Chapter 4 His Wife

• Astrid
• I returned to the party, my muscles coiled with tension. It’s not every day you meet an ex who was once your entire world.
• “What did he say?” my assistant asked. I shrugged, gripping the hem of my dress a little too tightly.
• “We’re sending the guests away. I’ll make a quick announcement, and then you’ll handle the rest,” I muttered, already moving toward the front of the room.
• “What? What about the bride?” she asked, her voice laced with confusion. I glanced at her over my shoulder, my expression dry and enough to pass a message.
• “Just do as you’re told, Nora.” My voice was clipped, and she stopped in her tracks, watching as I climbed onto the podium—the very spot where the groom should have introduced his bride.
• “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” I began, gripping the microphone as every head turned toward me. Murmurs and whispers rippled through the crowd, I could taste their curiosities in my mouth. Bitter and sour.
• “Thank you all for gracing this occasion. I trust you’re having a wonderful time?” I asked, forcing a polite smile. A few half-hearted “yeses” came from the audience.
• “Well, there’s been a slight change of plans—”
• “Where’s the bride and groom?” someone called out, cutting me off. My throat tightened, but I swallowed and pressed on.
• Oh, it was just a matter of time before they knew the bride was missing and the groom? He was a dickhead.
• “The groom is here somewhere, and the bride is…”
• “Her.”
• The voice stopped me cold. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it belonged to. But I did anyway, blinking in shock as my eyes met Adrian’s.
• He walked toward me, each step deliberate, his gaze locking onto mine as if we were the only two people in the room.
• “Ms. Astrid Blythe is my fiancée,” he declared as he reached the podium, his voice calm but commanding. Gasps echoed around the hall like the sharp intake of a collective breath.
• Adrian smiled at me, the same smile that used to make my heart stutter. For a brief moment, I felt it again—a ghost of something I didn’t want to name. I quickly looked away, forcing a tight smile as I turned off the microphone with a slight tremble in my fingers.
• “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I hissed under my breath, glaring at him.
• Adrian didn’t miss a beat. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he pulled me closer, his lips brushing my ear as he spoke in a low, husky voice that sent an involuntary shudder through me.
• “Just play along, Sunshine. I’ll explain everything later.”
• Before I could snap back, he pressed a kiss to my cheek, lingering just long enough to make it seem genuine. Fury flared in my chest, but I couldn’t risk a scene.
• “My fiancée, Ms. Astrid Blythe, planned this entire evening,” he announced turning the microphone on, his voice smooth as silk. “She prefers to take matters into her own hands.”
• His words hung in the air, and for a split second, I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes—softness, maybe, or Sadness. It was gone before I could decide.
• Across the room, I saw Nora. She was staring at me, her brows raised in confusion, mirroring the crowd’s bewilderment.
• “We’ll be tying the knot before the end of the week,” Adrian added, his tone so casual it might as well have been a comment about the weather.
• My jaw clenched as I forced myself to smile. I couldn’t believe it. I was covering for him—saving him—after everything he’d done to me.
• This better be worth it, I thought bitterly.
• “Thank you all for coming,” I said quickly, plastering on the brightest smile I could muster before stepping off the stage, dragging Adrian along with me. Or maybe he followed willingly—it didn’t matter.
• “What the hell are you playing at?” I snapped the moment we were out of earshot, yanking my arm free from his grip.
• Adrian arched a brow, unbothered by my outburst.
• “Salvaging my career, Sunshine,” he replied, his tone maddeningly calm.
• “Don’t. Call. Me. That.” My voice shook with anger. “There were over a hundred people in that room, and you just told them I’m your fiancée. What were you thinking?”
• “I need a wife, Astrid,” he said flatly, as if the matter were already settled. “The woman I was supposed to marry walked out on me. I needed a replacement, and fast.”
• I folded my arms across my chest, trying to create even the smallest barrier between us. Was he being serious, right now?
• “No. Absolutely not. I’m not doing this with you.”
• He took a step closer, his presence looming until I could feel his breath on my face.
• “What would it take to change your mind?” he asked, his voice low and deliberate.
• “Nothing,” I spat, holding his gaze.
• “A million dollars,” he offered, like he was negotiating over a car instead of asking for a wife.
• I opened my mouth to refuse, but he cut me off before I could speak.
• “Fine. Two million.” His expression remained steady, unflinching.
• My stomach twisted, but I held firm.
• “No amount of money will—”
• “Five million. Final offer.” His voice was like steel, and for a moment, I could only stare at him, stunned.
• My thoughts spiraled. Five million dollars. I could finally open the office I’d been dreaming of in Seattle. I could secure my future. And beyond all of that, there was the truth—the darker, more vengeful part of me that whispered this could be my chance.
• Revenge. For that night. For everything he’d taken from me.
• I took a deep breath, meeting his gaze head-on.
• “Fine,” I said, my voice steady. “I’ll be your wife.”
• For better, for worse—and to make him pay.