Chapter 4

"Are you sure you won't regret your decision?" Ignace asked with an almost penetrative gaze.

I braced myself to meet his eyes. There, in the reflection of his glasses, I saw myself in a white dress, looking like an idiot.

Regret? Only if I had married Justin. And it would be a lifetime of regret too.

I took a deep breath and gave him a bright smile. It was the first heartfelt smile I had shown all day.

"I'm sure. Mr. Zoeller, I look forward to working with you over the next year,” I answered with certainty.

Thus, we went in together.

We filled out the paperwork, snapped some photos, and said our vows.

Everything happened so fast, it was almost unreal.

When it was time for the photos, the photographer urged us to look cheerful.

I did my best impression of a smile. Ignace also cooperated by giving a faint smile.

Surprisingly, we appeared to be a perfect match in the photos.

He was handsome, and I looked graceful.

Who would believe we were just business partners?

When I was finally holding the marriage certificate, I still couldn't believe what was happening.

I was finally married. But the groom wasn't Justin, the guy I had loved for seven years.

Instead, I was married to someone I had only met less than an hour ago. The irony wasn't lost on me.

As Ignace and I walked out of the county clerk's office, the sunlight was still shining brightly.

I checked the time on my phone. It was exactly an hour after I called Ignace.

In just one hour, my whole world had flipped upside down.

"Alright. Here's to our collaboration," Ignace said, extending his hand.

"Here's to our collaboration," I replied and shook his hand for the second time.

"I believe you already have my phone number and other contact details. Later, I'll get my assistant to draft a postnuptial agreement and send it to you for review," Ignace spoke briskly.

"If you have no objections to the terms and conditions, we will schedule an appointment to sign it."

"Sure," I nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed by his efficiency and professionalism.

"If there's nothing else, I'll make a move first. I still have a meeting back at the office," Ignace added.

He had a quick glance at his watch. "Do you need me to give you a ride?" he asked.

"It's not necessary. I can just get a cab," I hurriedly replied.

"Alright then. I'll be in touch again." With that, Ignace left without a second glance at me.

A black Audi A6 pulled up quietly beside him. He opened the door and got into the car in one swift motion.

The car moved off quickly, and I lost sight of it soon. However, I remained standing on the spot by myself.

The newly minted marriage certificate was still in my hand. I ran my fingers over the gold-embossed words in a daze.

After that, I slowly and carefully put it into my bag.

At this point, my phone started buzzing like crazy.

When I answered, I realized it was from Justin. After I blocked him, he got himself a new number.

I ended the call at once. He called again, but I rejected his call.

This carried on several times before he finally gave up.

Then my phone rang, and the screen showed an unfamiliar landline number.

I could guess who it was. It must be Justin's mom, Juanita.

I hesitated for a while, but then decided to answer the call.

After all, some things had to be made clear once and for all. "Hello?"

"Jacqueline! You shameless woman! Where did you disappear to?" Juanita's shrill voice blasted out of the phone as soon as I answered. The ear-piercing loudness made my ear buzz in pain for a few seconds.

"Are you serious about not marrying Justin anymore? Listen up! If you don't get that marriage certificate with him today, our family won't let you get away with this!"

I held the phone away from my ear. When she finally finished screaming, I placed it next to my ear again.

"Juanita, you've got it all wrong. It's not that I don't want to marry him," I replied in a calm and unruffled manner.

"Your precious son threatened not to sign the marriage certificate with me if I didn't allow his nephew to move into our new home. He himself said that if I didn't agree, he would not marry me."

My calmness seemed to throw Juanita off for a second.

She probably never expected me to talk back to her like this, since all this time I had always been so easygoing with them.

"You... you're talking nonsense! It's just having a small kid in your house! What's the big deal?" Juanita retorted.

"Do you have to kick up such a big fuss? Justin treated you like family. That's why he tried to talk things over with you, and now you're acting so high and mighty! Let me warn you. The Leyhill family doesn't need you!" she argued vehemently.

To hear her turn around to accuse me like that, I couldn't help but find it laughable.

"Oh, really? Well, that's great, Juanita. Because I'm already married. Just a while ago."

There was complete silence on the other end.

I could almost see Juanita's face twisting in utter shock and disbelief.

After a long time, Juanita spoke again in a voice that was sharper than before. "What did you just say? Say that again!"

"I said, I'm already married," I answered loud and clear.