Chapter 1 Escape From Marriage

One meter, two meters...

Summer Lin held her breath and tightly grasped the rope she made out of bed sheets. She tossed it outside and let out a sigh of relief when she saw that it finally reached the ground. She turned around and pulled the other end of the cloth to check if it was bound to the foot of the bed tightly.

Suddenly, she heard door of her deluxe hotel suite open. She gritted her teeth, grabbed the cloth, and jumped out of the window. A scream came from above. "Miss Lin... where are you?"

She was so anxious that her hands slipped and loosened her grip on the cloth. With a silent scream, she heavily landed on the ground. The spring rain drenched her hair. When she tried to stand up, she felt a sharp pain on her ankle that caused her burst into tears.

From behind her, she heard steady footsteps emerge from the quiet lane. The rain drops pouring on her head suddenly stopped. She didn't dare to look up as she could feel a familiar pressure surrounding her.

"Good," the man said in a cold voice. "Are you playing hard to get? I have to commend your performance." A sinister smile appeared at the corners of his grinning lips. "If you fall and lose your baby, then everyone will be happy, my dear wife."

Summer Lin couldn't move. The man leisurely held the black umbrella while she was sitting helplessly on the ground like a drowned rat. He looked down at her, unwilling to help her up, even if she was about to become his wife.

The phone in his hand rang. "Don't worry. She is just playing games with you. She's in the alley. Yes, she's right next to the trash can. Please come quickly and pick the bride up. Well, this place terribly suits her," he said mockingly.

He didn't bother to look at her anymore. Instead of helping her, he drew back the umbrella, turned around, and left.

As he retreated, she gazed at his broad back and the black suit he wore. He did not look like the bridegroom who was about to get married today. He seemed more like Satan, who was about to take his revenge.

The church bell rang. Summer Lin stood alone at the entrance and held the bouquet of flowers in her hands. She was wearing a luxurious wedding dress, and the lace was studded with splints. It was said that her dress was an exclusive design of the famous French designer, Display.

However, she Lin didn't feel happy at all. Even if she wore an empress's dress, in Nick An's eyes, she was still the same wretched woman sitting beside the trash can with her hair dripping.

She trembled nervously as the church doors opened in front of her. The guests directed their eyes at her. She heard the sound of whispers circulating in the hall. How could a bride marry into one of the city's richest families without bridesmaids, ring bearers, or the company of her father?

The people around her gave her scrutinizing stares. With her back straight, she elegantly and proudly walked up the red carpet. The person at the other end stared at her silently. She was going to marry Nick An, the man she had loved for more than ten years. Her heart ached in pain and she felt her belly slightly moving even though it was perfectly covered by her wedding dress.

She walked towards her future husband's side. He gently turned around and didn't bother to hold her hand. The priest looked awkwardly at the engaged couple who were looking away from each other. He rushed through the ceremony and finally asked, "Miss Summer Lin, do you take Nick An to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Summer Lin fell silent. The corners of Nick An's mouth slightly lifted. He whispered in her ear, "How could you be unwilling to marry me? Why don't you tell the priest you killed my fiancee to marry me?"

In everyone else's eyes, they were just whispering like a loving couple. It was only the priest who witnessed the coldness in his eyes. It was enough to send chills down his spine.

Summer Lin's eyes began to fill with tears, but she tried her best to hold back from crying. She told herself that crying wouldn't work for him, but he accused her of killing his fiancee. How could she stay out of it?

"I didn't!" she said in a low voice. "The judge already proved my innocence. I really didn't kill anyone."

He looked down at her and his cold smile pierced her heart like a knife. "The law can't punish you, so I will punish you myself. You must pay for your crime!"

As they continued to whisper with one another, the guests started to get suspicious because the bride didn't respond to the question. The priest cleared his throat and asked again, "Miss Summer Lin, do you—"

"She does!" Nick An interrupted him. "I do, too."

The priest swallowed and said with difficulty, "Okay, God bless you. Now you can exchange the rings."

Nick picked up the diamond ring that was laying on top of the flowers and placed it on the bride's finger without sparing her a glance. The ring was so small that it got stuck on her knuckle. He pressed it down mercilessly with contempt. She bit back a cry of anguish. She was in so much pain that she almost burst into tears.

"Now you may kiss the bride..."

"Wait!" The closed doors of the church suddenly flung open with great force. All the suspicious guests turned their heads around. The bride was already acting weird today. The guests wondered whether a young man would burst into the hall to snatch the bride.

Instead, they found a middle-aged man staring at the couple with a smiling face.

Summer Lin trembled and was about to fall down from losing her balance. When the middle-aged man saw her pale face, he laughed out instead. "Nick, did you forget to invite me on such a big day?"

"Mr. Lin, please have a seat," replied Nick An in a calm voice.

"Take a seat?" The man raised his eyebrows at Nick. "I'm the bride's father. Shouldn't I be standing next to my daughter?"

When he said this, even the bridegroom's family seemed to be restless. Summer Lin's lips trembled, but she couldn't say a word. When she was about to finally lose her balance, the man next to her reached out his hand to firmly support her.

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Lin. The ritual is done. Everyone, please go to the banquet hall and enjoy yourselves."

Nick An took charge of everything. The guests had to leave despite their curiosity. The family of the bridegroom approached them. The middle-aged man lit up a cigar as if nothing had happened. "What a pity, Nick. If you had told me earlier that you were going to marry her, I would have given you some advice. Our two families have been friends for generations. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"