Chapter 3

The ceremony ended in a blur.

I didn’t remember most of it.

The vows, the applause, the forced smiles from strangers I didn’t recognize.. it all felt distant. Like I’d been watching it through fogged glass.

Now, I was here. Sitting in the back seat of a car so sleek and silent it might as well have floated.

Leather seats. Dark wood finish. The scent of something expensive I couldn’t name.

It was the kind of car I’d only ever seen in magazines or gliding past in traffic. Not the kind of car someone like me belonged in.

My “husband” sat beside me.

He hadn’t said a word since the wedding. Not one. Just nodded at a few guests, shook one or two hands, then rolled himself into the car like he couldn’t wait to leave.

Now he sat there.. expression unreadable, eyes staring out the window.

The silence pressed down on me. I couldn’t even hear the engine. Only the occasional turn signal and the soft hum of tires on asphalt.

The driver, an older man in uniform, didn’t look back. His eyes stayed fixed on the road.

I shifted in my seat, tugged at the edge of my dress, then looked out my own window. The city blurred past in patches of light and glass.

Until finally, the traffic slowed, and the car turned into a quieter street lined with tall hedges and heavy gates.

We pulled up to a mansion.

That word didn’t even seem enough.

It was massive.. stone, glass, iron gates, manicured lawns.

The kind of place you see in movies, the kind that belongs to people who never worry about bills or bad news.

This… was home?

The driver stepped out, opened Ryan’s door first. A man in uniform came forward immediately, bowing slightly.

“Welcome back, Mr. Graham,” he said. Then his eyes flicked to me, polite but unsure. “Ma’am.”

Another servant appeared, pushing the wheelchair. Ryan moved into it smoothly, ignoring my glance.

Then he turned slightly toward the staff.

“Take us to the room prepared for my wife.”

My wife.

The way he said it.. flat, emotionless.. made the word feel like something scraped off a shoe.

“Yes, sir,” the servant said.

We moved inside. The air was colder here, and I don’t mean the temperature.

It was quiet.

Controlled.

Decorated in ways that screamed wealth.. marble floors, chandeliers, oil paintings that probably cost more than my father’s apartment.

I struggled to keep my mouth from falling open.

This wasn’t just money. It was power. History. Old money.

I followed silently, heels clicking against polished floors, until we reached a double door on the second floor. The servant opened it and stepped aside.

The room inside was… beautiful.

Soft pink walls. Gold accents. A canopy bed. A closet already stocked. A vase of white peonies on the dresser. Even the scent.. warm vanilla.. felt like it had been chosen on purpose.

As if they knew.

As if they knew my favorite color. My favorite flower.

For a second, I didn’t feel trapped. Just overwhelmed.

Ryan dismissed the staff with a nod. They left without a word.

Then it was just us.

“This is yours,” he said, voice sharp.

I turned slowly to face him. “Mine?”

He didn’t blink. “We’re obviously not about to start sharing a room, right?”

The words hit me in the chest.

Right. Of course. I was just the girl dragged in at the last second. The replacement.

He didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, he placed one hand on the armrest… and stood.

I froze.

He stood. No struggle. No limp. Straight and tall.

My mouth fell open.

“What…” I whispered. “You can walk????”

Ryan didn’t bother hiding the smirk that tugged at his lips.

He looked… different standing. More imposing. Taller. Broader. And suddenly, all I could see was how well the suit fit. How sharp his jawline was. How effortless the strength in his body looked.

“Yes,” he said simply. “I can walk.”

I took a step back, still stunned, opened my mouth to speak but the words didn’t come out. I tried again.. came this time.

“Then why.. ”

“The chair’s for them,” he said, voice cool. “It keeps people out of my business. I don’t need Evelyn Bennett sniffing around. And I had no intention of marrying your sister. No healthy man would.”

I couldn’t respond. I was still trying to process it. He knows I am a substitute?

He turned toward the door and called out, “Isla.”

The servant from earlier stepped in like she’d been waiting.

“Yes, sir.”

He didn’t even look at her. “Bring the file.”

She nodded and left. Returned within seconds.

Ryan took the file and held it out. I didn’t move.

“Take it,” he said.

I swallowed, stepped forward, and grabbed it from his hand. It felt heavy.

He turned and walked to the windows, back to me.

I opened the folder. A contract.

Clear. Detailed. Business-like.

“To me, this isn’t a real marriage,” Ryan said flatly. “We keep up appearances. Public events, family dinners, whatever. You’ll play the role. In two years, we dissolve it quietly. Clean exit. No mess.”

His tone didn’t change. Not once.

“And if I don’t sign it?” I asked quietly.

He turned, his face stone. “Then you can go back to wherever you came from. But I assume you like this room more than a cell.”

That one cut deeper than I expected. How’d he know all that?

I looked back down at the contract. There was a blank line at the bottom.. waiting for my name. I picked up the pen clipped to the folder.

He didn’t look at me as I signed.

The silence stretched.

I stared at the paper for a second longer. My name, written neatly in ink, felt final. Like I'd sealed my own fate.

Ryan’s phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket, checked the screen.

“Carl,” he muttered. Then answered. “Yeah?”

A pause. Then: “I’ll be right there.”

Another pause.

“No. I’ll handle it.”

He ended the call and looked at me. “There’s a gala in two days. Your first public appearance as Mrs Graham. Prepare well.”

And with that, he turned and walked out.

The door clicked shut behind him.

I stood there alone in my wedding gown. My chest felt tight. My throat dry.

This was it.

This was my life now.

I turned to the bed. Sat down. Then slowly, I let myself fall back against the soft sheets.

I stared at the ceiling, eyes wide open.

What the hell did I just walk into?