The hum of the sedan's engine cutting through the wet city streets filled the cabin with thick silence. The remnants of the rain still clung to the windows, reflecting the blurred streetlights.
“Drew... why did you choose me?” Alea had asked when they decided to get married.
Behind the wheel, Drew kept his eyes fixed on the road, but his thoughts leaped back to a restaurant a few weeks before their blind date.
That day, he'd accidentally taken a seat a few tables away from Alea, who was on a family-arranged blind date. Without meaning to, he overheard the arrogant man sitting across from her say smugly, “If you become my wife, just focus on taking care of the house and my sickly mother. That flower shop isn't important. Women don't need to act so independent.”
And right then, with her chin raised and her eyes flashing defiantly, Alea flatly rejected the man's proposal on the spot.
From behind the café partition, Drew made a note to himself: this woman didn't need an arrogant man to trample her freedom. All Alea needed was a shield—a secure marital status to ease the pressure from her family.
Drew looked at Alea, then drew a slow breath. “We need the same thing, Alea,” he answered honestly, his voice low but firm. “Your family is pressuring you to stop being single, and I need someone Grandma and Mom can accept without any drama. I think we're a good match.”
“Is it only because we're compatible?”
“Sometimes compatibility can save a marriage far better than feelings that go stale easily,” Drew replied without hesitation.
Back in the present, inside the car gliding silently along, Alea lowered her head and stared at her fingers. Her heart pounded. I've given him my whole heart from the very beginning. And to him... I'm nothing more than a rational choice that happened to come along and wouldn't cause trouble.
Yet even though her chest ached with the certainty that the man didn't love her, Alea remained grateful. Being Drew's wife was still the greatest blessing she'd ever had.
Suddenly, Drew's large hand reached over and gently pinched Alea's chin, making her turn toward him. “What are you daydreaming about, hm?”
Alea startled. “N-Nothing... nothing at all! I just happened to think about the past for a second.”
“Does it have anything to do with me?” Drew probed, one corner of his mouth lifting into a teasing smirk.
Alea shook her head vigorously as a hot flush spread across both cheeks.
Seeing her flustered reaction, a low, baritone laugh slipped from Drew's lips. His warm fingers shifted to gently stroke Alea's cheek before he returned his attention to the road. *
It was late at night in the master bedroom. Beneath the dim bedside lamp, Alea leaned against the headboard, turning the pages of her book.
Suddenly, a strong hand snatched the book from her grasp. Drew climbed onto the bed, trapping his wife beneath him. His warm breath brushed the skin of Alea's neck.
“Do we still want to have children, Alea?” Drew whispered directly into her ear, his voice hoarse and demanding an answer.
Alea blinked, her heartbeat suddenly thrown into disarray. “You... don't you want to?”
“Of course I do,” Drew answered firmly, his gaze boring into Alea's eyes. “It's Grandma's main request. But if you're tired or you've changed your mind, I can tell Grandma to wait.”
Alea slowly shook her head. An unfamiliar warmth crept through her chest. Deep down, she knew it perfectly well: one day, a baby's cries would transform this loveless house into a home that was truly alive.
At that answer, the light in Drew's eyes darkened. That night, beneath the thick blankets and the rain pouring down outside once more, Alea's defenses collapsed completely, swept away by a wave of heated touches that united them without a trace left between them. *
The morning sun pierced through the gap in the bedroom curtains. When Alea tried to move, incredible pain immediately struck her entire body. Her joints felt as if they had come loose. The remnants of the night's passion had completely drained her strength.
Not long afterward, the bedroom door—which Drew had left unlocked—slowly opened. Auntie Sun, the senior housekeeper trusted by the family, stepped inside with a knowing smile, carrying a tray of herbal remedies.
“Ma'am, Young Master told me to come massage your body,” Auntie Sun said warmly. She made Alea lie facedown, then skillfully spread warm oil across her back.
The rhythmic massage finally overcame Alea's heavy eyelids. She fell into a deep sleep.
Auntie Sun smiled in amusement. As she covered Alea with a blanket, her eyes caught something beneath the collar of Alea's slightly shifted pajamas—a large, dark red mark, an unmistakable hickey printed clearly across the skin of her slender neck.
Auntie Sun shook her head, her mischievous smile widening. Without a second thought, she pulled out her phone, took a picture of Alea's neck, and sent it straight to Great-Grandma's WhatsApp number.
“Great-Grandma, I know you both really want Young Master to give you a great-grandchild soon, but please advise Young Master not to go so far as marking the young madam like this...” *
At the grand main residence of the extended family, Grandma sat back on the living-room sofa, enjoying her morning tea.
Without greeting anyone or knocking, Ishara walked in wearing an expensive designer dress.
“Good morning, Auntie. Grandma,” she greeted cheerfully. The woman immediately sat down beside Grandma and Mom, wearing the sweetest smile she could manufacture.
“It's good to see you again,” Drew's mother said politely.
“I won't be going back overseas again, Auntie,” Ishara said.
At the same time, Grandma opened the voice message from Auntie Sun. Auntie Sun's grumbling voice immediately shattered the room's silence. “...but please advise Young Master not to go too far with the young madam...”
The voice echoed loudly through the quiet living room. Ishara's breath caught.
Before she could recover from the shock, Grandma deliberately enlarged the image on her phone, displaying the photo Auntie Sun had sent in full: Alea curled up asleep, with brutal, vulgar red marks decorating her pale neck.
Ishara's blood suddenly boiled to the top of her head. Her fists trembled violently on her lap. Impossible... she screamed inwardly. How could Drew—a man known for years as the most rigid, cold, nearly robotic man alive—be so wild and intimate with a cheap woman like Alea?!
Grandma glanced at the photo on the screen and laughed brightly in triumph at her daughter-in-law. “Look at your son, Dy. When it comes to the bedroom, it turns out he doesn't have a brake at all.”
Mama Dyana chuckled, enjoying her mother-in-law's expression. “Ah, it looks like you'll really be holding a great-grandchild soon.”
Hearing their conversation, Ishara felt as if thousands of needles had pierced her chest. It was burning. She could no longer breathe in the same room. Claiming she had an urgent matter to attend to, Ishara rose abruptly, said her farewells in a half-shout, and stormed out of the house, her anger ready to explode.
As soon as she threw herself into the back seat of her luxury car, Ishara reached into her purse. With fingers trembling violently, she dialed Julian's number.
“Julian! I need your help right now!” Ishara shouted the moment the call connected, without waiting for his greeting.
On the other end, Julian let out a lazy snort. “What is it this time, Ishara? Didn't you already cause a scene at the restaurant last night?”
“I don't care!” Ishara cut in sharply. “You said Drew and Alea got married because of an arranged marriage and didn't love each other?! Why are they suddenly so intimate now?!”
Julian sighed deeply on the other end of the phone. “Yes, it's true they were set up, and they've been married for three years.” Julian's breath escaped roughly. “Remember, you were the one who chose to leave Drew back then for your ambition, chasing Anton because you thought he was more financially secure. Now it's too late. Don't expect to get back into Drew's life.”
“I know I'm stupid! I'm stubborn! But please, Julian... for the sake of the three of us and our past, help me take him back from that woman.”
On the other end, Julian fell silent for a long time, weighing the risks before finally letting out a resigned sigh. “Fine... I'll help you this once. But get this straight: this is the last time I'm getting involved in your mess.”