The Subtitute Bride

Chapter 13: Real Honeymoon, Real Husband

"Where are we going?" Kaela asked, blindfolded in the backseat of Rhys's private car.

"You'll see," Rhys said, holding her hand. He was driving himself this time, no driver.

"You kidn*pped me! After I confessed! This is illegal!" Kaela said, but she was smiling under the blindfold.

"I kidn*pped my own wife. That's not illegal. That's called a honeymoon," Rhys said.

"Honeymoon? But our contract—"

"There is no contract anymore, Kaela. I tore it last night after you fell asleep on the sofa," he said casually.

Kaela gasped and tried to remove her blindfold. "You tore it?!"

"Don't remove it yet," Rhys said, stopping her hand. "We're almost there."

The car stopped. Rhys went out and carried Kaela bridal style, still blindfolded. Kaela screamed and clutched his neck.

"Rhys! Put me down! I can walk!"

"I know you can. But I want to carry you. First time I carried you at our wedding, you were too stiff. Now you are my real wife. I want to do it properly," he whispered near her ear.

He put her down gently. "Okay, you can open now."

Kaela removed her blindfold.

They were in front of a private beach house. White sand, blue sea, sunset. No people. Just one beautiful house with lights on.

"Welcome to our real honeymoon, Mrs. Anderson," Rhys said from behind her.

Kaela's eyes filled with tears. "You... you prepared this?"

"I bought this house 2 years ago. I never brought anyone here. Not even Grandma. I was waiting," he said, holding her from behind.

"Waiting for what?"

"For my real bride. The one who wore sneakers to her own wedding," he said, kissing her temple.

Inside the house, there were rose petals on the bed. And on the bedside table, there was a small velvet box.

Kaela picked it up. Inside was a new ring. Not the old contract diamond ring that was too big and flashy. This one was simple, small, but with a heart-shaped diamond.

"Rhys..."

"The old ring was part of the contract. That was $2 million. This one is real. It was my mom's ring. She left it to me before she died. She said, give this to the girl who makes you laugh again," Rhys said, his voice a little shaky. "You make me laugh, Kaela. You make me feel again."

Kaela started crying for real now. "It's beautiful."

"May I?" Rhys took the ring and knelt down. Not like a billionaire CEO, but like a nervous boy.

"Kaela Santos, will you marry me again? Not because your sister ran away. Not because my grandfather's will forced me. Not for $2 million. But because I love you. Will you be my wife for real, forever?"

Kaela was full-on sobbing now. "Yes! Yes! A hundred times yes!"

He slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

Then he stood up and kissed her. No longer desperate like in the boardroom, but sweet, slow, and full of promise.

That night, they had dinner on the beach. Just the two of them. Rhys cooked. He was terrible at it, the fish was a little burnt, but Kaela ate everything and said it was the best fish in the world.

After dinner, they sat on the sand, watching the stars.

"Rhys, can I ask you something?" Kaela said, leaning on his shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"When did you really start to fall for me?"

Rhys thought for a long time. "The night you had a nightmare. You were crying in your sleep, calling for your mom. I went to your room and you hugged me in your sleep and said 'Don't leave me'. I stayed the whole night watching you sleep. And I knew, I was done. There was no going back."

Kaela remembered that night. She thought it was a dream.

"I thought that was a dream," she whispered.

"It wasn't. I was there. And I will always be there when you have nightmares," he said.

Kaela turned to look at him. "I love you, Rhys Anderson."

"I love you more, Kaela Anderson," he said.

He picked her up again and carried her back to the house. To their bedroom. With rose petals.

He laid her gently on the bed.

"Kaela, can I...?" he asked softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Kaela nodded, her face red. "You don't need to ask. You're my husband. My real husband."

And he kissed her. And this time, there were no rules to stop them. No contract. No $2 million. No one-year limit.

Just them.

The substitute bride was gone. And in her place was a real wife, in the arms of a man who once said he would never love, but now couldn't stop loving her.

Outside, the waves were calm. Inside, two hearts that started as a fake arrangement were finally beating as one.

And on the other side of the island, Grandmother Eleanor, who secretly followed them with Clara, was watching from binoculars and cheering, "FINALLY! MY SHIP HAS SAILED!"

Clara facepalmed. "Ma'am, this is trespassing!"

"This is love, Clara! This is love!"