Chapter 2 Uninvited guest

Upon hearing this, Emily stood momentarily frozen in place.

All she had wanted was a place to live, never once contemplating dedicating half of her life to a man she barely knew.

James lowered his gaze to her disheveled state, reflecting upon the previous night's events.

Before the hotel entrance, Emily had suddenly fainted. He intended to have a subordinate take her away, but unexpectedly his grandmother had intercepted him at the hotel, coercing him into meeting Emily, revealing a piece of pregnancy news.

The old lady was now restless, weeping and compelling him to marry and procreate with Emily. In her final desperate move, she threatened him with her fifteen percent stake in the Williams estate!

This share held an immense influence over the Williams' fortune. James could not forgive himself should any issues befall the family wealth under his watch. Hence, he agreed to marry.

However, he made clear his plan to his grandmother - to take advantage of the pregnancy period to understand Emily's character better.

The matriarch was reluctantly convinced, but James' plan to pretend to be poor to test Emily wasn't a problem. Yet, a show must be played to the end. In their agreement, all his previous income and cards would be frozen. During Emily's pregnancy, he would be given a part of the money monthly, serving as their living expenses.

If not for the shares, he would not have hastily tied the knot with Emily.

The Williams didn't need a child of such uncertain background.

Watching Emily in her silence, James lost his patience, his icy voice dropping: "I refuse to have my child carry the disgrace of illegitimacy."

Emily furrowed her brows: "But..."

"Rest assured, I'll draft a marriage contract with you, after the child's birth we will divorce. During that time, you can live here openly, avoiding interrogations from your family." James cut her off before she could continue.

As long as they had the child, he could tell his grandmother that he and Emily were incompatible, and divorce would be a natural conclusion.

Her lips pursed, a sense of urgency pulling at the hem of her dress.

Indeed, he was right. Even if she escaped now, Sophia Smith would still locate her, and ultimately, she'd be forced into marrying the Johnson heir to provide the dowry.

If she married, she might be able to sever their delusions.

With determination settled in her heart, she nodded heavily: "Fine, I accept."

......

First, post-marriage, they would live in separate rooms;

Second, during the marriage, both parties would retain personal freedoms, with no interference in each other's private affairs, and assets after the divorce would remain separate;

Thirdly, after divorcing seven months later, the man will undertake half of the child-rearing responsibility until the child turns eighteen.

Staring at the stark ink-on-paper agreement, James coldly stated, "One more thing, after you give birth, and we divorce, this house will be yours."

Emily shook her head in surprise, "I don't need it."

Although she was poor, she understood the principle of not taking undue advantage.

"Seven months, can you afford a house with your income?"

The man's chilly, harsh reality rendered Emily momentarily speechless. Indeed, after their divorce, she could not allow their child to be homeless.

Emily bit her lip and declined no further, jotting down the fourth term herself.

After the divorce, the house would be the child's property, and she would contribute half the value to repay his family.

Seeing her elegant handwriting on the contract, he was taken aback.

This woman was either incredibly strong or incredibly foolish.

After reaching an agreement, signed and approved by both parties, they directly proceeded to the registry to complete the formalities.

Everything went smoothly.

Except that James couldn't muster a smile for the picture, leaving a stoic expression on their marriage certificate.

After leaving the registry, they sat in the rented old car, each holding a small red marriage booklet.

She grinned widely, her laughter glistening under the scorching sun.

On the contrary, James casually left his marriage certificate in the glove compartment, indifferent to her joy.

Faced with her radiant smile, he retorted with indifference, "Are you always this delighted to marry a stranger?"

"You wouldn't understand!"

People often say marriage is a woman's second reincarnation.

For her, it symbolized a fresh start, a departure from her family.

Then, she would leave her home entirely.

He curled his lips, his icy gaze unfathomable.

What could a marriage certificate prove? Countless couples grow to despise each other after marriage.

Like his parents, who had been married for decades, yet tormented each other in their matrimonial bonds.

"At the crossroad ahead, you can get off." The man turned his head, his voice concise and curt.

"Okay." She nodded obediently, without any objection.

In the registry, he had mentioned an upcoming meeting and asked her to take a taxi home.

Before she could step out of the car, James seemed to remember something, "Don't bother buying a separate bed, you can sleep in the master bedroom because of your pregnancy."

"And what about you?"

He swerved the car and parked it by the curb, releasing the safety lock, "I'm a man; I'm not that delicate."

She was taken aback.

This seemingly indifferent man appeared... not as bad as she thought?

Exhausted from a day's toil and slightly unwell, Emily reached home, hastily consuming a meager meal before seeking the solace of rest.

However, in this strange place, sleep evaded her. She tossed and turned, a restless captive of her unfamiliar surroundings, caught in a bitter bout of insomnia.

Furthermore, the illness, borne of exposure to a past rainfall, still clung to her, plaguing her with fever in the midnight hour. With the child burgeoning within her, she dared not reach out for random medicines, instead seeking refuge in a warm drink she brewed herself.

She dozed intermittently until dawn, but before she could sink into a restful sleep, her alarm rang, proclaiming the commencement of the work day.

Reluctantly, Emily accepted her fate, bidding goodbye to her bed. After readying herself, she noticed James' untouched shoes at the door.

Had he not returned home?

Could he possibly be at a hotel, working the night shift?

She didn't dwell on the thoughts. After all, this was her first day at her new home, and she was unfamiliar with the local routes. Emily locked the door behind her and rushed to her art studio.

Her workspace was a dedicated cultural and arts school. With its sprawling art studios, piano rooms, calligraphy sections, and more, it could well be considered a hub for extracurricular passions.

The art room was more than a space for teaching children to paint; it also trained them for art examinations. Emily herself had joined to learn painting, but her potential was soon spotted by the headmaster, who asked her to assist her colleagues in educating the students.

This was the busiest time, as several teachers were out for training. She had asked her colleagues to cover for her the previous day, but another day off would mean losing her entire monthly punctuality bonus of 500 dollars.

Emily had previously checked the bus routes on her mobile phone. Her new place wasn't too far from the art room, and there was no traffic on her way. In fact, she arrived at her destination ten minutes earlier than usual.

Upon seeing Emily, her colleague Lily greeted her with a warm smile. "You didn't seem well. Why did you take the day off yesterday?"

"I had some domestic issues to deal with. They're all sorted now. I appreciate you and Daniel for covering for me yesterday!" Emily replied, handing Lily a bag of candy as a token of her gratitude.

Lily accepted the candy enthusiastically, and together, they set about tidying up the art room, gearing up for another bustling day.

The day would be occupied with amateur adult classes, while the evening awaited the regular students, and post-school hours brought in a flood of young children.

In her spare time, Emily found herself contemplating, eventually opening the contact photo of James and sending him a message about her whereabouts, leaving him to arrange his own dinner.

Even though her husband had not come home on the first night of their marriage, she was still a guest in his house. It was only right to at least inform him about her whereabouts.

At five-thirty in the afternoon, when primary school students finish their classes, it was the peak hour at the art studio.

Having just prepared the paints, Emily had intended to wait for Lily to bring in the children. Suddenly, an unexpected visitor burst into the room.

She felt a shove from behind, staggering forward, the paints on her palette splattering onto her dress, creating an unsightly mess.

"Indeed, I had to come to your workplace to find this shameless wretch! You vile creature, daring to run off, learning your mother-in-law's habit of not picking up calls. Who gave you such audacity!" The sharp voice of Sophia Smith rang out from behind, her hand violently yanking on Emily's ear.

Pain shot through Emily, forcing her to grit her teeth. Instinctively she covered her ear, her other hand attempting to pull Sophia Smith's hand away.

But Sophia's grip tightened instead of loosening. Unable to bear the pain, Emily let out a groan.

Lily, who had been talking to the parents outside, returned to find the strange woman who had barged into the classroom. She was taken aback and shouted, "Who are you! Let go of Emily, or I will call the police."