THE ENEMY’S BRIDE

Chapter 5

Katherine’s POV

I locked eyes with the man standing before me, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. His mouth was slightly ajar, his expression a mix of shock and confusion, as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Kate...Katherine, you're alive?" he stammered, his voice laced with incredulity.

My eyes narrowed as I gazed at my ex-husband, Nathan. He looked every inch the successful, put-together man he'd always been, while I stood before him, a shadow of my former self. The contrast was stark, and it only fueled my anger.

"Why do you think I'd be dead?" I spat, my voice venomous. I was clinging to my self-control, fighting the urge to lunge at him and demand answers for everything he'd done to me.

“Katherine?” The bike dude’s voice was soft, but it still made Nathan sigh, a sign that he was finally snapping out of his shock. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to steady my breath, my heart racing in my chest.

“Is that your name?” he asked again, as if trying to process the fact that I was standing there.

I didn’t answer. I kept my eyes shut for a moment longer, gathering the strength to face him. When I opened them again, I stared at Nathan. His eyes darted away quickly, shifting nervously. He couldn’t look at me. He was embarrassed, and I felt a small, bitter satisfaction in that.

“Why didn’t you look for me?” The words slipped out before I could stop them, and even I was surprised by my own question. I already knew the answer, didn’t I? He didn’t care. But there was something in me—something foolish—that still hoped for an apology, for him to beg for my forgiveness and tell me that he was wrong, that he made a mistake. I wanted to hear that he was sorry, that he wanted me back.

But my hope crumbled in an instant.

The car door opened. A woman stepped out, coughing lightly as she adjusted her hair. She didn’t even glance at me or the bike guy. She walked straight toward Nathan, concern etched on her face.

“Baby, what happened?” she asked, her voice sweet and full of care, her eyes locked onto Nathan, completely ignoring the rest of us.

Nathan, still staring at me with that same distant look, gave a half-hearted response. “Uhm, I didn’t see where I was going,” he muttered, his gaze still lingering on me.

The woman paused, noticing his distracted state. She turned to look at me, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took me in. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice sharp as she sized me up, eyeing me like I didn’t belong there.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I glanced between the two of them. How could he? How could he steal everything from me—my life, my love—and then move on so quickly? It had only been a few weeks, and here he was with this woman, as if nothing ever happened.

The audacity. The nerve of him.

I was still alive, standing here, and I wasn’t going to let him think for a second that he had won.

“Baby, who is she?” the woman asked Nathan, her fingers tightly gripping his hand.

I couldn’t help but notice the way she clung to him, as if marking her territory, as if she had the right to do so. My gaze dropped to their joined hands, and something twisted in my chest. But Nathan… he started shifting, moving slightly away from her, almost as if he couldn’t stand the contact anymore, or maybe he felt ashamed.

“She’s a stranger. I almost hit her with my car,” he said, his voice distant, cold, and matter-of-fact, as if he couldn’t even acknowledge me as his ex-wife. The words stung more than I wanted to admit. He didn’t even care enough to recognize me. Just a stranger.

I stared at him for a long moment, and in that silence, the woman turned her attention to me.

“Hey, you stupid b***h, can’t you see a car was coming in front of you? Why didn’t you move?” she yelled at me, her voice sharp and filled with rage. Her words hit me like a slap across the face, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me react. My fists clenched at my sides, my nails digging into my palms as I tried to keep my composure. I wasn’t going to stoop to her level.

Nathan, of course, seemed more concerned about her than me. He stepped in, trying to calm her down, his voice low and apologetic.

The woman’s words echoed in my mind, louder than the silence between us. The nerve of her—of them both. I had been someone to Nathan once, someone he promised to love, to cherish. And now, I was just a “stranger” who had almost gotten in the way of his perfect little life.

I swallowed hard, refusing to let the tears burn behind my eyes. They weren’t worth it.

I felt a slight poke at my back.

“Katherine, can we go back to our conversation?” The biker dude’s voice came from behind me, laced with a mocking tone. But I wasn’t interested in his taunts. Not now. Not when everything in me was boiling over from the sight of Nathan and his new life.

A frown slowly crept onto Nathan’s face as he glanced at the biker dude, then back at me. “Who is he?” he asked, his tone sharp and full of misplaced arrogance. Like he had any right to question me.

“Who is he?” I repeated, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. I couldn’t help but scoff. “After everything you did to me, you’re asking who he is?” My voice was rising, each word cutting deeper into the thick air between us. “You almost cost me my life!” I shouted, my chest heaving with the force of it. Silence fell over the group, and I could feel all eyes on me. Good. They should be listening. They needed to hear it.

“You betrayed me, Nathan!” I yelled, my voice cracking with raw emotion. “And that betrayal… it led to the death of our baby!” I could feel the heat of unshed tears burning behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of him. Not now.

The woman, Samantha, frowned deeply and looked from me to Nathan, confusion—and maybe jealousy—written all over her face. “Baby, huh?” she muttered, her voice tinged with suspicion. “Who is she? And what baby?” She yanked at Nathan’s hand, dragging him closer to her, as if trying to assert her place in the situation.

Nathan, still trying to play the calm, collected one, sighed and glanced at her. “Calm down, Samantha,” he said, his voice more tired than anything, trying to quiet her like she was just some inconvenience.

But I wasn’t done.

“You used me,” I said through gritted teeth, my voice shaking with fury. “You stole everything I had—every single property I owned. You turned my love for you into some sick joke. And worst of all… you killed my first baby, Nathan. Our baby. Then you have the audacity to show up in front of me with another pawn for you to use?”

My voice echoed in the tense silence, heavy with pain and anger.

The Samantha girl suddenly screamed, “Enough! How dare you talk about my fiancé like that?”

I turned my eyes on her, fire burning in my chest. “Oh, fiancé, huh?” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “So you’re marrying him? Wow. I wonder what you have to offer him. Money, I assume?” I tilted my head, watching her confusion grow. “He only looks for rich women to prey on. That’s all he ever does.”

Nathan’s face twisted in anger, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. I had held all this in for too long.

“He always targets women who are too kind, too trusting, and—most importantly—too wealthy,” I said, staring straight at Samantha. “He drains them. Destroys them. Leaves them with nothing but broken pieces.”

“That’s enough now, Kate,” Nathan snapped, his jaw clenched.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” I shouted, pointing my finger at him. My hands were trembling, my heart pounding so loud I could barely hear myself think. “I swear to God, Nathan, I will rip your tongue out if you try to silence me again!” The rage pouring out of me shocked even me—I didn’t know I had this side in me. But it felt good. Powerful. Righteous.

“Woah, calm down, tigress,” the biker dude said from behind me, half amused, like he was watching some twisted reality show.

I spun slightly toward him but didn’t stop. “No! Don’t tell me to calm down!” I shouted. I turned back to Nathan, my voice shaking with intensity. “This man is a fraudster. A liar. A monster. He ruins everything—everyone—he comes close to! He’ll destroy you,” I said, pointing at Samantha now. “Just like he destroyed me.”

And then suddenly, Samantha screamed.

“Enough, okay?! Nathan isn’t like that! You’ve got the wrong guy!” Samantha screamed at me, her voice shaking. “He loves me, okay? You don’t know what he’s been through. You don’t know him like I do!”

I let out a dry laugh, unable to help myself.

“Oh really?” I said, folding my arms. “Let me guess… he told you he was an orphan, that he has no one in this world. That you made him feel special. That you’re his peace, his happy place, right?”

As I spoke, I watched her expression change. Her face fell, lips parting slightly in disbelief. She slowly removed her hand from his, and for the first time, Nathan looked genuinely nervous.

“Don’t listen to her, baby. She’s lying. I don’t even know her,” he said quickly, stepping closer to Samantha, but his eyes were locked on me—full of fury. “Will you shut up with your nonsense, huh?” he yelled.

“Nonsense?” I repeated, shaking my head. “I’m telling nothing but the truth. You’re a lying bastard, Nathan. You have no shame, no integrity. You’ll say anything to get what you want—then leave when there’s nothing left.”

That was when he snapped.

“Hey!” Nathan charged at me like a storm, his hand flying up, ready to slap me. I didn’t flinch, didn’t move—I stood frozen in place.

But just before his hand could reach my face, it stopped mid-air.

The biker dude had caught his wrist.

“How dare you try to hit my wife in front of me?” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. Without warning, he threw a solid punch into Nathan’s jaw, knocking him off balance. Nathan stumbled backward and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

I gasped, flinching slightly. Instinctively, I took a step forward, about to go help him… I didn’t even realize what I was doing. Old habits, maybe.

But the biker dude grabbed my hand and shook his head. “Don’t,” he said gently, then firmly pulled me away.

“Nathan, stand up!” Samantha shrieked, rushing to him and trying to shake him awake.

“You both will pay for this!” she screamed after us as the biker dude led me away, our footsteps quickening.

I didn’t look back.

We pulled up in front of a massive mansion, and my eyes went wide in shock. The place looked like something out of a movie—tall iron gates, perfectly trimmed gardens, and a house so big I couldn’t even see where it ended.

“Get in,” the biker dude said casually, nodding toward the front door.

I didn’t think twice. I followed him inside, too stunned to say anything.

“You should go wash up,” he said as he led me through the spacious hallway. “Then we can talk.”

His voice was calm, soft even, like he hadn’t just punched a man out cold or been taunting me hours ago. He was being so nice, so… different, that I almost forgot he was the same guy who’d been sarcastic and rude earlier. Almost.

A few minutes later, I stepped out of the bathroom, fresh from a warm shower. I had found some clothes folded neatly on the bed. I slipped into the oversized black shirt that fell just above my knees. There were no pants, but I was grateful for the shirt—it covered enough.

As I made my way downstairs, I saw him lounging in the living room. His eyes immediately locked on me, slowly scanning my body from head to toe. Then, he licked his lips.

My body tensed.

“You look a lot better,” he said with a smirk, walking toward me. I stood there, frozen, unsure of what to expect next.

Then he handed me a stack of papers.

“Here. Sign this.”

I blinked in confusion as I took the documents from him. “What is this?” I asked, flipping through the pages.

“A marriage certificate,” he said casually. “Well… more like a contract marriage.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“I need you to be my wife. Just for two years,” he continued, his tone calm like he was asking me to water a plant. “After that, we get a divorce. No drama. You can ask for anything—money, property, a business—you name it, and it’s yours.”

I stared at him, unsure if I was supposed to laugh, run, or slap him.

Was this guy actually serious?

He stepped closer, too close. I could feel his breath on my face now. “So?” he asked, his voice low. “Are you in?”

I swallowed hard.

This day just kept getting crazier.