Chapter 6

I woke up to Lawrence nudging me. I gave him a “What do you want?” look, but he just stared into my eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that. Are you looking for trouble?” I warned him.

“Dad and Mom are here already. I’ve been trying to wake you up for a while—you're such a heavy sleeper,” he complained while scratching the back of his neck.

“What?! What should I do?” I asked frantically as I quickly fixed myself. “I’ll take a shower first,” I said and ran straight to the shower room. My hands were even trembling as I turned the shower knob. My panic level was off the charts.

How am I supposed to face them? What should I say first? I ended up slapping myself.

“One wrong move and I’ll end up on his father’s death list. Lawrence’s father is a mafia boss, so I need to behave properly this time.”

I took three deep breaths before finally coming out of the bathroom. I saw Lawrence placing a paper bag on the bed.

“Wear this. It will suit to your fair skin.”

The clothes he bought looked so luxurious and expensive. I looked at him first before accepting them. “Thank you, but I’m not used to living this kind of lavish life,” I said.

“I’ll help you get used to it,” he replied, cupping my cheek. His gaze felt like it was draining all the energy out of me.

I avoided eye contact and excused myself to get dressed.

“Hurry up, Kath. They’re waiting for us,” I heard Lawrence call out.

I looked at myself in the mirror. “Wow, I look stunning. If I were born rich, I wouldn’t have to go through all this just to wear something like this.”

I glanced at the mirror several more times before finally stepping out. I cautiously peeked to see if Lawrence was still there.

“Oh? Looking for someone?” I was startled when Lawrence suddenly appeared in front of me. He was already waiting at the door.

“Geez, you scared me,” I said, placing a hand on my chest. He just laughed and held both of my shoulders.

“You’re beautiful. You look exactly like her,” he whispered, making me feel uneasy.

“Let’s go?”

He held my hand, and we went downstairs like that. We found his parents in the garden, seemingly deep in conversation.

Lawrence cleared his throat, catching their attention. His mother looked utterly shocked and even stood up. “Oh my goodness. Is that Katherine?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yes, she is Katherine. Katherine Del Vega, my one and only wife. I want you to welcome her and treat her just as you would treat me. I don’t want to hear any insulting words from you,” Lawrence said, sounding like he was giving orders to his parents.

“Your wife?” his father asked in confusion, brows furrowed and staring at me intensely.

Yikes, even from his stance, you can tell he’s a killer... a mafia boss. His face was unreadable, but clearly he was confused by Lawrence’s announcement.

“Yes. We are already married,” Lawrence announced, holding my hand. I was shocked when I noticed a ring on my finger—I hadn’t even realized it was there earlier.

“That’s good, son! If that’s the case, then there’s nothing to worry about.” His father grinned and walked over to me, taking my hand. “Welcome to our family. Whoever dares to hurt you will be added to my death list,” he whispered, sending chills down my spine.

“Don’t scare her like that, Ernesto,” Lawrence’s mother scolded.

“Dear, welcome to our family. We’re happy that Lawrence has finally chosen someone to love again. We’re glad you’re here,” she said and hugged me.

“Thank you for accepting me. I promise to continue loving your son,” I replied. Of course, I didn’t want to back down even though my knees were shaking.

“Excuse us. We need to go somewhere,” Lawrence said and pulled me away.

“Don’t you think your father was suspicious?”

I suddenly fell silent and couldn’t continue what I was about to say because Lawrence suddenly kissed me. “What was that for?!” I snapped at him.

“You said you’ll continue loving me, huh?” he teased. I rolled my eyes and walked ahead of him.

“Fine. Just don’t cry if you get lost,” he said, making me stop in my tracks.

“Where exactly are we going?”

“Island Viel. We’ll continue our honeymoon there.”

“What? You act like this is all real. Can’t you just take me home? Grandpa might already be looking for me.”

“Okay then, let’s go.”

He agreed so quickly, but I had a feeling there would be a catch. I quickly got into the car.

“We’ll stop by the mall, too,” he said as he started driving.

I couldn’t help but blush, remembering what happened yesterday. I wanted to slap myself. Maybe I was just dreaming. Everything was happening so fast. Is God fast-forwarding my life? Maybe tomorrow I’ll be dead already.

“You’re deep in thought. You’re even frowning.”

Apparently, Lawrence had been watching me while driving. “Are you that in love with me? You’re still looking at me even while driving?”

He didn’t respond. Then again, the only reason he wants me is because he believes I’m Katherine. He’s forcing himself to believe the woman he loved is still alive. The truth is, I’m afraid I might actually fall for him… when in reality, he loves someone else someone I’m not. He married me, but it’s his dead ex he’s truly in love with.

“We’re here.” He tapped my shoulder, snapping me back to reality.

I got out of the car. As I knocked on the door, Grandpa immediately appeared with a wide smile and hugged me.

“Good morning,” Lawrence greeted, but Grandpa froze. His eyes seemed to hold a hint of fear.

“Do you know each other?” he asked me. I nodded, but I was surprised when Grandpa suddenly pulled me inside the house.

Does Grandpa know Lawrence?