Her life had officially hit rock bottom.
Not only had she lost the chance to escape marriage, but she had also ended up losing an argument.
To herself!
The thought made her want to cry, and maybe she would have...if not for someone knocking on the bridal suite, and her husband of two hours walking in right after.
"Are you ready to go?"
Summerine nodded in answer even as she braced herself for a sign of impatience. Her parentshatedit whenever she had nothing to say, but her husband didn't seem to mind and was instead the perfect gentleman as he offered her his hand.
She expected him to move away as soon as she was on her feet. But then she felt his hand slide to the small of her back—-andstaythere even though she knew he was aware of how her body had involuntarily jerked at his touch.
"I'm afraid you'll have to bear with my touch whenever we're out in public."
She had no chance to respond, with her husband suddenly sweeping her up into his arms before stepping out of the bridal suite.
Oh. My. Gosh.
Hotel staff was lined up on each side of the hallway, and they were all smiles as they showered the newlyweds with white and pink rose petals.
"Congratulations, Mr. Harcourt! Congratulations, Mrs. Harcourt!"
Summerine was still in a daze even when they were inside the luxurious confines of his limousine. She wasvery,very sure that her parents would never have arranged for such a surprise, and so that left only...
Ryu.
It was her first time to allow herself to eventhinkof her husband by his given name, and doing so felt shockingly intimate.
What in the world is going on?
She should still be thinking of ways to escape this marriage, but here she was, testing the sound of his name as if it was a rare delicacy she was tasting for the first time.
"How are you feeling?"
His sudden question had Summerine turning to him, but she could read nothing at all in his dark gaze. "I'm f-fine." She saw him frown at the way she stammered, and her heart sank. Her parents also hated hearing her stammer, and she wondered if the time would come soon that Ryu would look at her with distaste, every time he heard her trip over her words.
"Have your parents explained why I wanted to marry you?"
His quiet tone threw her off, but she didn't dare speak this time, and only answered him with a shake of her head.
"I do not want to have children."
OH.
"Most women would object to this, but after an extensive discussion with your parents—-"
Summerine couldn't even begin to imagine what such a discussion would entail.What could have her parents said that would make him think she was fine with his requirements—-or lack thereof?
"And having your background checked, I've come to realize that you perfectly suit my needs."
It was Summerine's first time to be considered'perfect'for anything. She just wished she understood what exactly he deemed her perfect for.
"Your eyes are very expressive," her husband suddenly murmured.
Her own mother often chastised her for not showing enough emotion.Was he just being nice or was her husband delusional?
"I may not have known you for as long as your parents have, but I have no reason to lie about that, don't you think?"
