His Unwanted Bride: The Substitute's Secret

Chapter 3

Word Count: 733 | Released on: Today at 15:42

dining table felt like a

p, dark suit, his attention fixed on a tablet displaying the morni

et of polished mahogany, two

said, his eyes not

e replied, he

mplete. Silence resumed its place a

he lack of sleep had left faint, bruised shadows under her

It was a quick, almost imperceptible scan, but

if she had slept, but the words that

chedule for t

lfway to her lips. Her brow f

day gala," he stated, n

f course. The annual Leach family command performan

ded. "I

s linen napkin, and dabbed at the corners of his mo

s, he threw a final instruction over his sho

he wa

m. The coffee in her cup tasted more bit

had a purpose. She was competent, respected. She was in control. The chaos of the emergency room and th

r sad-looking salad to heat in the microwave. Two nu

s in surgery?" Nurse A, a wo

ied Nurse B, a y

s getting a divorce. His wife

t they were the

some kind of... issue. A severe phobia of being touched. Ha

ner, froze. A cold fist clenched around he

usiness arrangement," the resident mused

edles, sinking de

feeling impossibly heavy. She didn't say a word, just turned an

ouldn

pest fear. It had dragged the monster from und

can live

nce. How much

hair. Her eyes landed on the desk calendar. A date next we

rcle, a feeling of suffo

ance. Her assistant, a cheerful young

ry just came for you. Fr

ifully wrapped, velvet-covered box. The logo embossed in silver on the lid was

ties. A summons. The costum

Chapter End

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His Unwanted Bride: The Substitute's Secret

Hui Hui Romance

“Elianna was nothing more than a substitute wife, pushed into a cold, transactional marriage with billionaire Adrien Leach after her perfect older sister, Ivette, suddenly ran away. For a year, they lived as strangers sharing a zip code, which was exactly what Elianna needed to hide her darkest secret-a severe, trauma-induced phobia of physical touch that left her trembling and terrified at her husband's slightest proximity. But this fragile, loveless balance was completely shattered at the annual family gala. Just as Elianna swallowed her panic to play the dutiful wife, Ivette unexpectedly returned. The golden child burst in, demanding her rightful place beside Adrien, while their own mother looked at Elianna with familiar, crushing disdain, ready to cast the understudy aside. Hiding in the shadows of the balcony, Elianna felt the suffocating weight of her past closing in. She waited for Adrien to terminate their contract, fully expecting him to agree that she was just a pathetic, temporary placeholder who couldn't even bear to be touched. Instead, she heard Adrien's voice cut through the dark, delivering a ruthless warning to the sister who thought she had won. "It's not a deal, Ivette. I married her because I'm in love with her." Standing frozen behind the glass door, Elianna's blood ran cold as she realized her fake, business-deal marriage was hiding a terrifying secret of its own.”