Five Years as His Secret Lover

Chapter 2 The Man I Chose

He froze for a moment, unsure whether he was surprised by how easily I accepted it or shocked by the man I had chosen.

"Are you sure?"

When I nodded, Adrian irritably spun the ring on his thumb. "He'll be back in the country in five days. I'll introduce you then. He's not interested in women, so whether you can catch his attention depends entirely on you."

Before I could get out of the car, he added, "If he doesn't want you, I wouldn't mind saving you a spot at Vermilion Tower. After all, we've always gotten along well in that department."

Vermilion Tower was Adrian's other home. For five years, we had spent countless unforgettable nights there. But from now on, I would never set foot inside it again.

"Thank you," I said, bowing to him before getting out of the car. It was partly a gesture of gratitude for the five years he had taken care of me, and partly a farewell to the feelings I had carried all that time.

"And this… p-p-please thank her… for me."

I folded Vivian's coat neatly and placed it beside him, then turned and walked away without looking back. As he watched my thin figure disappear into the falling snow, a strange bitterness stirred in Adrian's chest.

"Lucia…" he called through the car window.

'Don't turn back. Never turn back.'

I dug my nails into my arm and forced my legs forward, walking toward the life that belonged to me.

Back at the tiny apartment, Tessa Cole was wearing a sheet mask and scolding me. "Are you stupid? You stayed with him for five years and you're just letting him go like that?"

"H-he… d-doesn't like me," I mumbled.

Tessa and I were both survivors from that kidnapper's hideout. Helping Adrian escape hadn't just left me with a stutter; it had also cost Tessa one of her ears. No matter what I did, I could never repay that debt. But Tessa had always been carefree about it. "What's the big deal about losing an ear?" she would say. "I'm obviously some long-lost heiress from a wealthy family. One day I'll inherit billions. When that happens, I'll just get a prosthetic ear and nobody will ever know the difference."

In the past five years, aside from Adrian, she had been the only person I could call family. Looking at me crying like a mess, she shook her head in frustration. "I'm talking about the breakup money. You're not seriously trying to act noble again, are you? We can't even afford next month's rent. Useless. Come on. I'll help you get it."

That night, Harborfell Night Bar was packed. Tessa and I were quickly separated by the crowd, and I accidentally wandered into a private party area. That was when I saw him, a man so beautiful he could almost be called dangerous.

"Want to play a game?" he asked. Before I could refuse, someone pulled me inside the group. The man smiled faintly and held out his hand. "Your ID." The dimple at the corner of his mouth made me feel hypnotized. Without thinking, I handed it over.

"Are both of you participating voluntarily?" the staff member asked.

"Yes," the man answered immediately. Under the staff's watchful gaze, I nodded too.

"Congratulations! Today is the first day we've moved the Civil Registry into the bar. You two are our very first couple. Please take a photo over here."

The man turned to me politely. "Is that alright?"

"I—" Before I could finish, he gently took my hand and guided me toward the camera, placing an arm around my shoulder with perfect courtesy. "Relax."

Click.

The camera captured my completely bewildered expression. It was only when I held the red marriage certificate in my hands that I realized what had happened. I had somehow married a complete stranger.

Just as I was wondering how to explain this absurd situation, I looked up and saw Adrian standing on the second floor. His dark expression looked as if he wanted to burn holes straight through me. Seeing me laughing and chatting with another man, he nearly crushed the glass in his hand.

"Lucia." His voice was full of fury. "How dare you!"