You need To Sign
He was just as I’d imagined—tall, tanned skin, bread shoulders, cold and handsome. He wore a blazer over a button down shirt that had the first two buttons opened.
I gulped. He was handsome.
No, that was an understatement. He was Adonis himself. Look at those thick dark eyelashes, perfectly combed dark hair. I gulped as I felt his gray eyes swept over me, and for a moment, I felt like I was being sized up, assessed like a business acquisition. There was no warmth in his gaze, no hint of the man who had agreed to paying for my treatment in exchange for this marriage.
"So, this is the infamous Harper," Gavin said, his voice flat, devoid of any emotion. He looked at me like I was something unpleasant stuck to his shoe. This was the man I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with? God, help me.
"Let’s not waste time. We have business to attend to."
My heart sank. I’d known this wasn’t going to be a fairytale, but the reality of it was still hard to swallow. Gavin didn’t even look at me as he crossed the room to stand beside his mother, who had regained her composure and now wore a smug smile.
The door opened again, and this time, a pastor walked in. He was an older man, with a gentle expression, I noticed his attire. He was a reverend. I frowned, I was told to visit, for an introduction, so why was there a reverend?
I looked at everyone, at my mother. And my thought was true. I was getting married. I hadn’t expected this to happen so quickly, so abruptly. No wedding dress, no vows, no celebration—just a cold family, my nervous mum and my surprised face.
The reverend wasted no time, pulling out a small book and beginning to speak. His words were a blur, my mind racing as I tried to process what was happening. My mother stood beside me, her hand trembling in mine, her eyes filled with unshed tears. I wanted to cry, to scream, to run—but I couldn’t.
If I did, I would die.
Gavin’s voice broke through my haze as he spoke his vows, his tone as cold and detached as ever. When it was my turn, I barely recognized my own voice as I repeated the words, my chest tightening with every syllable.
"And now, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife," the pastor said, closing his book with a soft thud. "You may kiss the bride."
Gavin turned to me, his expression unreadable. I prayed he didn't kiss me. I didn't want my first kiss to be ruined. Yet, he leaned in, I froze, my heart seemed to have stopped as he brushed his lips against mine in the briefest, coldest of kisses.
There was no tenderness, no warmth—just a hollow gesture to seal the deal.
And just like that, it was done. I was Mrs. Gavin Slade.
*****
The ceremony was over in minutes, just long enough for us to say 'I do' and sign our lives away.
Gavin didn't even look at me as we had exchanged vows. I was marrying a ghost, a shadow of a man who had no interest in being my husband.
The others began to stir, clearly ready to start speaking, but Gavin raised a hand, stopping them.
"Leave us," he said, his voice firm. There was no room for argument.
Genevieve looked like she wanted to protest, her mouth opening slightly, but a single glance from Gavin silenced her. She gave me one last icy glare before turning on her heel and leaving the room, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.
My mother hesitated, her eyes searching mine for reassurance, but I could only manage a weak nod. She squeezed my hand, then followed the others out, leaving me alone with my new husband.
The door clicked shut, and the room seemed to shrink around us. The silence was suffocating, and I could feel my pulse thrumming in my ears. Gavin didn’t say anything at first, just stared at me with those cold, assessing eyes. I felt like a specimen under a microscope, every flaw and imperfection exposed.
"Sit," he finally said, motioning to a small set of chairs by the window. It wasn’t a request.
I moved mechanically, my legs trembling as I crossed the room and lowered myself into one of the chairs. Gavin followed, taking the seat opposite me. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick envelope, which he placed on the table between us.
"This is the contract," he said, his tone brisk. "It outlines the terms of our arrangement."
I swallowed hard, my throat dry as I stared at the envelope. The word "arrangement" felt like a slap in the face. I should have known this wasn't forever. It wasn't a happily ever after. I should even be glad, but yet, a strange part of me felt sad.
Gavin pushed the envelope toward me. "Read it carefully. It’s all straightforward. The terms are simple: we stay married for a minimum of two years. During that time, you will fulfill the obligations expected of a wife in public. In private, we will maintain separate lives."
He paused, his expression hardening. "There will be no intimacy between us, except for what is necessary to produce an heir. Once that is accomplished, our interactions will be minimal. After two years, you will be free to leave with a generous settlement, and our marriage will be quietly annulled."
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine as his words sank in. This was more than just a marriage of convenience—it was a prison sentence, with terms so cold and clinical that it made my skin crawl. There was no room for emotion, no chance for anything more than what was explicitly laid out in that contract.
"Why me?" I blurted out, unable to hold back the question that had been burning in my mind since the moment this all began. "Why did you even agree to this? I mean you could have just given my mum the money and then move on with your life."
Gavin’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if the question irritated him. "Spoken like a true gold digger.” I looked at him with anger but he didn't care and it icked me more. “You need money for your treatments, and I need a wife who won’t expect anything from me. When my grandfather told me I agreed. It’s mutually beneficial."
His words stung, but there was a brutal honesty in them that left no room for argument. I knew he was right—I was desperate, and this was the only way out of the nightmare my life had become. But it didn’t make it any easier to swallow.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
