Chapter 5
When Kaelan and his father were feuding at the time, I stayed level–headed, telling Kaelan that we could part ways amicably–there was no need to make a scene for my sake.
He gripped the back of my head, his kiss urgent and fierce, carrying a hint of punishment.
“Who the hell said anything about parting? None of those women compare to you… especially in bed.”
I glared at him, but a second later, a large hand covered my eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that, Seraphina. You know I don’t have much self–control.”
He sighed, his tone tinged with resignation.
“You heartless girl might be fine with letting go, but I’m not taking chances with you. I was always afraid
you’d run away while we
wemarriage is much more secure.”
“Ridiculous,” Eldric tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, a sign of his impatience.
“If Kaelan Winters were really married, how could there be absolutely no rumors about it?”
“Exactly,” my stepfather added.
“I know Kaelan’s father–we worked together years ago. If there had been a wedding, our family would
have received an invitation.”
“We… kept it private,” my smile turned bitter at the corners.
Why didn’t we go public?
I had asked Kaelan this question before.
“Because you’re not worthy, my honey,” he said with a smile on his handsome face, his words like a sharp blade piercing my heart.
“We’re from different worlds. If we went public, what would people think of me? It would certainly create unwanted gossip at the company.”
“Be good now. We’re the ones living this life. Can’t you feel how much I love you?”
So that was it.
Chapter 5
His professed love was nothing more than using a marriage certificate to keep me bound to him.
“Let’s stop guessing. Seraphina, just show us your marriage certificate, and we’ll believe you,” my mother finally said.
“Fine.”
I reached for my pocket.
Empty. Nothing there.
Then I remembered.
The marriage certificate I had worked so hard to sneak out had already been quietly taken back by
Kaelan.
“Never mind.”
Suddenly I felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
It was just a momentary burst of anger–what was the point of arguing with them about this?
After all, Kaelan and I were getting divorced anyway.
“Just consider me a liar.”
“I’m full. And I’m going to bed.”
Closing the bedroom door behind me, I could faintly hear Olivia lowering her voice.
“Uncle, Auntie, did you know that Seraphina was always status–obsessed in school?”
“I was a year ahead of her, you see. Once when a professor asked me to teach her how to conduct an experiment, I went to the bathroom briefly, and she stole a necklace from my bag.”
“It was the first gift Eldric ever gave me. Thankfully, I caught her in the act…”
I hadn’t slept well in a very long time.
Turning off the lamp, I curled up in a corner of my small bed, listening to the sounds of Christmas revelers laughing outside my window as I drifted into a deep sleep.
Eldric had performed exceptionally well on his college entrance exams and attended the same prestigious university as me.
Chapter 5
Olivia was a senior I met when I first started college.
Being introverted, I didn’t have many friends, but she was an exception.
Unfortunately, our friendship didn’t last long, ending the day she and Eldric announced their relationship.
I don’t know what Eldric told her, but she somehow saw me as a rival.
One day during lunch break, while I was asleep, she took the debit card I kept in my pocket for living
expenses.
In desperation, I searched her bag for my card.
Indeed she turned the tables, accusing me of stealing her necklace.
The PIN for that card was Eldric’s birthday–I hadn’t gotten around to changing it.
As a result, all the money in the account was spent.
With no choice, I found a part–time job at a pool hall off campus.
And I hadn’t been working there long when I encountered Kaelan Winters.
“Well, well, my sweetie. Short on cash?”
“Here’s a job for you. Are you interested?”
From then on, I became Kaelan’s “paid girlfriend,” serving as his shield against his family’s pressure to
marry.
Chapter 6
Chapter 6
