Objection Your Honor, That’s My Husband

First Secret Between Us

Briar

The room was filled with people I did not know, and cameras I did not ask for.

My hands remained folded in front of me as I stood beneath the bright lights, wearing a dress that had been chosen for a woman I was pretending to be.

Everything about the day felt unfamiliar.

The dress was beautiful. Anyone looking at me would have seen a bride dressed perfectly for a wedding ceremony. The expensive fabric, the careful makeup, and the carefully arranged hairstyle made me look like someone who belonged in this world.

But I did not feel like that person.

This was not the kind of wedding I had dreamed about. There was no moment where I looked across the room and saw the man I wanted to spend my life with.

My fingers moved slightly against each other, and I forced myself to stop fidgeting. I could not let anyone see how uncomfortable I was. The cameras were everywhere. Every movement mattered and every expression would be analyzed. While my smile would become proof that Norman Jacques and Briar Shaw were a happily married couple. That was the story everyone needed to believe.

“Ready?” the wedding coordinator whispered.

I looked toward the front of the room. Norman stood there waiting. For a second, I forgot about the cameras.Because he looked just as uncomfortable as I felt.

He wore a black suit that fit him perfectly, but his expression remained serious. His shoulders were tense, and his eyes moved across the room carefully, taking in every person watching him.

The music began and I walked forward slowly. When I finally reached Norman, he extended his hand toward meand I placed mine in his.

His fingers gently closed around mine. The touch was careful and controlled, exactly like everything else about him.

The officiant began speaking. “Do you, Briar Shaw, take Norman Jacques to be your husband?”

The room became completely silent. Every person was watching me. The cameras were recording and waiting for the moment they would see.

I looked at Norman.

His expression remained unchanged. There was no emotion I could read. My own expression remained just as controlled. This was an agreement and nothing more.

“I do.”

My voice came out steady.

To everyone watching, it would appear that I was a woman happily accepting the man she loved.

The officiant turned toward Norman. “And do you, Norman Jacques, take Briar Shaw to be your wife?”

“Yes.”

His hand tightened around mine for only a brief moment.My eyes lowered to our joined hands. Why had he done that?

The agreement between us was clear. This was a business arrangement and we were supposed to maintain a professional relationship and nothing more.

There was no reason for such a simple gesture to affect me. Yet my body reacted before my thoughts could catch up.

A strange feeling moved through my chest, and I immediately forced myself to ignore it.

After the ceremony ended, the photographs continued much longer than I expected. Norman stood beside me while photographers and staff members directed our every move.

“Stand closer.”

“Smile.”

“Hold hands.”

Each instruction reminded me that this marriage was not just between the two of us. It was a performance for everyone watching. The public wanted a perfect imageand the media wanted a story. And we were giving them exactly what they wanted.

By the time we finally arrived at Norman’s penthouse that evening, exhaustion had taken over my entire body.

The building itself made me feel out of place. Everything around me was larger, quieter, and more luxurious than anything I had ever known.

The entrance was spotless. The furniture looked expensive enough that I was afraid to touch it. The entire place carried the feeling of a world I had never belonged to.

“This is my home now,” I thought. At least for the duration of the contract. And for the next year, I was only a guest living inside it.

“Wow.”

Poppy’s voice immediately pulled me away from my thoughts. She stood in the middle of the living room, looking around with wide eyes. “Is this where we live now?”

I smiled.

“Yes, sweetheart.”

Her excitement immediately returned. Then she noticed Norman. He was standing near the doorway, watching us quietly.

For the first time since I had met him, I saw something I never expected to see.

Uncertainty.

The man who always appeared calm and in control suddenly looked like he had no idea what he was supposed to do next.

Poppy did not notice his hesitation. She did not care about the cameras and didn’t understand the contract between us. She only saw someone new. Someone who was now part of her life.

She walked toward him without hesitation. “Do you like cartoons?”

Norman blinked.

“What?”

Poppy grabbed the sleeve of his shirt. “Come watch cartoons with me. Please?”

I watched his expression change as he looked at me. For a moment, it almost seemed like he was silently asking me for help.

I had to stop myself from smiling.

The famous Norman Jacques. The man people respected and feared. Yet a little girl asking him to watch cartoons had completely left him unsure.

“Poppy,” I said gently. “You should let him settle in first.”

“No,” she replied immediately.

Her small hands remained wrapped around his sleeve.“He’s family now.”

My heart tightened. The word carried a meaning she was too young to fully understand.

Norman looked at her for several seconds. I expected him to refuse. Instead, something unexpected happened.He sat down on the couch. “Alright, kid.”

Poppy’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

“Yes.” He adjusted himself on the couch and looked at the television. “Show me what we’re watching.”

I stood near the doorway and watched them quietly. I expected him to look uncomfortable. But he did not.

He listened carefully as she explained every part of the cartoon and answered every question she asked. He even allowed a small smile to appear when she laughed at something happening on the screen.

Then Poppy climbed onto his lap without hesitation and Norman froze. His entire body became still for a brief moment. I could tell he had not expected it. But instead of moving her away, he carefully placed one arm around her and allowed her to stay there.

My chest tightened. I did not expect that reaction from him. I quietly stepped away before they noticed me watching.

Later that night, sleep refused to come. The room was unfamiliar and the bed was larger than anything I had ever owned.

The silence around me felt strange as I turned from one side to the other, unable to relax.

Eventually, I stopped trying. I got out of bed and walked toward the kitchen to get some water. That was when I heard a voice.

I stopped immediately.

It was Norman. He was standing near the living room window with his back facing me and phone pressed against his ear. His voice was low and serious.

I knew I should walk away. Listening to a private conversation was wrong. I understood that. But something about his tone made my feet stop moving.

There was tension in his voice. A kind of anger I had never heard from him before.

“No, listen to me.”

I remained still. My hand rested against the edge of the hallway wall as I tried not to make any sound.

Who was he talking to and why did he sound so different?

“I said this needs to stay buried.”

My eyebrows slowly pulled together.

What was he talking about?

A strange feeling settled inside me as my heart began beating faster.

Then he spoke again. And the moment I heard his next words, my entire body froze. “No one can ever find out what really happened that night,” he said. “Do you understand me? No one.”

I stopped breathing for a moment. The room suddenly felt too quiet.

My fingers tightened against the wall as I stayed where I was.

What was he hiding?