Chapter 4

Katherine had imagined every possible condition he might make.

Marriage was the one thing she had never expected.

“Marry me,” Mark said, looking down at her calmly. “After that, whenever either of us wants out, we can bring it up and end things.”

Katherine had a gut feeling that he only needed a marriage right now.

A marriage that still left him plenty of room to walk away.

For some reason, she thought of Isla.

It felt as if he was still waiting for her. For that tiny, almost impossible hope, he was willing to turn even his own marriage into a calculation.

It was only much later that Katherine learned from Isla herself that Mark had found out on this very day that Isla’s engagement had been arranged by the mother he trusted most.

Fortunately, Katherine had always known her place.

She understood the nature of this marriage early on.

It was nothing more than two adults each taking what they needed.

“Contact me once you’ve thought it over,” Mark said.

“No need. I can say yes now,” Katherine replied.

Nothing mattered more than her mother.

And just like that, in the noisy chaos of a hospital, she settled one of the biggest decisions of her life.

Mark seemed to have expected her answer. His expression did not change.

That night, he stayed with her for a while.

Neither of them spoke.

He seemed distracted, and she did not disturb him.

“Once you’ve made the decision, there’s no room for regret,” he said before he left.

“I know.”

Katherine had the strange feeling those words were meant more for himself than for her.

Maybe he was afraid she would change her mind, because the very next day, Mark took her to the county clerk’s office to get their marriage license.

The staff member handling their paperwork knew Mark. When he saw Mark there to register a marriage, surprise flickered across his face. Then he looked Katherine up and down several times.

When Katherine came back from touching up her makeup, she heard the clerk ask, “Have you really made up your mind?”

Mark gave a disinterested hum.

“She’s beautiful, sure, but she doesn’t exactly look innocent,” the clerk said. “She seems pretty sharp. She has the same kind of look as Isla Jensen, but Isla doesn’t have a scheming bone in her body. She’s the kind of person people actually want to open up to.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being sharp,” Mark said carelessly.“At least she won’t let her emotions get the better of her.”

“You should still be careful. For all you know, she may be after your money.”

Katherine did not go in.

She sat alone in the empty lobby.

Only when the photographer called them over for a photo together did she walk forward.

They took a perfectly proper photo together, but no matter how one looked at it, there was distance between them.

When it was time to sign the paperwork, Katherine saw the tip of Mark’s pen pause slightly, as if he were weighing the decision one last time.

Then he signed his name.

Mark Winter.

His handwriting suited him. Beautiful, but edged with sharpness.

In the end, each of them walked away with a copy of their marriage certificate.

Deep down, Katherine still had a trace of romance in her.

She had never imagined that the day she got married would be so sudden, so quiet, and so calm.

She had simply walked into an office with a handsome stranger from a world far above hers, signed a few forms, taken a photo, and left as his wife.

“Going to the hospital to see your mom?”

Unlike Katherine, Mark did not even glance at the marriage certificate.

“Yeah,” Katherine answered softly.

“Ride with me. It’s on the way,” he said flatly.

Katherine wanted to ask about her mother’s situation, so she did not refuse.

Mark guessed what she was thinking. After she got into the car, he said, “I’ll be away on a business trip for a while. Someone will follow up on your mother’s case.”

Katherine pulled her gaze away from the marriage certificate he had tossed casually into the back seat and looked at him. She nodded and said politely, “Thank you.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, almost like a smile but not quite.

Clearly, he was not in a good mood.

“How do you know Isla Jensen?” he suddenly asked when the car stopped in the hospital parking garage.

Katherine paused, then said, “We were in the same club back in college.”

“Photography?” he asked after thinking for a moment.

“Yes.”

Mark did not ask anything else.

That day, he went with her to see her mother. He exchanged a few polite words. Even though they had already gotten their marriage license, he clearly had no intention of getting deeply involved with her family. He was only doing what looked proper.

Katherine felt that as long as he maintained appearances and did not embarrass her in front of her parents, that was enough.

After he left, Mary asked curiously, “What’s your relationship with that doctor?”

Katherine was afraid of upsetting her, so she did not dare mention the marriage. She could only say, “He’s a college classmate.”

“He looks impressive, but he doesn’t seem like husband material,” Mary said. “He seems too arrogant. Too self-centered. Living with a man like that would definitely mean putting up with a lot. I actually like Dr. Jefferson better. I asked around, and he’s single too.”

The Dr. Jefferson her mother was talking about was Mark’s colleague, Henry Jefferson.

Katherine said helplessly, “Why don’t you focus on your health first?”

“Your marriage is just as important,” Mary said. “All I want is for you to find a good man, get married, and live a steady life.”

Katherine said nothing.

In truth, living a steady life was the hardest thing in the world.

Over the next few days, Mark did not show up again.

But Mary was transferred to another hospital. She got an appointment with a specialist at the best private hospital in the city, and the surgery was scheduled for a week later.

Only then did Katherine finally feel a little more at ease.

She went to consult the specialist in detail, only to run into an old acquaintance, Isla Jensen.

Isla had changed.

She had become even more beautiful and gentle. Girls from affluent families always seemed to grow more elegant with time, their confidence settling naturally into their bones.

Katherine said, “Long time no see.”

Isla gave her a faint smile. “My dad is also Dr. Ford’s patient. I’m here to pick up his prescription.”

The two of them had never been especially close. After greeting each other, they simply waited in line.

Isla had just taken the prescription and was about to leave, while Katherine sat down to begin the consultation.

But Dr. Ford’s next words made both women freeze.

“When did you and Mark get married? I’m his mentor, and even I only just found out. No wonder he specifically asked me to operate on your mother,” Dr. Ford teased.

Isla’s emotions twisted.

She had imagined Mark would marry someday, but she had never imagined it would be Katherine, a woman she did not consider her equal.

She knew what Katherine’s family was like. She knew how tight things had been for her. Back in college, Katherine had always relied on financial aid.

But very quickly, Isla seemed to figure something out, and her mood eased.

Mark probably had not married her sincerely.

Katherine saw the certainty in Isla’s eyes.

Isla was certain Mark did not like her.

For a moment, Katherine felt the humiliation of having the truth dragged out into the light.

But she soon accepted it calmly.

This was the choice she had made.

Isla smiled at her, then turned and left with graceful ease.

The surgery could not be covered by insurance. Including everything, the total cost came to six hundred thousand dollars.

Katherine had long been prepared to sell her family’s house, but even then, she was still far from six hundred thousand.

She was not sure whether Mark’s promise to arrange her mother’s surgery included paying for it.

After all, this was not a small amount of money.

When her friend Tessa Miller found out, she said, “He’s already your husband. If you don’t ask him for help, who are you going to ask? You got married to such a high-quality man, and you’re not even thinking of trying to make it work first? You’re already thinking about leaving?”

Katherine stayed silent.

Of course she did not like making trouble for no reason.

“Feelings can be built,” Tessa said. “Katherine, with his qualifications, he’s worth a try. There’s nothing wrong with a woman looking toward money. At least that way, you won’t end up losing both the man and the money.”

As she spoke, Tessa picked up the phone Katherine had left on the table, chose a sexy bikini photo from her gallery, found Mark’s contact, and sent it to him.

When Katherine saw what she had sent, her cheeks warmed.

Tessa had written: ‘Honey, do I look good?’

But the heat in Katherine’s face quickly faded.

By the time she and Tessa parted ways, Mark still had not replied.