ログインElizabeth's PovI didn't make it three steps into the master bedroom before the door slammed open behind me.“Elizabeth.” His voice was calm. Too calm, but I could hear the anger in it.I slowly turned around, facing him with my arms over my chest and my eyebrows raised at him.Lucas stood in the doorway with his hands tucked into his pockets, his grey eyes fixed on me like he wanted to murder me.“You've got five seconds.” He said, and a smirk began to form on my lips. “For what?” I asked, faking ignorance. I knew what he was talking about, and it was the room. “To walk out of my bedroom.”“What is my name?” I asked, and his brows furrowed. When he didn't reply, I continued. “Elizabeth Lancaster Hayes.” “What does that have to do with anything I just said?” I smiled sweetly.“It is our bedroom,” I said, and his jaw ticked.“The contract doesn't give you ownership of it.”“No,” I agreed. “But being married to you gave me equal rights to it as you.”For a few seconds there was si
Lucas’s Pov The last guest finally left.Thank God. I sighed in relief and loosened my tie as the ballroom doors closed behind the final waves of the guests. Eight hours. Eight hours of smiling, pretending and being surrounded by people. If anyone ever suggests marriage to me again, I would book them an appointment for a therapist instead. “Mr. Hayes?” I heard and turned towards one of the wedding coordinators. “Mrs. Hayes' things have already been taken to the penthouse this morning.” I nodded.“Is that all?” I asked. “Mrs. Morgan followed the movers to the penthouse too.” Morgan? The name rang a bell and I was about to ask the coordinator who that was but it dropped in my head. Jason Morgan. The CEO of the Morgan group. He is married to Edward's first daughter, Eleanor.“Thank you,” I said, and the coordinator walked away. For the first time since the day started, there was quiet. There were no cameras, no reporters, no fake smiles, no Elizabeth. Just me. I walked to
Elizabeth's Pov The photographer blinked.“...I mean the pictures.” A ripple of laughter spread through everyone around us. The photographer clapped his hands. “One more with both families.”I almost groaned.Another round of photographs followed.One with my parents One with his parents One with both parents One with Eleanor and Jason, my sister and her husband.One with Lucas's cousins, uncles and aunties .One with very close friends too.By the time we finished, my cheeks ached too much from smiling “I am beginning to think this marriage is just solely for photographs,” I muttered. “This is just the start,” he said and I shook my head quietly, knowing it was the truth.****“Lizzy,” I raised my head just as Eleanor entered the limousine with me and it started moving.“Are you okay?” She asked and I laughed softly. “Do I look okay?” “No.” She reached for the loose strand of hair that had fallen on my face and tucked it behind my ear. “I could see the way you are forcing
Elizabeth’s Pov For exactly five seconds, we were New York's happiest newlyweds.Then Lucas Hayes opened his mouth.The applause refused to end and cameras flashed from every direction as we walked down the aisle hand in hand, wearing expressions convincing enough to fool anybody watching.Letting go of our hands so soon would make people talk. Reporters were good at spotting tiny details. The next day’s headline would be all about us. The moment we stepped out through the chapel door, the reporters swarmed around us, erupting in endless questions. “Mr and Mrs Hayes!”“Elizabeth!”“Lucas!”“Over here!”“Congratulations to you!”“Mr. Hayes, did the marriage happen because of the scandal!?”“Mrs. Hayes, how does it feel to be married!?” Questions came from all angles with microphones stretched towards us while security struggled to keep everyone behind the barricades. “We should give them a show,” Lucas leaned towards me without removing his smile. “What do you mean?” I asked bac
Elizabeth's POVThey say every bride dreams about her wedding day.But not me. Mine felt like a funeral.I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror, barely recognizing the woman looking back at me. The ivory wedding gown hugged my waist before flowing gracefully to the floor in soft waves. Tiny pearls and crystals sparkled across the bodice, catching the light with every movement I made. My hair had been pinned into an elegant style, with a few loose curls framing my face.The makeup artist had worked magic on my face. My skin glowed flawlessly. Soft nude lipstick highlighted my lips, and my long lashes drew attention to my eyes.A pair of diamond earrings rested against my neck while a matching necklace shimmered gently above the sweetheart neckline of my dress.On my feet were elegant white satin heels, and a long veil cascaded down my back like a waterfall, brushing the polished floor behind me.To anyone else, I probably looked like a bride who had finally found her happ
Elizabeth's Pov Sleep never came.I spent most of the night staring at the thick folder lying on my nightstand.Marriage contract. It looked absurd.If someone had told me a week ago that I would agree to marry Lucas Hayes, I would have laughed in their face. Yet here I was.I stood up from my bed and picked it up again, flipping through the pages even though I already knew what was there. Two years.That was the minimum duration of the marriage—nothing less than two years.There were rules there—rules I found funny. We were expected to live together under the same roof, attend public events as husband and wife, and maintain the image of a happy marriage.And in return, my dad would no longer insist on sending me to Italy. I traced my fingers over the papers before dropping the file back in the nightstand. This is about Dave. Other things didn't matter to me as long as I stayed in New York; I still had a chance of finding whoever had killed him.I pulled the bathroom robe close







