Her Fiancé Was Given To Me, I Married Him

Chapter 1

Smiling, I slipped into the 1.5-million-dollar wedding gown that had once belonged to Chloe Bennett and married Adrian Hale beneath the blessings of our guests and elders.

Once the guests had gone and only the two of us remained, Adrian looked at me guiltily.

"Claire, I'm sorry. If you fall in love with someone later, we can announce our divorce whenever you want.

"I'll make sure you're fairly compensated. Until then, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to play along and pretend we're a real couple."

Thanks to Chloe's constant "self-sacrifice", Adrian had been humiliated dozens of times. The Hale elders had long since lost patience with him.

If I hadn't stepped in, both Adrian and the Hale family would have become the laughingstock of the entire social circle that day.

I nodded with gracious composure.

"Don't worry, Adrian. Until Chloe comes back, I'll play the part of your wife well.

"And please don't blame her. She's only insecure. When she returns, I'll explain everything to her."

At the mention of Chloe abandoning the wedding, Adrian's face darkened. His expression softened slightly when he looked at me, and he transferred 3 million dollars into my account, telling me to buy whatever I wanted.

"If your parents hear anything from Chloe, let me know immediately."

I agreed sweetly. Then I turned to the flood of messages Chloe had sent me and deleted the entire conversation.

She thought I would do what I had always done—convince Adrian to go after her so the two of them could stage another romantic, globe-trotting reunion.

But I was Mrs. Hale now, legally and publicly. Did she really expect me to spit out the prize already in my mouth?

Not a chance.

Adrian walked me to my room. The moment I opened the door, I found my parents frantically calling Chloe. Their expressions grew awkward when they saw me.

"Claire, what happened today was just Chloe acting on impulse. She and Adrian grew up together. Their bond runs deep, and no one can replace her.

"We won't forget that you stepped in at the wedding today, but she doesn't owe you anything."