Chapter 4: The Name That Changed Everything

I stared at him, my eyes wide and my mouth slightly parted, my emotions crashing into me as my thoughts swirled like a storm.

For a moment, I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming. Is he really going to be my husband? The thought made my heart stumble. Was I seeing things?

I jolted back to reality when the assistant tapped my shoulder and motioned for me to move closer. That was when I realized—I was already standing two steps away from him. He, on the other hand, was standing too close for comfort. I sneered inwardly, pretending not to notice the way my pulse quickened.

My chest fluttered, and my words nearly slurred as I looked up to meet his gaze. Oh boy… he was even more breathtaking up close.

I got lost in the way his long lashes furrowed whenever he looked at me, the subtle flutter of his eyelids when he blinked. Gosh, he was dangerously attractive.

Heat rushed through me—it had been a long time since I felt adrenaline surge through my veins like this. The realization stung even more when I admitted that not even Adrian had ever made me feel this way.

I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t.

How can anyone look so flawless? I marveled, completely taken.

My gaze trailed over him before I could stop myself—his sharp jawline, the way his muscles flexed through his shirt, his sleeves rolled up and two buttons undone in that typical bad-boy fashion of a mafia man.

I couldn’t believe I was physically pleased by what I was seeing. How did I not notice all these details the night we were together?

I was still mentally drooling over his looks when his deep, teasing voice pulled me back to reality.

“Are you done admiring?” he asked.

My face instantly turned bright red. Oh no. Did he see me drooling?

His voice—so deep, so masculine, so… intoxicating—made my thoughts scatter again. I stopped myself from going too far and quickly stuttered, “Can we just… get the certificates already?”

He flashed me a casual smile, and I turned crimson all over again. I looked away before he could notice, my heart hammering in my chest. I began to wonder if I was the only one who still remembered that night.

He didn’t mention It. His eyes were unreadable—calm, cold, and utterly impossible to read.

I stepped forward, signed my name on the small red certificate, and swore my vows. Just like that, I became a married woman.

Mrs. Rodriguez.

The name felt foreign on my tongue, yet it sounded oddly pleasant in my ears. Too pleasant. Almost too good to be true.

When we stepped out of the civil affairs bureau, he ordered his assistant to take me home. As I got into the car, I mentally braced myself for whatever was coming next—for the life I hadn’t planned, yet was suddenly living.

Through the tinted glass, I watched the city fade away. My old life dissolved with it, leaving behind only reflections of what used to be. The weight of it all pressed down on me, and I suddenly felt weak.

The car finally slowed down and drove through large iron gates.

When it stopped, the assistant turned to me and gestured at the sprawling property ahead. “This is the boss’s gift to you, ma’am. Your wedding gift.”

I froze. My breath caught in my lungs.

“The Grand Estates…” I whispered, barely believing my eyes.

“Why?” I asked no one in particular.

Adrian once promised he would buy a house here once we got married. Yet now, the entire estate belonged to me. The irony hit hard.

As we drove further in, we stopped in front of the second villa. I stepped out and gaped—it was the most beautiful one of all. Painted soft white and pastel pink, with tall glass windows gleaming under the afternoon sun.

Inside, the living room took my breath away. Gold and blush accents framed the walls, and the air smelled faintly of vanilla—my favorite scent. What a coincidence, I thought.

A woman, probably In her early fifties, appeared from what looked like the kitchen. She smiled gently and spoke quietly with the assistant. I barely listened, too overwhelmed to focus on their conversation.

After a few minutes, she turned to me and led me upstairs to the master bedroom. That was when the weight of the day came crashing down on me.

My body ached, my head throbbed, and the exhaustion I had been suppressing finally caught up to me. I slipped off my heels, kicked them aside, and peeled out of my dress. The shower felt like heaven—warm water washing away the tension, the uncertainty, and the overwhelming reality of my new title.

When I stepped out, wrapped in a soft towel, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

Mrs. Rodriguez.

The name didn’t sit quite right with me. It felt unreal, like a dream I hadn’t woken from.

After a short night routine, I collapsed onto the bed. The world around me faded almost instantly, swallowed by darkness and the quiet hum of a life I didn’t quite understand yet.