Prologue

“And now I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” The priest announced.

Jonathan looked at his bride, the angelic face and clear eyes of the woman who had schemed and forced him into marriage. He wasn’t sure how she managed to sway his grandmother and his parents, but she did, and here they were.

He leaned into her for the kiss. For a second, he was distracted by her nervousness and loud heartbeat that spiked by the second. He had to, yet again, remind himself not to fall for her facade.

He planted his lips against hers and told her exactly what he thought.

“Did you think you could be my wife because you schemed and trapped me into this? You can enjoy the vacant position of Mrs. Smith that you covet so much. But you will never have a place in my heart and life.”

He saw the shock and pain in her eyes, but it did not last long as she scanned the surroundings and sighed in resignation. She took a deep breath, and her eyes held determination.

He was correct! She was scheming indeed.

Whatever he thought of her, he did not appreciate others bullying her right in front of his face. He told off the gossipers who had bluntly asked her how she had tricked him into marriage.

Although that was the truth, he did not like being laughed at by irrelevant outsiders. Besides, he saw something in her silence and her steel eyes that bothered him.

He drank away his incomprehensible thoughts and completed other proceedings as they both maintained the loving newlywed facade.

They had not many people invited - it was another thing he had found strange. His family did not invite many people because he was opposed to this, but he had expected the scheming woman to show off to half the city and reporters to ensure everyone knew she was Mrs. Smith.

He ignored Lydia Aprice. She was his sister-in-law, even though she was not related to his wife by blood. In any case, he did not want unnecessary rumors.

His grandmother and a few other ladies took the bride away as he drank some more.

Soon after, he realized something was wrong.

He could not believe that the despicable woman had drugged him.

Lydia made her way to him, but he asked his assistant to deal with her and escaped.

He was even more frustrated as the lights were out.

He made his way to the study and cursed as if someone had locked the door. But he had the master key, so he pushed it open and went directly to the bathroom.

His so-called wife was asleep in the tub in her wedding gown.

Her gown had a few minor tears in a few places. Jonathan wondered what she was doing there in that state.

A sudden tightness in his pants brought him back as his fury burned as he recalled that she had drugged him.

He was stunned by the icy cold water.

How was she still hot inside that cold water?

In the candlelight, he could see her flushed skin. Was she also drugged?

He shook his head, muttering a curse as he tried to throw her out.

The next thing he recalled was her cry of pain as she hit him and scolded him for being so harsh. He vaguely remembered coaxing her and trying to be gentle, to make her feel good. He also recalled how she had repeatedly asked if he was her husband, Jonathan Smith.

The rest of the night and the entire next day and night were blurry.

 The next time Jonathan woke up, he was naked in bed with his wife. There was no need to think about what had happened.

Lying on the bedside table were two red booklets, their marriage certificates that he did not remember taking.

He suddenly felt sympathy for her, especially seeing that she was bleeding. But he immediately shook off his thoughts.

He left her a card with a note and left.

When he reached his office, he found an unsavory rumor floating about.

The rumors said his wife had slept with multiple men in their marriage bed on their wedding night.

Some photos showed her in her wedding gown surrounded by four men in what was supposed to be their wedding room.

It made him wonder if she was a victim in the marriage too.

Jonathan recalled her sleeping in the cold bath in the study in her torn dress that indicated a struggle.

Even though how she escaped when drugged and overpowered was very much a mystery. Perhaps she had staged the entire thing for her benefit.

Nonetheless, he shut down those rumors immediately and sued the people responsible. After all, she was now his legal wife, and he had taken her virginity.

No one dared to gossip about her after that. Soon everyone forgot the controversial Mrs. Smith.

He never saw or heard from her again and eventually forgot about her and that he was even married.