Her Accidental Husband

Chapter 7 The Terms

Lily sat on the edge of the cracked motel bed. Relief flooded over her as she allowed herself to lie back and stare at the stained ceiling, probably from a leak in the upstairs room. Turning to her side, Lily bit her lip and thought about how her life had changed so quickly. Leon had been the love of her life, or so she had thought. The message from Mia had thrown her; she had barely had time to process it all. The sudden buzz of her phone pulled her from those thoughts. She wrinkled her nose, and a faint line creased her brow.

Message after message.

Leon's name flashed up on the screen, causing her to roll her eyes in irritation.

She refused to go back there, to him. He had messed up, ruined everything that they had planned, all for what? A quick fumble with his slutty assistant? And, her own mother thought it was salvageable, that Lily would roll over and let Leon disrespect her like that? Lily could not make any sense of it; she knew she deserved better than that, even if her own family disagreed.

The screen lit up again.

"You better not humiliate me further, if the press gets hold of this, it will ruin my reputation as CEO!"

Lily swallowed hard, her fingers trembled, and she could feel her heart pounding as doubts started to creep in.

Then came another message.

“Lily, you’re being childish. Think of the family, the wedding, the embarrassment. This isn’t how a lady behaves.”

Then, Leon’s sister chimed in, her tone just as cold:

“Stop this nonsense. You’re making everyone look bad. Please, just come back.”

Lily dug her nails into her palms and licked her lips, her throat dry as she threw the phone across the bed, not caring when it landed on the floor with a thud. She grabbed her bottle of water and downed it, trying to calm herself.

She refused to let their voices get to her, to brainwash her into forgiving Leon. How long had it been going on? he couldn't really love Lily if he was sleeping with Mia and goodness knows who. Lily's chest tightened as she thought about how she had planned to celebrate their wedding night together by entirely giving herself to Leon, letting him take her virginity and proving her love to him. She could already feel the tears pooling behind her eyes, but she refused to let them come. Leon did not deserve her tears; he did not deserve her love; he earned nothing.

The next thing Lily knew was the sunlight streaming through the slightly open window, and she was pulling herself up into a sitting position. She blinked a few times before she realised where she was.

"I must have fallen asleep," she mumbled to herself as she rubbed her eyes and stretched out her body, still wearing yesterday's clothes. Lily reached for her phone, still on the floor where it had fallen the day before. She frowned when she saw the battery was almost dead, but froze at the message staring back at her.

"Let's meet for breakfast and discuss the wedding. I will pick you up.”

Adam.

It all came flooding back to her, the lottery villa win and having to be married to claim it. Lily took a deep breath and nodded to herself.

She cleared the other notifications, refusing to open the 220 messages that were sitting in her inbox, probably all from Leon and his family telling her what a silly girl she was.

"We will see who is laughing in the end," she vowed as she brushed her hair and changed into a pair of leggings and a stripey top. Lily stared at herself in the mirror and smiled. This was the beginning of her new life and finding herself again.

Slipping into her coat, Lily grabbed her phone and walked out of her damp, rundown motel room. She could tell it had been raining during the night, despite the bright rays of sunlight that immediately hit her the second she stepped outside.

"Lily, over here." Someone from across the street shouted from a car window.

Adam.

Lily's heart pounded at the sight of him.

She pushed that thought away and walked over to him. He instantly jumped out and opened the car door.

Adam offered a small, reassuring smile. “Hey, you."

Lily forced a smile back, feeling the knot of anxiety in her stomach loosen just a fraction. “Hey. Let's get out of here." She quickly got in the car and buckled up, watching as Adam rushed back around to the driver's side. It was starting to rain. Lily watched the passing blur, she suddenly felt a hand on hers. Adam.

"Lily, you okay? Do you need to go back to the hospital?" He caught her eyes, the worry evident and Lily was about to say something when her phone buzzed again.

She already knew the familiar dread that accompanied every notification.

Another buzz.

She finally glanced down.

Her mother had messaged.

Lily, please come home. We just want to understand. You don’t have to handle this alone.

Lily’s chest tightened. For a moment, her thumb hovered over the screen, an instinctive urge to explain herself rising… then fading.

She locked the phone without replying.

Adam glanced toward it but didn’t pry. Instead, he cleared his throat and shifted the topic.

“Okay, about the villa situation—since that’s what dragged you into this mess with me—there are some things we need to sort.”

Lily let out a breath, half a laugh, half a sigh. “Right. The big, shiny villa I won but can’t claim without a husband.”

“It’s ridiculous,” Adam agreed, smirking. “But the terms are the terms. And if we’re going to pull off this marriage thing, we need paperwork ready.” He glanced in the rearview mirror before turning left off the main road and pulling up outside a small cafe.

“The deadline for claiming the property is in a month. The marriage has to happen before that, or I lose it.”

Her heartbeat picked up. One month. One month to get married. Fake married… to a man that was not the person she had planned to marry. The idea was dizzying, almost laughable — except nothing in her life felt funny right now.

"That is correct." Adam smiled, deep down he was screaming with joy and excitement.

“What about people asking questions?” Lily suddenly asked. “What if Leon finds out? His family will freak.”

Adam leaned back, confident. “We stick to one story. We married privately. No drama, no announcements. People elope all the time. If anyone tries to stir trouble,” he added with a faint smirk, “they’ll look unreasonable, not you.”

Her phone buzzed again. She glanced down, expecting her mother — but instead:

Leon:

This isn’t over.

Lily felt a cold sting creep up her spine. She turned the phone face-down on the table.

Adam watched her carefully. “Let me guess… your ex?”

Lily nodded once.

“You don’t have to face any of that alone anymore,” Adam said. “We don't have to do this? You know, if you would rather not."

Something in his tone — steady, certain — made her inhale a little easier.

“No, I want to, I need this. Let’s do it.”