He Sent Me To Marry Another, Then He Regretted

The second those words left his mouth, my whole body went cold. But Hilbert Ford kept moving like nothing had happened. Pleasure crashed through me, tangled with the icy numbness spreading inside my chest. None of it felt real. Breathing hard against my neck, he spoke in that casual tone of his, "The Hayes family already made up their minds. They're dead set on marrying Mandy off. The guy's powerful, connected, and our families do business together. There's no way I can stop it." I froze and tightened my grip on the small box hidden beneath the pillow. Inside was a ring I made by hand. Today was Hilbert's birthday. I was supposed to give it to him tonight. Suddenly, he sped up, rougher than before. I never liked it when he got like this. Every time, he'd promise to be gentler next time. But he never changed. A few moments later, Hilbert finished inside me. "Relax," he said lazily as he brushed my cheek. "A guy like Mr. Ward has ridiculously high standards. There's no way he'd fall for an ordinary girl like you." He tilted his head and looked at me. "You'll just marry him in Mandy's place for a while. That's it. Once Mandy finally gives up and realizes who's really good to her, I'll bring you back." My mind went completely blank. The day I feared the most had finally come. Everyone in our circle knew how I went from an orphan nobody wanted to the girl spoiled rotten by Hilbert. And it all started because of one fight five years ago. Back then, Mandy Hayes smashed every gift Hilbert had ever given her and screamed at him without thinking. "Hilbert, you seriously think you're the only man in the world? I could grab any random guy off the street, and he'd still be better than you." Hilbert completely lost it. Out of spite, he went to an orphanage and brought a random girl home. That girl happened to be me. I was lucky enough to be chosen. Hilbert gave me the best of everything. Things he never had the patience to do for Mandy, but he did for me instead. Mandy liked piano, so he hired the best teachers and made sure I learned even faster and better than she did. If Mandy wanted a limited edition designer bag, he'd buy two. One for me, and one he'd throw away right in front of her. When Mandy talked about wanting to travel around Euravia, he immediately took me instead. He even posted our pictures online with the caption, "With the most important person in my life." Everyone said Hilbert had stopped pretending a long time ago. That somewhere along the line, he actually fell for me. Eventually, even I believed it. Like an i***t, I handed him my whole heart. Three years ago, Hilbert offended the wrong people during a business deal. Someone kidn*pped him in retaliation. I took a stab for him without even thinking. I stayed unconscious for three days after emergency surgery. Back then, Hilbert never left my hospital room. With bloodshot eyes, he held my hand and promised, "Vicky, I'll never let you get hurt again." After that, something between us slowly changed. Hilbert stopped treating me well just to piss Mandy off. For the first time, his kindness toward me felt real. He started talking about our future, about how we'd stay together forever. And I believed every single word. But at this moment, I finally realized the truth. He never loved me. Not even once. The whole thing was an act, and I was stupid enough to mistake it for real feelings. "I'll do it..." Tears streamed down my face as I nodded. Only then did Hilbert finally relax. "Don't cry. I promise I'll bring you back." I didn't answer. I stumbled into the bathroom, barely able to breathe. The second the door closed, I collapsed onto the floor, hugging my knees as silent sobs tore through me. The ring under the pillow would never be given to him now.