Obsession

2. The Stranger Husband

Alana’s POV

He made me sit on the bed.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly.

“Hm.” I nodded as he handed me a glass of water. I drank it in one go.

“Alana!” Stella’s voice reached my ears.

She rushed to me, and the moment she got close, I hugged her tightly, sobbing hard into her shoulder.

“I should go. Take care,” the guy said before leaving the room.

“Why did he do this to me? He was the one who proposed to me—then why?” I cried, my voice breaking.

“Alana, he was never ready. He only proposed because your mom wanted you both to get married,” Stella whispered.

“But still… he could’ve at least told me.” My sobs grew louder as the conversation continued…

---

It had been an hour since I’d been sitting there alone. Dad was still trying to contact him.

“Alana, he’s here!” Stella burst into the room, breathless.

“What? Are you serious?” I stared at her in disbelief. My heart raced. How could this happen so suddenly?

“Yes, he’s here. He apologized to everyone—said it was just a prank.”

I shot up and ran out, ignoring Stella’s warning to slow down. How could he prank us like this? On such a big day? Such a cheap joke!

I reached the hall and froze. He was sitting on a chair… with a mask covering his face. A mask? I sat down beside him, unease crawling over my skin.

“Have you lost your mind? What do you mean by prank? Is this a joke? And why are you wearing this mask?” I demanded.

He stayed silent. My stomach twisted. Something didn’t feel right. He simply handed me a folded paper.

I’m sorry. I’m not well. I have an infection. I couldn’t tell your parents, so I lied.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, though deep down, something still felt terribly wrong. Maybe I was just nervous…

---

The marriage was over. I smiled through the whole ceremony. I was now officially Mrs. Dan Richard.

“Alana, we’re going to miss you,” Mom said tearfully.

“Me too, Mom. You too, Dad,” I whispered, hugging them both tightly.

“Alana dear, we’ll miss you,” Mary Aunty added, pulling me into her arms.

“Me too,” I said, hugging her back.

Later, I found myself seated in his private jet—something I never even knew he had.

“Dan, why aren’t you saying anything?” I asked nervously. He was still wearing the mask.

“Shhh,” he hushed me, pressing a finger to my lips. The gesture was strange, unsettling, but I stayed quiet.

The journey passed in silence. Exhausted, I slipped into the bedroom on the plane and fell asleep.

---

When I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar place. We had reached… somewhere.

“Dan?” I called, stepping out of bed. I looked around, confused. There was no one. He lives alone, but still…

Voices caught my attention. I followed the sound and slowly pushed open a door.

And my heart sank.

It was the same man who had helped me earlier. He was hovering over a girl, kissing her neck. My body froze when I recognized her. Jannie… Dan’s sister? But she didn’t even live with him. What was she doing here?

Then my eyes shifted to the walls. They were covered with photographs—of him.

Confusion engulfed me. Quietly, I closed the door and backed away. My chest tightened. Where was Dan? And why had he left me alone on our wedding night?

I returned to the room I had woken up in. Nothing inside gave me any sense of Dan—it looked more like a guest room.

Unable to hold back, I returned to Jannie’s room and knocked. No answer. I pushed the door open. The room was empty.

“Jannie?” I called, stepping inside. Silence.

“What are you doing here?” a deep voice came from behind.

I spun around. The man from before stood there, water dripping from his hair, a towel wrapped around his waist.

“I… I’m sorry to disturb you. But can you tell me where Dan is?” I asked nervously.

“Sorry, who?” His tone was mocking.

“Dan,” I repeated, my throat tightening.

“Dan who?”

“My… my husband,” I stammered.

He laughed darkly. “Hahaha, your husband?” His face twisted into something unreadable, and my heart pounded faster.

“Yes, my husband. Why are you laughing?”

“Because he is not your husband. Did you forget? He sent you a letter saying he couldn’t come.” His words pierced me like ice.

“No… it was a prank. I married him. I was there,” I argued, though fear was curling inside me.

“Yes, it was a prank. But not by Dan—by your family.” He smirked as he slipped into his shirt.

I shook my head violently. “What are you saying? Stop talking in riddles! Please!” I almost shouted.

“Keep your voice down. This isn’t your house. It’s my house. And I’m your husband.”

I froze, his words echoing in my head. “W-what did you just say?”

“You heard me. Your so-called family pranked you—threw you into my arms for the sake of their precious respect.” His voice thundered, his anger burning hot against me.

“You’re lying,” I whispered.

“Oh, really? Let me show you.” He walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a coat and the mask.

“See? Isn’t this the same one?”

My legs gave way. I collapsed onto the bed, trembling. “How could they do this to me? How could they?” I muttered, broken.

“I’m tired. I need to rest. Get out,” he said coldly.

I looked at him with tears burning my eyes. “Who are you?”

“What?”

“Who are you? Why did they replace Dan with you? How do they even know you?”

“I’m Chris. Chris Salvatore. Son of Ronnie and Mary Salvatore.”

My head spun. Mom and Dad always wanted me to marry him. They loved him dearly. Was this… was this all their plan?

“If your little interrogation is over, then go,” he said sharply.

“Not yet! I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. So why did you agree to marry me?”

He went silent.

“Speak up!” I screamed.

“Don’t raise your voice,” he growled.

“I know why! Because you love someone else. I saw you kissing her!” I snapped, my voice trembling.

He glared at me. “Yes, I had my reasons. And listen to me carefully—I married you because I was forced. But that doesn’t mean you are my wife. You will never be my wife. I love someone else. There will never be anything between us. We’ll live under one roof, but as strangers. Do you understand?”

His words shattered me.

“You shouldn’t have married me then,” I whispered.

“I told you—I had reasons. I’m not interested in you.”

“For your stupid reasons, you ruined my life?” I screamed again.

In an instant, he grabbed my wrist, yanking me harshly toward him. His nails dug deep into my skin.

“I said don’t raise your voice to me,” he growled.

“Leave me, you’re hurting me!” I cried.

“As if I care.” He shoved me away. I stumbled and fell on the bed, tears spilling down my face.

“Now get out,” he ordered coldly.

Without another word, I left the room, my heart breaking into a thousand pieces.

I will never forgive you, Mom. I will never forgive you, Dad.