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Amelia’s POV

My phone was hot in my hand. My fingers kept pressing the call button, hoping Zack’s voice would answer on the other end. But the screen only flashed the terrifying words: number inactive.

I glanced at the digital clock. A little past ten. That meant I had been standing here at the Civil Affairs Bureau for over two hours, waiting. Waiting with anxiety, restlessness, and a creeping sense of despair.

Zack should’ve been here long ago. We had an appointment. Wasn’t he the one who insisted on settling this marriage as soon as possible? Then why had he suddenly vanished?

The question kept circling in my mind, twisting my stomach in knots. What if he had changed his mind? What if this was all just a cruel joke?

A voice suddenly broke into my thoughts.

 “Miss Amelia, how is it going?”

I looked up. One of the bureau staff was watching me with a polite but curious gaze.

I drew in a shaky breath. “My fiancé hasn’t arrived yet,” I said softly.

The man nodded with a sympathetic look. “The line is quite full this week, Miss. If you can’t register today, perhaps you can reschedule for next week?”

“Next week?” I muttered, my brow furrowing. No, I couldn’t.

I had to get married today. This week. This was my last chance. Mother had repeated it again and again. If I failed once more, she would never forgive me. I had already failed too many times—always because of one thing: the photos.

I swallowed hard and tried to steady myself. “I’ll go after my fiancé. Please wait a moment.”

The staff member only nodded helplessly before returning to his desk.

I stepped outside with heavy steps. My heart was pounding as I searched for Zack, though I didn’t even know where to start. But the moment I reached the door, my eyes caught sight of him walking from the parking lot.

Relief washed over me. My lips curved into a smile. “Zack, you’re finally here.”

But the smile vanished the instant he stopped before me. His face was grim, his eyes dark. Something was wrong.

“I came to cancel our agreement.”

His words stabbed into me like a blade of ice. I froze. “What do you mean?”

“I will not marry a cheap whore like you!”

The world seemed to stop. His voice was so loud, so cruel, it pierced right through me.

Before I could say anything, he yanked out his phone and shoved the screen in my face. My breath caught. The photos. Again.

“If it weren’t for someone sending these to me, I might have been fooled by a woman like you!” His anger was venomous.

My body trembled. My lips quivered. “I can explain—”

“No need!” he cut me off harshly. “I don’t want your explanations. From this moment on, we’re done. Don’t contact me again!”

Then he turned and left me there.

I stood frozen, my knees nearly giving out. My vision blurred, the sounds around the bureau fading as though I were trapped inside a void.

I wanted to cry, but the tears refused to fall.

What now? If I didn’t marry today, Mother would be furious. I couldn’t bear it anymore. I just wanted it all to be over. Why was it so impossible for me to have a husband? Why did every chance collapse under the weight of those cursed photos?

Someone was trying to ruin me. But who? And why?

I clutched the hem of my skirt tightly, forcing myself to breathe. And then, suddenly, a deep voice broke through the chaos.

“Hello, Miss. Would you like to marry me?”

I startled, my head snapping up.

A man stood not far away. He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed simply in a plain short-sleeved shirt and jeans. His shoes were ordinary. But his hair—long and blond, tied back carelessly yet somehow neat. His face… handsome. Not the polished look of city men I was used to, but firm, commanding, impossible to ignore.

I stared at him in disbelief. “What do you mean?”

He cleared his throat lightly. “I overheard that man. He canceled the marriage with you, didn’t he?”

Heat flushed my cheeks. Shame. Deep, humiliating shame. My dignity had just been torn apart in public, and now a stranger had witnessed it.

“I—”

“No need to feel ashamed,” he interrupted quickly, his voice steady and calm. “Coincidentally, I also came here to cancel my marriage. My fiancée never showed up. Looks like we share the same problem. So… what if we just marry each other?”

My eyes widened. His words were so direct, so blunt.

“What… what do you mean? We don’t even—”

“Know each other?” He gave a faint smile. “That can come later. What matters is, right now, we both need this marriage. It could benefit us both.”

I fell silent, his words sinking in. They sounded crazy—yet strangely reasonable.

“Don’t worry,” he continued. “I won’t make things hard for you. All I need is for you to live with me. That’s enough.”

I lowered my head, breathing unevenly. What was I doing? This was insane. To marry a stranger whose name I didn’t even know.

But did I have another choice?

Zack was gone. Every man before him had left. Every chance I had was destroyed by those photos. And today… I was too tired to fight anymore.

I thought of Mother’s face, her cold eyes whenever I failed. I thought of her promise—that if I married, I could finally escape the Rinov family, at least for a while. I would no longer live under that suffocating pressure.

My chest ached, but resignation settled in.

For over five minutes, I stood in silence, torn apart by my thoughts. The man waited calmly, as if he knew I was waging a battle inside myself.

Finally, I lifted my head, my eyes trembling.

 “All right,” I whispered. “I’ll do it.”