Chapter 6
691words
My husband was my childhood friend's uncle.
I tried to escape, but my earring caught on his jacket. When I tugged, pain shot through my earlobe.
Alexander Hart carefully untangled the threads, his voice deceptively casual: "You look different today."
My heart pounded as I jerked the earring free and attempted to flee.
Alexander Hart blocked my exit, his voice dropping to a whisper: "Go home now. Keep the dress on… and wait for me in bed."
Just as his lips were about to touch mine, Kevin's voice called from outside, "Alice? Are you still in there?"
"Alice?"
I shoved the bewildered Alexander away. "Yes, I'm here! Just a stage name I used while traveling. I'll see you at home," I added quietly to Alexander.
When Kevin spotted me, he looked confused. "My uncle seems to have vanished too. Have you seen him? Alexander Hart, the Eastern Dawn Group chairman—always in the tabloids?"
I tried to cool my burning cheeks. "No! Mr. Hart is definitely not hiding in the women's restroom."
"Lauren's looking everywhere for him! They're supposed to announce their wedding date tonight."
I felt the blood drain from my face. "Mr. Hart… is getting married again?"
"Again? This will be my uncle's first marriage. He and Lauren have been together on and off for over seven years. She's finally ready to quit acting and settle down with him. Actually, Hillside Bay was originally meant to be their marital home, though it's a bit dated now."
So Alexander Hart had always had a girlfriend—a true love he wanted to marry. What did that make me?
Just the most official of his many mistresses?
When he chose me—someone with no family connections—as his secret wife, I thought he was avoiding complications.
Now I understood—he wanted someone who could be easily discarded, someone who would quietly disappear when no longer needed.
Lauren Summers commanded the stage as host, radiant and confident.
I stared at her amber eyes—identical to mine—and smiled bitterly.
Being chosen by Alexander Hart wasn't fate's blessing but cold calculation.
I was nothing but Lauren Summers' stand-in.
"Kevin, I need to go. My work isn't finished, and I'm afraid if I don't complete it now, I might never get another chance."
Behind me, applause erupted as Alexander Hart took the stage, ready to announce his engagement to his true love.
I fled home, my heart pounding painfully in my chest.
After wiping away tears I refused to understand and burying my confused emotions, I threw myself into my design work.
The Alice had been my ship—a thirteenth birthday gift from my father.
Later it sank, along with my father who took his own life, both disappearing beneath the waves.
Only I could recreate its true form.
But the more I drew, the blurrier my vision became as unexpected tears fell onto the paper.
I would never fall in love! These three years had been nothing but a performance for both of us.
I'd only agreed to this absurd arrangement because my mother needed expensive medical care.
I don't know how long I worked, but when I regained awareness, I was lying in bed.
Alexander Hart noticed my open eyes, loosened his tie, and leaned over me, trailing soft kisses down my neck.
"Why were you crying? You've ruined your design draft with tears. It's just a ship, Mrs. Hart. If you want recognition, I can buy you the best design firm in the country."
Alexander Hart, don't be gentle with me now. It's too cruel.
I have nothing of my own, so even the smallest kindness makes me want to surrender everything.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, responding to his passion with desperate intensity.
"Alexander, would you give me the design rights to The Alice as a parting gift when we divorce?"
He scoffed coldly, "Allowing you to enter the competition is already special treatment. Don't expect any favors—I'll judge you more harshly than anyone else. You want divorce benefits? Mrs. Hart, your greed is showing."
He pulled away, and from that moment, we descended into a frigid standoff.
