All Chapters of Forced to Marry My Late Mother's Husband: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

She crossed the threshold into the kitchen. Aurora did not look at the man standing beside the island right away. She read the room first.The copper pans hung above the center island at precise, geometric angles. The knives lined the magnetic strip by size, descending in perfect order. The flour canister sat exactly at the height of Julian Oswald's reach.It was a working kitchen.Walking into a room that immediately made perfect, logical sense to her did not feel like entering a stranger's life."I will show you the house," Julian said.He moved with the efficiency of a man who had processed whatever he was feeling and arrived at function.Aurora followed him into the hallway.He stopped at the bottom of the stairs."Lily has selective mutism," Julian said."She has not spoken since her mother died. She refuses food voluntarily. She communicates using a blue notebook. If she leaves it open, you can read it. If she closes it, you do not touch it."Every practical detail carried weigh

It was her third day in the house. The late afternoon sun cut through the windows, catching steam from the cast-iron pot. Aurora stood at the stove. She was working on a braised dish. She knew the technique in theory. She was finding the rhythm in practice.Lily sat silently behind her. The five-year-old had her notebook open. She was completely silent, moving a pencil across the paper.Aurora was intensely aware of the child. She was also aware of the man in the doorway. Julian had been watching her for thirty seconds.She pretended not to notice. She kept her focus firmly on the reducing liquid. She stirred the meat slowly, forcing her shoulders to relax.He stepped into the kitchen. The room immediately felt smaller. He simply walked to the island and observed her."You have the heat right," Julian said.It was the first time he had spoken since breakfast. In the rest of the house, his words were measured. In the kitchen, his voice took on a different resonance. It was direct. It w

The clock on the bedside table read midnight. It was her sixth night in Cedar Falls.Aurora gave up on trying to sleep. She threw off the heavy quilt and walked out of her bedroom. The wooden stairs felt freezing against her bare feet.She reached the bottom landing and turned into the back hall.The kitchen was empty. The main overhead lights were off, but the small bulb above the stove was glowing on its lowest setting. It cast a dull yellow light over the spotless counters. It was a deliberate light.She walked to the cabinet and pulled down a ceramic mug. It clicked loudly against the shelf.Heavy, measured footsteps sounded on the stairs immediately.Julian walked into the kitchen. He wore dark sweatpants and a plain grey shirt. He did not look surprised to find her standing there."You are awake," Julian said."I could say the same about you," Aurora replied.He walked straight to the stove. "Sit down, Aurora.""I can make my own tea.""I am already making it. Sit."His voice wa

The eighth morning started quietly. Aurora stood at the stove. She cracked three eggs into a ceramic bowl. She whisked them slowly.The kitchen was filled with bright sunlight. Lily sat at the wooden kitchen table. Her blue notebook was open. Her yellow pencil rested beside it. Aurora finished the scrambled eggs.She slid them onto a small plate. She walked over to the table. She remembered Julian's specific rule. She did not push the plate directly in front of Lily.She set it near the edge of the placemat. Aurora walked back to the counter. She turned completely away.She poured herself a mug of dark roast coffee. She did not watch the child. Julian stood at the opposite end of the kitchen. He held his own coffee. He watched Aurora."You did not season them," Julian said quietly."I put a pinch of salt," Aurora replied. "Nothing else.""Why?" Julian asked."Because she eats with her eyes first," Aurora said. "Pepper looks like dirt to a child who is already afraid of food."Julian d

Julian needed an insurance document for Lily's school enrollment consultation. He sent Aurora to his private study to retrieve it.She walked very slowly down the hall. It was her first time crossing that specific threshold. The heavy air hit her lungs the moment she opened the oak door.The room still smelled intensely like a person who was no longer here.It was a faint trace of dried lavender. Miya's signature scent.She moved slowly toward the massive mahogany desk. She found the manila folder immediately. Next to it sat a polished silver frame.Aurora picked it up. A photograph of Julian and Miya in a summer garden. Miya was smiling. Julian was looking past the camera.She looked at the desk. Three drawers had unprotected brass pulls. The bottom right drawer had a small brass lock built into the wood.It was specifically locked in a room that was otherwise completely accessible."A brass lock," she murmured.Heavy, measured footsteps sounded loudly in the silent hallway.Julian s