Chapter 2
I was a total anti-marriage type—just wanted to keep things casual, no commitments. After way too many relationships, my family finally hit me with an ultimatum.
Get married within a year, or they'd throw me into an arranged marriage.
Samuel, who was also not getting any younger and still single, reached out. He needed to take over the family business, but his parents insisted he settle down first. He asked if I wanted to partner up for a fake marriage—just grab the marriage license to fool our parents, then call it quits after a year.
I hung out with him for a few days, and Samuel was so icy and uninterested, I figured there was no way he'd get attached. So I just went for it and got married with him.
But after we got the marriage license, he did a complete 180.
He went from cold as ice to Mr. Perfect Husband.
He'd draw my bath, whip up dinner, polish off my leftovers, and sneak kisses while I was asleep. The way he looked at me was so soft, like I was his heart's desire.
It started feeling weird, so I asked for a divorce, but he flat-out refused.
He had said, "Ms. Brooks, you came all this way—why bother leaving now?
"Besides, you're not going anywhere anymore."
Samuel spun his wedding ring around his finger.
"I know you've got plenty of tricks up your sleeve and won't give in that easily, but that's fine. I've got all the time in the world to get you used to me," he said.
In that moment, I felt like I was suffocating.
Was this old fox really planning to stick to me forever?
So I pulled every stunt in the book to make him want a divorce.
Every day, I'd pick fights, show up to fancy dinners in sweats just to embarrass him, spill red wine all over his suit in front of his clients, and even chucked the limited-edition necklace he gave me down the drain right in front of him.
But no matter what I did, Samuel just smiled and let it slide.
He had his own theory—since I was his wife, loving me meant dealing with all my drama. He figured it was only natural for me to act out sometimes.
Getting desperate, I started hitting up some hot college guys on campus. Things were going great at first, but as soon as they found out I was Samuel's wife, they blocked me without a second thought.
Feeling totally defeated, I kept hanging around campus every day, trying to tempt guys with cash. That was when I ran into Jason. He was pretty cute, so I just walked right up and asked if he wanted to be my sugar baby.
He just stared at me, eyes wide, for what felt like forever.
"Sixty thousand dollars a month," I said.
Jason immediately found a quiet spot to make a call, and after hanging up, he agreed.
But even though Jason agreed, he was always so bashful and coy around me. I had to sweet-talk him for ages just to get a peek at those abs.
Honestly, it felt like I was the one always making the moves, shamelessly flirting with him.
Now that I had him pretty much trained, I was ready to show him off and really mess with Samuel's head.
I was sprawled out on the bed, scheming my next move, when I suddenly felt something warm and wet trailing down my neck and over my collarbone. The teasing, electric sensation made me open my eyes.
"You're up? Perfect," he said, a little too pleased.
Samuel was nothing like he claimed. When it came to bedroom stuff, he wasn't exactly a machine, but four rounds a night was pretty normal for him. If I didn't push him away, he'd just keep going. If I did, he'd always come up with some excuse to try again later. He never missed a chance.
But tonight, it was like something had gotten into him. No matter how much I tried to shove him off, he wouldn't budge. Samuel even pinned my arms and legs, holding me down until I finally gave in.
Out of panic, I slapped him hard across the face.
Right after, my face went white as a sheet, and my hands froze awkwardly. I blurted out, "I'm not sleeping with a liar."
A red handprint burned on Samuel's cheek, and the tension in the room turned icy cold.
He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look straight into his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if I've spoiled you too much, always letting you have your way. Is that why you want to leave me?
"If I were a little more ruthless, maybe I'd just make sure you got pregnant. Would that make you stay?"
I was honestly terrified he'd actually get me pregnant, so I just gave in and let him have his way. But Samuel wasn't gentle at all. I was crying the whole time, and he just kept going, didn't even try to comfort me.
After it was over, Samuel only apologized after lighting up a cigarette. "I was just so pissed off, I lost it. Just... don't cry, okay?
"From now on, I swear I'll respect what you want," he said.
I shot him a glare, couldn't be bothered to fight with him, and just burrowed under the covers and fell asleep.
I didn't wake up until morning, when Jason's call jolted me out of bed. My voice was all raspy from crying so much last night.
He asked, "Anna, are you sick?"
"No, it's just my husband. He's been forcing me to have his baby," I replied.
"He forced you?" Jason sounded seriously worried.
I couldn't help it—I started crying again. "Yeah, he just snapped. I was so scared."
"Don't cry. I'm coming over right now," Jason said, voice urgent.