Her Accidental Husband

Chapter 10 Claiming The Prize

The very moment the registrar stamped the final document, Lily felt a rush of excitement settle in her chest. She looked across at Adam, grateful that he was doing this for her. He had always been such a good friend to her; she owed him big time. Lily wondered how Leon would react to the news that she had married someone else, someone who was not her fiancé.

"Well then, huge congratulations to both of you. I hope you have a great life together." The registrar said warmly, sliding the important papers into a protective folder, before handing them to Adam and offering them a smile.

"Thank you so much, have a great day." Lily immediately spoke; she wanted to seem genuine, but she was convinced the registrar could hear the thumpity-thump of her heart in her chest.

Adam slipped his hand into Lily's, offering her a warm smile as if sensing her anxiety.

The registrar was already gone and greeting the next couple before Lily could say a word.

"Let's go then, Mrs." Adam grinned. He was still holding her hand as they walked out of the building, into the cold world.

"Congrats, guys. So happy for you both." Sadie exclaimed dramatically. She was waiting for them on the steps. She winked and threw a small bag of confetti over the newly married couple. Adam rolled his eyes and chuckled as he pulled Lily close to his chest, but Lily bit her lip and looked around, nerves eating away at her.

What if Leon were there?

What if he saw them?

She needed to claim that prize first, before Leon could stop her or get in the way. She clutched her handbag to her side and forced a smile as Adam lifted the folder. “Stamped and certified.”

Sadie squealed and practically tackled Lily into a hug.

“I am SO proud of you,” she whispered fiercely. “You did the bravest thing.”

Lily clung to her new friend for a moment longer than necessary. “Thank you." She had forgotten how nice it was to talk to another woman who had no connection to Leon.

"You are so welcome, and if you need anything, here is my number." Sadie insisted, shoving a card into Lily's hand. "I really need to get back to work now. See you later, love birds." She winked and hurried off into the busy streets.

Lily smiled shakily.

But inside her head, her thoughts were anything but steady.

Leon would lose his mind if he knew.

Not just because she had left — he always assumed she’d come crawling back after a day or two — but because she had done something he could never control, never predict.

Leon loved control more than he ever loved her.

And now she had taken that control away.

He’ll hate this.

He’ll hate that I’m gone. That I chose something else. Someone else. Freedom.

The thought should have terrified her. Instead, it sparked something new — pride.

Leon had always believed loyalty meant obedience.

That a ring meant possession.

That cheating was a privilege he deserved, while she was expected to forgive, stay quiet, and smile.

The memory of that message from Mia on his phone made her jaw clench.

He had acted like it was no big deal, like Lily should be OK with it. Just because she did not want to have s*x with him straight away, he had been OK with the idea at first, and now she knew why.

Well, he can sit with the consequences now.

The words hit Lily harder than she expected.

Mrs. Lawson.

A name Leon could never touch.

A name not tied to his anger, his entitlement, or his cheating.

"Hey, you OK?" Adam said, bringing Lily back to reality with a crash. She blinked a couple of times as she processed it all. Everything had happened so quickly; the last forty-eight hours had been crazy.

“You OK?” Adam asked again, his eyes full of concern as he pulled Lily to his chest. "Talk to me, hun."

Lily finally nodded, meeting his gaze before looking away again. "Yes, just a lot to take in, isn't it?" She forced a laugh as if convincing herself.

“Lily, you don’t belong to him.”

The words were simple.

Soft.

Blunt

Straight to the point.

Lily knew he was right; he had read her mind. How did he know what she was thinking? She was surprised by how his words grounded her, how she suddenly felt seen as a person, not a possession. Leon had never made Lily feel like she was a person with her own thoughts and feelings.

She inhaled a deep breath and then straightened her shoulders. "Let's go claim the prize, that is what we are here for after all, isn't it?"

Adam studied his new wife for a second. He could not deny the tremble in her fingers, even if she tried to hide it with a fake smile. He swallowed hard, knowing she was doing it for the prize, but really what he wanted was to kiss her there and then, show her off to the world so proudly. The street around them buzzed with daily life, the beep of cars in traffic, the chatter of passersby and a baby crying; it all faded out as Adam took both her hands into his.

“Lily,” Adam said gently, "We need to act like it’s real.”

Her pulse jumped. “Huh?" She looked as if she were a million miles away.

He gave her a patient but serious look. “If we’re going to claim this prize, we need to be believable. Married. In love. Confident about it. No nerves, no flinching every time someone says your new name.”

Lily’s cheeks warmed. “I’m not flinching.”

He raised one eyebrow. "You cannot lie to me, you forget we were friends for years, I know you."

She sighed. OK, I might be flinching a little. I am just getting used to it; it's happened fast." She glanced up as a bunch of people walked by, deep in their own conversations.

Adam stepped closer, gently prying her fingers loose from the death grip on her bag. “Hey. Look at me.”

She did. Hesitantly.

“Nothing bad is happening right now,” he said steadily. “No one is chasing you. No one is finding you. No one is dragging you back. You’re safe. With me. You will always be safe with me, I will look after you, OK?"

The words loosened something tight in her chest.

“And,” he added, brushing a stray hair from her cheek with the kind of casual familiarity newlyweds would have, “we make a good team. But if we’re going into that office and convincing anyone we’re happily married, you can’t look like you’re two seconds away from sprinting into oncoming traffic.”

Lily let out a startled laugh. “I’m not that bad.”

Adam tilted his head. “You kind of are.”

She pressed her lips together, amused despite herself. OKOKy,” she said. “Let’s do this.”

Adam’s eyes warmed. “There she is.”

He slipped his hand back into hers — but this time, Lily didn’t cling fearfully. She held it deliberately as a choice.

They walked toward the prize coordinator’s building, its glass doors reflecting the pale winter sun. With every step, Lily felt tension crawling up the back of her neck. Her heart wasn’t thumping anymore — it was hammering.

At the entrance, Adam tugged her gently to a stop.

“Last chance to breathe,” he murmured. “In or out?”

She forced her lungs to work. “In.”

“That’s my girl.”

Lily’s entire body jolted at the words — not because they were intimate, but because the last person who had ever called her his girl used it like a weapon.

They stepped inside, and the reception was bright, sleek and clean. A woman sitting behind the desk greeted them with a kind smile on her makeup-filled face.

“Hi! Welcome to the Lifestyle Experience Centre. How can I help you both today?”

Lily’s stomach dropped. Adam gave her a reassuring squeeze, and she immediately smiled.

"Hi, we are here to claim the prize, the villa experience." Lily croaked and prayed her thumping heart would return to normal sooner rather than later.

The receptionist’s eyes lit up. “Wonderful! Please take a seat. The Coordinator will call you in shortly.”

Lily and Adam had barely sat down before a tall woman with auburn hair appeared in front of them, her expression unreadable “Please follow me. We have… a few things to discuss.”

The way she said it made the hairs on Lily’s arms stand on end.

Was something wrong?