My Husband is a Stranger! (English Version)

Chapter Eight: The Marriage Proposal

"Marriage?!" Lyndsay almost choked on her own breath. Just moments ago, she had told herself that having a baby was enough to make her life complete. She didn’t need a man by her side, especially given the deep trauma from her past.

Lyndsay was the product of a broken family. A third party had been the root of her parents' separation. It was a trauma she carried deeply, having witnessed her mother cry almost every day out of self-pity and sorrow.

Then came Marcus, her first boyfriend. As a teenager, she had dreamed of a fairy-tale love story, and she truly believed Marcus was "the one." Who would have thought he would betray her too, despite the love he had shown and made her feel?

Men, she concluded, were natural-born pretenders. During that time, she felt incredibly cursed when it came to the men she loved.

At first, she thought he was the answer to all her loneliness, only to find out he had gotten another woman pregnant; in short, he had looked elsewhere because he wasn't satisfied with her. Marcus was 25 then, while she was only 19.

Since then, she never loved sincerely again. She entered various relationships but never took them seriously and never felt love for a man again. Well... she tried, but whenever things reached a point of intimacy, she would instinctively pull away. She couldn't bring herself to surrender her body to a man.

"Yes, marriage!" said the handsome man to whom she had surrendered her virtue.

They were now in the small apartment she shared with Clarisse. She stared seriously at the stranger, her brow furrowed.

"You’re offering me marriage when I don't even know who you really are!" she said sarcastically, with a mocking smile.

"Is that all? I’m Tristan Jacob Leviste. Now you know my name."

"And do you really think it’s that simple? We don't even know if we can stick together... I don't know you. For all I know, you could be a bad person!" Lyndsay said firmly, her eyes fixed sharply on the man in front of her.

She had been trying to convince him for a while now that they couldn't live together. It was exhausting explaining it to him. What did he think of marriage—something easy to enter and just as easy to leave?

Yes, even before their child was born, they were technically committed. Even if she wanted to deny that this "Tristan" was the father, it was impossible now. Thanks to Clarisse's big mouth, she was sure the news had been broadcast like a newspaper; Clarisse had likely narrated everything from the very beginning to the latest update on her pregnancy to the man.

At first, she intended to deny it, but he had mentioned several times that he had hired a private investigator to look into everything about her. Well, congratulations to this Mr. Leviste for successfully finding her!

But instead of refusing his offer, shouldn't she just accept it, so her child could have a complete family?

"Mr. Leviste... we can't get married. We both know that what happened between us was just a one-night stand, and we don't love each other!" She was practically stuttering now. Congratulations to her again, as she managed to say that despite her heart hammering against her chest, betraying her every second.

"We don't have to love each other, Lyndsay. What matters to me is giving my child a complete family!"

"Ahem..." Clarisse interrupted, her eyes darting between the two of them. Neither had noticed her presence, even though Lyndsay had been straining her neck trying to explain why they couldn't be together.

"Excuse me... I'm going out for a bit. I can't handle the two of you anymore. But here's a reminder for you, Tristan: my friend isn't allowed to be stressed. You heard what the doctor said, right?!"

With that, Clarisse left the apartment. From a distance, Lyndsay could see her already talking to the guard outside. My goodness, this friend of mine would even flirt with the guard, she whispered to herself.

"Tristan, I really can't see where you're coming from. Look... as I was saying, you have no responsibility to me or my baby. You don't need to take care of me because I can manage! I’m used to living in this world on my own. All I need now is my baby, not a man like you! I don't need to depend on you for this child's future!"

"But I insist. This baby wouldn't exist without me, so why are you acting like this child is yours alone?" Tristan’s face darkened.

"And what about me? If I marry you, and then what? What if I reach a point where I want to marry someone else? I’ll be tied to you, is that it?!" Her hands were sweating from the constant arguing. This man was becoming truly infuriating.

Suddenly, Tristan approached her chair. It was too late to move away; before she could speak again, his lips were pressed against hers.

It was a passionate kiss filled with desire. As a woman, she could feel that Tristan wanted more. She felt his hand move gently to the back of her neck to deepen the kiss. She could smell his minty breath and the scent of his alluring perfume.

When Tristan finally let her go, both were breathless.

"I always get what I want, Lyndsay. I won't allow you to marry anyone else!"

With that, Tristan walked out of the apartment, leaving her staring blankly into space.