Chapter 3: Finding a Husband

"What's with all the noise?" a calm, familiar voice drifted from the top of the staircase.

Everyone turned.

Mrs. Reid stood on the landing in a silk robe, one hand resting on the banister. Despite the fever that had left her looking pale and tired, she carried herself with effortless elegance.

"Mum, it's Julia. She's being rude and unreasonable." Devon replied, as they turned to face the person who had just spoken.

"Theresa, darling, you should be in bed." Mr. Reid said, hurrying to her side to guide her down the stairs. "It's nothing to worry about."

"Jonathan, it's only a fever, honestly. Stop fussing over me." she said, coughing slightly into her elbow.

"Now, what was all that noise for? You disturbed my sleep."

"For starters, Julia has refused to marry Mr. Sterling. She wants to defy father and would rather marry a total stranger." Devon said, pretending to be worried.

"Julia, dear, you must understand that we're doing this because we love you." Mrs. Reid said, reaching out to cup Julia's cheek.

Julia took a step back before her mother could touch her.

"Love?" she laughed bitterly. "Is that what you call selling your daughter to a dying man?"

Mrs. Reid sighed as though she were the one being wronged.

"Don't be so dramatic. Mr. Sterling is wealthy and respectable. You'll never have to worry about money again."

"No. You'll never have to worry about money again," Julia shot back.

"That's not the case, Julia. We're only thinking about your future. We want this for you. You'll thank us."

"Of course. It's always about what you want and never about what I want."

"You have one month to prepare," Mr. Reid said. "Whether you like it or not, you'll marry Thomas Sterling."

Julia looked at each member of her family in turn. None of them cared what she wanted.

Fine.

If marrying a stranger was the only way to escape this nightmare...

She would find one.

"Okay." Julia said.

Without saying another word, she stormed out of the room and headed straight to her room upstairs.

She was furious and needed to get away from them as fast as she could.

Her room was at the end of the long corridor. Away from the rest of her family. That's how it had always been.

She got in and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the cold wood door and slid down, resting her head in her hands. She held tears back despite the growing pain in her chest.

She was beyond exhausted. Her morning had gone from being a pleasant distant memory to this—utter betrayal.

She wasn't going to escape this marriage by sulking so she got up and decided to think of a way out.

She had been deeply engrossed in her research that she didn't even have any romantic relationships. There wasn't anyone she could use to buy off time.

She walked to her desk, opened her laptop, and searched for the marriage laws in the state.

She ignored blogs and opinion pieces, sticking to government websites and legal resources. If she was going to gamble with her future, she needed facts, not speculation.

After nearly an hour of reading legal documents and government regulations, she had discovered that the state did not permit multiple marriages and one could only be married to one spouse at a time.

That was it.

Earlier, she had thought marrying a stranger was merely an escape. Now, it was her only legal way out.

If she went through with a marriage to someone else, her parents wouldn't continue to force Thomas Sterling on her.

She didn't need the marriage to last forever. She only needed it to stop the wedding to Thomas Sterling.

She glanced at the clock sitting on her work desk.

Twelve noon.

She'd been at her desk for a while. She still had work to do. Her research was getting closer to a breakthrough and she needed to review her findings and send her report to her supervisor.

Her head pounded from everything that had happened that morning. She wasn't thinking straight. A hot shower might help clear her mind before she made the biggest decision of her life.

A few minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom feeling relaxed and refreshed. She took her phone from her work desk and sat in front of her vanity.

Julia unlocked her phone and scrolled through her contacts.

There were dozens of names—former classmates, colleagues from conferences, professors, and acquaintances she'd met over the years.

Not one of them was someone she could call for help.

She paused over the name of an old university friend before shaking her head. They hadn't spoken in months. Besides, how was she supposed to explain this?

"Hi. My parents are trying to force me to marry an old billionaire. Would you mind pretending to be my husband?"

The thought alone made her cringe.

She dropped the phone onto the vanity with a frustrated sigh.

There wasn't a single person in her life she trusted enough to ask.

Work had become her entire world. While others went on dates, celebrated birthdays, or traveled with friends, she'd spent countless nights in the laboratory chasing research that might actually make a difference.

She had told herself there would be time for love later.

Later had arrived in the worst possible way. With no friends she could burden and no boyfriend to stand beside her, she was completely on her own.

Which left her with one ridiculous option...

Finding a husband online.

She needed to find a husband, fast. She downloaded a dating app.

She stared at the screen.

How exactly was she supposed to ask someone to marry her?

"Hello, stranger. Want to save me from an arranged marriage?"

She groaned and buried her face in her hands.

This was the worst idea she'd ever had. Unfortunately, it was also the only one.

She caught her reflection in the mirror. Dark circles framed her eyes, and stress had even begun to thin her hair in places.

She considered it worth it. Her research was almost complete. Soon, she'd earn the title of Doctor—the dream she'd sacrificed everything for.

She ran her hand through her dark brown hair absentmindedly.

She looked back at her phone, the app had been installed. She registered, set up her details—not too much information, but just enough to draw someone in—and started swiping through the options.

There was nothing appealing at first. Apparently, most of the men were looking for long-term commitment.

She sighed.

Where on earth was she supposed to find a man willing to marry a complete stranger?

Somewhere in the city, the answer to her impossible problem was about to walk into her life.