Fourth Closet Funtime Freddy

“Three wives. Three funerals. And now… I’m his fourth bride.” Everyone says Dominic Sterling is cursed. His first three wives died mysteriously, one after the other. I never planned to be his next bride, but with my family drowning in debt, I had no choice. Now I’m trapped in his mansion, surrounded by secrets I don’t understand. The halls feel haunted by the women who came before me, the staff watch me too closely, and Dominic himself… he’s a man I can’t figure out. Cold one moment, protective the next. And just when my heart starts betraying me, falling for him, I realize the past isn’t as buried as I thought. Someone is watching me. Someone wants me gone. If I don’t uncover the truth soon, I’ll become the next Sterling bride to meet her funeral.

On the day of my birthday, I'm burning with a fever that almost hits 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of that, I've called Tristan Graham more than a dozen times. He never picks up any of them. In the end, my dad has to take me to the hospital. When we walk past a corridor, he suddenly stops in his tracks. "Mr. Graham? What are you doing here?" I raise my head to see Tristan and Madison Franklin walking from the OBGYN department. Their fingers are tightly laced together. Tristan is even carrying a bag of medication. Birth control pills as well as ointment meant to be used on private parts can be seen in that bag. My mind goes blank at that moment. All I can do is stare at Tristan. As soon as our eyes meet, Tristan frowns slightly at me, though his gaze only lingers on me for a second before he turns to look at my dad. "I'll be hosting a banquet in the garden tomorrow night. Remember to decorate the garden nicely." Dad quickly accepts the order. "Don't worry, Mr. Graham. When Luna's fever breaks out, I'll deal with this task right away." Tristan is momentarily stunned by Dad's words. When he notices my unnaturally flushed cheeks, he instinctively takes a step toward me. But that's when Madison tugs his sleeve. "Stop wasting precious time on a gardener's daughter, Tristan. Let's go. I'm still in pain, you know." Tristan stops in his tracks instantly. Then, he leaves with Madison. Later on, he pays for my hospital bills. Our seven-year underground relationship that's considered a taboo is also paid off as well.

My husband doesn't touch me on our wedding night. He claims he's too tired and asks me to wait. Then, he sneaks into the basement in the wee hours of each night. Whenever he returns, he needs to shower to wash away an indescribable smell. I ask him what he does down there, and he tells me he works out. Why would anyone work out in the middle of the night? I can't take it anymore. One night, I decide to sneak into the basement to see what's going on down there. He chases after me and grabs my pajamas, roaring, "Come back up here! I'll divorce you if you step foot down there!"

Of the five boys who'd been raised to marry me, Lance Riverford was the one who hated me the most. And yet, he was the one I loved the most. Three times I was reborn, and three times I forced him to be my husband. Each time ended the same way—he and his childhood sweetheart killed me. When I opened my eyes for the fourth time and met that same look of loathing in his eyes, something inside me finally let go. I turned away and chose his rival, Jace Elden, as my husband instead. But at the wedding, Lance demanded with tears in his eyes, "Why did you choose someone else this time? Are you doing this just to spite me?" That was when I realized… he'd been reborn too.

While taking the high-speed train home, I came across a post online. “My brother-in-law is pushing thirty, but no wedding bells so far. Would it bother you if he came back to visit all the time?” The comments were all over the place. With the post blowing up, the poster started arguing with commenters. “It’s bad enough that he doesn’t start his own family, but he took one of my yogurts. I can’t stand him. “Geez. Does he know nothing about keeping boundaries? I’ve been dying to put him in his place. “I converted his room into my walk-in closet. Well, that should show him for staying here.” At that point, I stopped reading. Since I paid for the family home back then, one room would always be reserved for me. As I stepped off the train, my mother texted me. “I booked you a room at the hotel, Miles. “You might want to skip staying home this time.”

Airin is known as a good girl in a village, she is a very devoted child to her parents. Airin never once denied anything her parents ordered. Including when they asked her to marry a wealthy immigrant in their village, Sir Sakha Januar Pradipta. Airin doesn't mind if he’s single, but the 33-year-old man already has 3 wives. Which means, Airin ... will be the fourth. But will it be that simple? Of course not. Because Airin refuses to be an oppressed woman. The character that she had been desperately hiding from people slowly began to emerge. Airin is not a good girl like they thought. She is cunning and manipulative, unfortunately no one notices it because of her innocent face. Except of course the honorable Mr. Sakha. In front of her husband, Airin could never hide anything. *** Written by Asia July. The cover was edited in Photoshop. Photo by Valery Sysoev from Unsplash.