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홈 / Standing in Line to Marry a Man Already Taken / Chapter 1

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Standing in Line to Marry a Man Already Taken
Standing in Line to Marry a Man Already Taken
작가: Gazette

Chapter 1

작가: Gazette
After sending that message, I opened my umbrella and walked into the rain.

The wind was so strong that it snapped the umbrella's ribs.

By the time I made it back to the house, I was soaked through. My trench coat clung to my body, my lips had turned blue from the cold, and my fingers were stiff and numb.

When I opened the door, the living room was warm and brightly lit.

Emma Lewis was curled up on the couch in my silk nightgown, holding a glass of warm milk.

Her Samoyed lay at Seth Farrelly's feet while he gently dried her hair with a towel.

At the sound of the door opening, he looked up at me.

His brows immediately snapped together. "What happened to you? You know the house rules. You're not supposed to step into the house dripping wet."

I looked down at my feet. Rainwater was dripping from the hem of my dress, leaving a small puddle on the marble floor.

Yet right beside it, Emma's dog had left a trail of muddy paw prints.

Seth had always been a clean freak. During the seven years we'd lived together, he insisted that I organize my clothes by color and leave no water spots around the sink. He would even give me flak over a single strand of hair on the couch.

I'd always been careful to accommodate his habits, afraid of upsetting him. But now, he let that dog run wild in the living room.

There were even muddy spots on his white shirt, yet he seemed completely unbothered.

Emma set her milk down, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at me.

"Audrey, don't blame Seth," she said softly. "I was freezing, so he rushed me home. I'm sorry you got caught in the rain. Let me run a hot bath for you."

She hurried to her feet, but her ankle gave way, and she stumbled toward Seth.

He dropped the towel and caught her by the waist.

"Careful. What are you doing, moving around like this?" he scolded, though his voice was soft and full of concern. "You're not in good health, and you just had a scare. You need to take it easy."

Then he turned to me, his expression cold. "Look at you. You're making a mess on the floor. Are you throwing a tantrum?

"Emma's been worried sick about you. Can't you act like an adult for once? I left you an umbrella, yet you still got soaked like that. Are you really going to blame her for that?"

I stood there frozen. The sheer unfairness of it left me speechless.

To him, Emma getting caught in the rain made her a helpless victim, while my soaked clothes were just another pathetic stunt to get his attention.

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  • Standing in Line to Marry a Man Already Taken   Chapter 8

    Seth pulled a velvet box from inside his coat and popped it open, revealing the Aurora necklace."I got the necklace back," he said. "I had it polished. You can't even tell anyone else ever touched it."He fumbled through his bag and took out a stack of photos."And the house... I threw out everything Emma had touched. I redecorated the whole place the way you liked it. I even... I even gave the dog away."He stared at me with bloodshot eyes, desperate for my approval like a child begging for praise."Audrey, I've changed. I really have. You used to hate how obsessive I was about keeping everything clean. From now on, you can do whatever you want at home. Just come back to me. If you come home, I'll issue a public statement right away and transfer all the...""Seth." Standing on the steps under my umbrella, I quietly cut him off. "Do you honestly think that if you fix a few broken things, kick out the nuisance, and humble yourself enough, I'll be moved?"He froze, his lips tremb

  • Standing in Line to Marry a Man Already Taken   Chapter 7

    Seth froze, his face draining of color.Just then, Emma came running over with tears in her eyes and grabbed his sleeve. "Seth, please don't be angry with Audrey. This is all my fault. If it weren't for me...""Get lost!" Seth growled. He shook her off so violently that she fell hard onto the cold marble floor.Clutching her chest, Emma cried out, "Ah! My heart... It hurts so much..."In the past, Seth would have panicked and rushed her to the hospital. But now, he only stared at her with disgust, as if he barely recognized her."Your heart hurts?" His voice was hoarse and menacing. "Emma, I saw your medical report six months ago. I let you get away with everything because I owed Jamie my life. But when you started targeting Audrey, you crossed the line."He crouched down, grabbed Emma by the collar, and pulled her close. His eyes were bloodshot with rage."You threw those chicken bones on the rug on purpose. You deliberately asked for that necklace when she came downstairs with

  • Standing in Line to Marry a Man Already Taken   Chapter 6

    The first time, I'd worn a bright red dress.Several senior members of the Farrelly family had picked me apart for looking "improper", and Seth had sat right beside me without defending me. He'd even lectured me afterward for embarrassing him.The second time was when Seth had brought Emma into his family.He'd hovered over her all evening, leaving me alone with a room full of high society women who'd treated me with disdain.I never went back after that.This time, I walked through the front doors with my arm linked through Ronan's, wearing a burgundy velvet gown. It was a color Seth despised, but one I'd always loved.The moment we stepped inside, the entire room fell silent.Ben Farrelly, Seth's grandfather, was seated at the head of the table. His face lit up when he saw Ronan, but the smile froze the moment his eyes landed on me.Seth was sitting off to the side with a glass of red wine in his hand, dark circles heavy beneath his eyes.When he saw me, his hand jerked in s

  • Standing in Line to Marry a Man Already Taken   Chapter 5

    The car was quiet. I leaned back against the leather seat, watching the streets slide past outside.My fever still hadn't completely broken, but my mind was clear."No regrets?" Ronan asked, resting one hand on the steering wheel."No," I said softly.Honestly, what Ronan had offered me was unbelievably generous.He was giving me shares in some of the Farrellys' core businesses, and the agreement explicitly stated that we'd keep out of each other's personal lives. If I wanted out after three years, he wouldn't stand in my way.He didn't need a real wife. He just needed someone presentable, sensible, and unaffiliated with rival families, someone who could keep the press, socialites, and relatives from pressuring him to settle down off his back.And I needed a clean break from my past.It was a fair trade. We both got what we wanted.Half an hour later, we had our marriage certificate in hand.I looked down at the certificate for a long moment.For seven years, I'd done everyt

  • Standing in Line to Marry a Man Already Taken   Chapter 4

    The next morning, my fever had gone down a little, but I was still weak.I pulled a black suitcase out from the bottom of my closet and started packing without waking anyone.Everything in the room screamed Seth—from the modest long dresses he'd insisted I wear to the scented candles I'd bought to help him sleep.I left all of it behind.I packed only my ID, personal documents, and a few bright-colored clothes I loved, but he always dismissed them as too flashy.As I zipped up the suitcase, the door opened.Seth walked in holding a glass of milk.He was dressed in a tailored suit, his hair perfectly styled. It looked like he really intended to keep his promise and go get our marriage certificate with me.When he saw the suitcase by my feet, his face fell. "Audrey, what the hell are you doing now?"He strode over and kicked the suitcase. The milk splashed onto the carpet."I already gave in and told Emma she couldn't have that necklace. I even canceled my morning meeting. And

  • Standing in Line to Marry a Man Already Taken   Chapter 3

    Seth's hand froze in midair, his face darkening."What's wrong with you?" he asked in a low voice. "I already told you I'd clear my schedule and get our marriage certificate tomorrow."And about the necklace, Emma was already upset today. I was just trying to make it up to her. Do you really have to be so petty?"He had broken his promise and given away the thing that was supposed to be mine, yet he was blaming me for being petty."I'm not petty," I said, looking straight into the eyes of the man I'd loved for seven years. My eyes were dry and aching, but I didn't even feel like crying. "Give her the necklace. Give her the rug, too. Give her whatever she wants. I don't want any of it anymore."Seth stared at me in disbelief.He opened his mouth, then closed it again, clearly assuming this was just another passive-aggressive game of mine."Audrey, there's a limit to these tantrums," he scoffed, slamming the glass onto the kitchen island so hard that water splashed out. "Do you ev

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