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CHAPTER 9: The First Night Truth
publish date:
2026-03-30 14:28:55
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MARRIED TO THE WRONG MARLOWE CHAPTER 9: The First Night Truth
"Let me explain."I laughed. Actually laughed. The sound came out sharp and bitter in the silence of the master suite."Explain what? That you've been lying since the moment we met? That your name isn't even Sterling?" I turned away from him. "Save it."The room was massive. All white and gold and expensive. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking gardens I couldn't see in the dark. A bed big enough for five people. Furniture that probably cost more than my entire apartment had.It was beautiful.It was a cage."There are two bedrooms," Griffin said behind me. His voice was careful. Controlled. "Yours is through that door. You'll have complete privacy.""How generous.""Nora.""Don't." I spun back to face him. "Don't say my name like we know each other. We don't.""I know." He ran a hand through his hair. Messing up the perfect style. "I know we don't. But I need you to understand why I...""Why you committed fraud? Why you pretended to be your brother? Why you married me under a fake na
MARRIED TO THE WRONG MARLOWE CHAPTER 8: The Loveless Wedding
You look beautiful."Simone's voice cracked on the last word. I turned from the mirror to find her crying, mascara already running."Don't," I said. "If you cry, I'll cry. And I can't ruin this makeup."Not that it mattered. Nothing about today mattered except getting through it.The Victorian ghost dress fit perfectly now. White silk that cost more than my first car. Lace sleeves that made me feel like I was wearing a costume. Hair pinned up by someone who'd never asked my name. Makeup applied by hands that treated my face like a canvas, not skin.I looked like a bride.I felt like a sacrifice."It's not too late," Simone whispered. "We can still run.""Yes it is."A knock on the door. Mrs. Chen peeked in. "It's time, Miss Sutherland."Miss Sutherland. In an hour, I wouldn't be her anymore.I picked up the bouquet someone had chosen for me. White roses. Of course.The walk to the chapel felt like a funeral march.---Two hundred people filled the Marlowe Estate chapel. I knew exactly
MARRIED TO THE WRONG MARLOWE CHAPTER 7: Two Weeks of Silence
"You could still run."Simone sat on my couch, surrounded by half packed boxes, holding a roll of packing tape like a weapon. "Mexico. Canada. I know people."I folded another shirt and dropped it into the box labeled BEDROOM. "And let my entire family lose everything? Let the staff lose their jobs?""Screw the staff. Screw your family." She threw the tape. I caught it. "What about you?"I didn’t answer.Two weeks since I signed the contract. Two weeks since I met the man who called himself Sterling Marlowe.Two weeks of silence.No calls. No texts. Nothing.Relief sat in one corner of my chest. Something uglier sat in the other."He hasn't even called you?" Simone asked."No.""Dick move.""It's business. Maybe he's giving me space.""Or he's already cheating on you and you're not even married yet."That landed harder than it should have.I sealed the box and reached for another.My apartment looked stripped. Three years reduced to cardboard. My authentication tools wrapped in bubble
MARRIED TO THE WRONG MARLOWE CHAPTER 6: The Stranger at the Table
*Present Day*He looked like he'd seen a ghost.The man standing in the doorway wasn't moving. Just staring at me like I'd crawled out of his nightmares. Those steel-blue eyes locked onto mine and something in my chest twisted.I knew those eyes."Sterling." Warren's voice cut through the tension. "You're late."The man blinked. Shook his head slightly like clearing cobwebs. "Sorry. Traffic."His voice. Deep and rough and familiar in a way that made my skin prickle.He walked to the table, movements stiff. Sat down across from me. Up close, I could see the differences from the photos even more clearly. This man was broader. His jaw sharper. And those eyes, they weren't cold at all. They were burning."This is my son, Sterling," Warren said. "Sterling, Miss Nora Sutherland."I opened my mouth. Closed it. Every instinct screamed that something was wrong."Have we met before?" The words came out before I could stop them.He froze. Just for a second. Then that careful mask slid into place
MARRIED TO THE WRONG MARLOWE CHAPTER 5: What She Doesn't Remember
*Three months earlier - Griffin's POV*Griffin knew something was wrong the moment he saw her stumble.He'd been leaving the fundraiser early, already done with the fake smiles and shallow conversations. Sterling had called twenty minutes ago, drunk and demanding a ride home from some bar across town. Typical. Their father was at this event somewhere, schmoozing with investors, and Sterling was off destroying his reputation one bottle at a time.But then Griffin saw the woman in the ill-fitting dress grab a table for support. Watched her fumble with her purse. Saw the glassy, unfocused look in her eyes.He'd seen that look before. On his college roommate's girlfriend after someone slipped something in her drink at a frat party. The same vacant confusion. The same loss of coordination.She was heading for the elevators alone.Griffin changed direction."Whoa, easy." He caught her elbow as she bent to pick up her dropped purse and nearly face-planted. "Are you alright?"Green eyes looke
MARRIED TO THE WRONG MARLOWE CHAPTER 4: Three Months Ago
*Three months earlier*The dress didn't fit right.I tugged at the neckline for the third time, trying to make Simone's borrowed Dior sit properly on my shoulders. It was too tight in the chest and too loose everywhere else. Designer clothes were made for women shaped like coat hangers, not real people."Stop fidgeting," Simone hissed in my ear. "You look amazing."I didn't feel amazing. I felt like an imposter at The Meridian Hotel's annual gallery fundraiser, surrounded by people who belonged here. People who didn't have to borrow dresses or practice their small talk in the mirror."I should be working this event, not attending it," I muttered."You're networking. That's work." Simone pressed a champagne flute into my hand. "Smile. Mingle. Pretend you're having fun."She disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone near a column. The ballroom was packed. Diamonds everywhere. Tuxedos. Laughter that sounded like money. I sipped my champagne and tried to look comfortable."Nora Sutherl
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