Chapter 2
I took a deep breath and asked her, a bit hesitant, "You look so young. I didn't think you'd get married so young."
Andrea smiled, leaned in, and whispered, "I'm 26. Not that young anymore."
Andrea continued, "Honestly, my husband spoils me in every way. He's amazing in bed and always takes care of me, so I'm always feeling pampered.
"Plus, I don't have to deal with any messy mother-in-law stuff. My daily routine is just pampering myself and shopping. No stress at all, so of course I look young."
I asked, "No complicated mother-in-law drama? Is your husband an orphan or something?"
She shook her head and lowered her voice. "No, his mom's still pretty young, but she's really something. She always has a lot going on.
"You wouldn't believe how crazy it is. They've a lot of family rules. My husband says living there is suffocating.
"No matter how much I love my husband, there's no way I'd ever give up my freedom for him. And honestly, he wouldn't want me to either."
I knew better than anyone what it was like to live under those family rules.
We had to get up at 5 AM every morning, no spicy food allowed, going out required permission, and even the color of our clothes was regulated.
If I messed up even a little, the family would dish out punishment.
Over the years, I've wanted to run away countless times, but in the end, I always stayed for Jerry.
"So, you…" I started.
Andrea gave me a sly grin. "So, when his family kept pushing him to get married, I told my husband to go ahead and take a wife in Elysian City."
My nails dug into my palm, my voice shaky with disbelief. "You really told your husband to marry someone else?"
She nodded. "My husband had a first love. One of those classic college romances, you know?
"By the time college was over, he was totally over her.
"Once we got together, he was actually planning to break up with her.
"But then his grandpa got really sick, and his family started pushing him to get married.
"I didn't want to get trapped by all those suffocating family rules, so I told him to go ahead and marry his first love."
My eyes widened in shock. I could barely believe what I was hearing. "So that makes you the other woman? And you're really okay with that?"
Andrea grinned, totally unfazed. "Of course I am. Because in reality, she's the one without any real status.
"My husband handed her some phony marriage papers, threw her a wedding of the century, and then found an excuse to bail.
"She never suspected a thing. She's still blindly devoted, following all those rules."
Hearing this, I felt like I'd just fallen into an ice bath.
Instinctively, I reached into my bag for the marriage certificate that had kept me chained for three years and realized it was nothing but a lie.
I asked, "Aren't you worried she'll find out and come after you?"
Andrea smirked smugly. "She won't ever find out.
"You forget. My husband's family has those family rules that keep her completely trapped. She can't ever leave Elysian City.
"Besides, she thinks my husband's some regular researcher, making 10 thousand dollars a month.
"Every month, I take 10 thousand dollars from the one million dollars in allowance my husband gives me and transfer it to her account.
"She's the kind of simple-minded woman who believes that as long as the money's there, so is the love. She'd never even think to question my husband."
I felt sick to my stomach. Without thinking, I blurted out, "But you're a woman too. Doesn't this hurt another woman?"
Andrea glanced at me, her smile tinged with kindness. "Miss, you can feel it. I'm not the bad guy here. But she is."