The Expiring Marriage Deal

Synopsis

The day I married into the Anderson family, Ronnie Anderson tossed two cards on the table in front of the entire family. One was a bank card, and the other a room key card. "One million dollars will be deposited into this card every month. Ask for more if it runs short. The house is yours, in Belleview Gardens. Live there if you want; if not, do whatever you like with it," he said. Ronnie leaned back against the sofa, his tie hanging loosely around the collar of his shirt, his voice lazy as if he were discussing the most mundane business deal. He said, "I only have one requirement: we each live our own lives, don't end up on the gossip rags, and don't have any love children." I was still in a trailing wedding dress, the veil not yet lifted. The makeup artist had painted my face so flawlessly I looked like a doll. I stood in the middle of the living room at the Andersons' place, the crystal chandelier stinging my eyes. A row of the Andersons sat across from me, each with a quiet, observant look on their face. My parents didn't come. They had never approved of this marriage in the first place. I was the one who had insisted on marrying him. No, to be precise, I had no choice but to marry him. The Mays family had gone bankrupt, and my father had racked up a mountain of debt. It was the Anderson family who had stepped in to bail him out. I was the price he paid for that help. My name was Emery, twenty-four, and I had graduated from Millfield University less than six months prior. I hadn't even had time to break in my diploma when I was married off to the Andersons. I picked up the bank card, glanced at it, then set it back down. I said, "Mr. Anderson, I agree to us living our own lives. But when you do your thing, could you at least keep it low-key? I don't want to see headlines like 'Mrs. Anderson stuck at home all by herself' on the trending lists tomorrow." Ronnie glanced at me, and the corner of his mouth lifted just a fraction. The smile was faint, but I could tell he thought I was a little interesting. He said, "Don't worry, I dread being in the social media spotlight even more than you do." That was the entirety of our conversation on our wedding night.