST!"

Her voice echoed through the suite.

Upstairs, Adrian nearly dropped the file he had been reading.

He lowered the papers.

"What now?"

Natalie continued shouting before he even reached the staircase.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME WHILE I WAS UNCONSCIOUS?!"

Adrian closed his eyes briefly.

He already had a headache.

And somehow it was getting worse.

When he reached the top of the stairs, Natalie was standing in the living room looking ready to commit a crime.

The moment she saw him, she pointed accusingly.

"You!"

Adrian blinked.

"Good morning to you too."

The nearest throw pillow flew toward his face.

He caught it effortlessly.

Natalie grabbed another one.

"You know exactly what you did!"

A second pillow followed.

Then a third.

Adrian caught that one too.

His expression remained painfully unimpressed.

"Are you finished?"

"You undressed me!"

That finally made him pause.

For several seconds, he simply stared at her.

Then he laughed.

One short, disbelieving laugh.

Natalie's jaw dropped.

"What's so funny?!"

"You."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me?"

Adrian descended the stairs, Annoyingly calm.

"The room smelled like a brewery."

Natalie blinked.

"What?"

"You drank enough alcohol to embarrass several countries."

"I did not."

"You fell asleep while accusing a flower arrangement of judging you."

Natalie froze.

"...I did that?"

"You did."

A brief silence followed.

"The point is," Adrian continued, "I removed the dress because it smelled like alcohol, and filled the whole room with its stench ."

His gaze swept over her.

"Trust me."

He walked past her.

"You are not nearly as irresistible as you seem to think."

Natalie's face turned bright red.

"Oh."

She suddenly wished the floor would swallow her whole.

Adrian continued toward the kitchen.

The argument was apparently over.

Natalie remained frozen in place.

Embarrassment washed over her.

At least he hadn't taken advantage of her.

That alone was enough to make her exhale in relief.

A few minutes later, she changed into a simple outfit and emerged from the bedroom carrying her small shoulder bag.

The sight made Adrian pause.

The bag looked old.

Worn.

Patched in several places.

Not something Maria Daves would ever own.

Another inconsistency…, He poured hot water into his coffee mug.

The scar, The necklace, The bag, The behavior.

Nothing made sense.

Unless—

The kettle whistled sharply.

Interrupting the thought.

Adrian frowned.

He hated unfinished thoughts.

Natalie approached cautiously.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Home."

The answer came immediately.

Adrian nearly smiled.

"No."

Natalie blinked.

"No?"

He reached toward a nearby desk and picked up a thick folder.

Then tossed it onto the counter.

"Read."

Natalie opened it.

Several pages later, her confusion deepened.

Marriage agreements, Financial arrangements, Legal obligations, Business clauses, And at the bottom—Maria Daves, Signed.

Natalie looked up.

"This isn't my signature."

Adrian folded his arms.

"You're my wife."

"I'm not Maria."

His jaw tightened.

Here we go again.

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because it's true!"

Natalie slammed the folder shut.

"My name is Natalie."

Adrian remained silent.

"Natalie Shipman."

She pointed at herself.

"I grew up in St. Mary's Orphanage."

His eyes flickered briefly.

St. Mary's.

The name sounded familiar.

Natalie continued before he could respond.

"I don't have parents."

"I don't have family."

"And yesterday was the first time I've ever entered a building this expensive."

Every word sounded sincere.

Painfully sincere.

Adrian studied her carefully.

The frustration.

The fear.

The desperation.

None of it looked fake.

Still...

Logic refused to cooperate.

"How exactly am I supposed to believe that?"

"Because it's the truth!"

"You signed the contract."

"I didn't!"

"You disappeared on our wedding day."

"I WASN'T EVEN THE BRIDE!"

The room fell silent.

Natalie looked close to tears.

Adrian looked unconvinced.

Eventually, he rubbed his temple.

A headache was forming.

"No."

Natalie's shoulders dropped.

"I think you're overwhelmed."

Her mouth fell open.

"And I think you're refusing to listen!"

He picked up his coffee.

"I'm going to the office."

"What?"

"When I return, we'll leave for the main house."

Natalie frowned.

"The what?"

"Our home."

The words hit her like a truck.

Our home.

Then Adrian left.

Leaving her standing alone in the kitchen.

For the first time since the wedding, true fear settled into her chest.

She had nowhere to go.

No money.

No family.

No proof.

And somehow...

Her entire life now belonged to strangers.

---

That evening, Adrian returned from work exhausted.

His tie hung loosely around his neck.

His hair was slightly disheveled from repeatedly running his hands through it.

The moment he stepped inside, he remembered.

His wife.

Or whoever she really was.

"Come with me."

Natalie looked up from the couch.

Suspicion immediately appeared on her face.

"That sounds threatening."

"It wasn't meant to."

"That's exactly what a threatening person would say."

Adrian stared at her.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then he turned and walked away.

"Fine. Stay here."

Natalie hurried after him.

"Wait."

A small smile threatened to appear on Adrian's face.

Again.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Outside the hotel, a sleek black car waited beside the entrance.

A chauffeur opened the rear door.

Natalie stopped walking.

Her eyes widened.

She looked at the car.

Then at Adrian.

Then at the car again.

"You own this?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Adrian stared at her.

"...Because it's a car."

Natalie climbed inside looking completely overwhelmed.

The ride through the city passed mostly in silence.

Outside the tinted windows, skyscrapers glittered beneath the evening lights.

Traffic flowed through crowded streets.

Natalie watched everything quietly.

Eventually the city began to thin.

Then massive iron gates appeared ahead.

The gates opened automatically.

Natalie's breath caught.

A long driveway stretched before them.

Rows of perfectly maintained trees lined both sides.

Elegant lights illuminated the path.

And at the very end—

A mansion.

Not a house.

Not an estate.

A mansion.

Natalie pressed closer to the window.

"Oh."

That was all she managed.

The car rolled to a stop.

Several servants immediately emerged from the entrance.

Waiting.

Watching.

Expecting.

Natalie's stomach twisted.

This place was beautiful.

And terrifying.

She slowly stepped out of the car.

The mansion towered above her.

For the first time, the reality of her situation truly settled in.

This wasn't temporary.

This wasn't a misunderstanding that would disappear tomorrow.

This was her life now.

As she stared at the massive Lewis mansion, one question echoed through her mind.

If Adrian ever discovered she truly wasn't Maria...

Would he let her leave?

Or would marrying the wrong woman become the biggest mistake either of them had ever made?

C