Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 35

Escorted by Stefan, Lucinda returned to her rented place. As soon as she stepped in, she started rummaging around.

“Lucy, whatcha looking for?” Stefan asked with concern, “Tell me, I’ll help you find it.”

“The contract, Stefan, your copy? Bring it out quick, we’re ripping them together.”

Lucinda found the contract in the drawer of her computer desk and immediately took it out, then turned to Stefan to demand his copy.

“Stefan, my crisis is over now, thanks for your help. Even though I only hired you to pretend to be my boyfriend for a few days, I’ll still pay you for a month.” She said, taking out her phone and instantly transferring five hundred bucks to Stefan.

Luckily, she had borrowed money from her brother to buy clothes, a bed, and daily necessities for Stefan; otherwise, she wouldn't have the money to pay the rent.

“Stefan, our partnership is ending early. Thanks for your help.”

Stefan looked at her and took her copy of the contract. After a glance, he ripped it. “Hmm, void.”

His remark made Lucinda a bit uneasy as if his “void” meant something different than what she thought. “Lucy, we’re married, we don’t need a contract. So, from now on, this contract is useless.”

What was happening here! Was Stefan going back on his word? He didn’t want to end the partnership!

“Stefan, we had a deal, I hired you to pose as my boyfriend so my mom would stop nagging me about dating. How could you… go back on your word?”

This was too sudden. Was this the same gentle Stefan she knew?

“What is our relationship now?”

Lucinda opened her mouth, and after a moment, she whispered, "Married."

They had gone through the proper procedures for marriage, and the marriage certificate was official, which meant they were married. Even if they signed a contract, it couldn’t change the fact that they were legally married.

Stefan took out the marriage certificate. Seeing this, Lucinda was dumbfounded. He had been carrying the marriage certificate all along.

Both copies of the marriage certificate were in his hands. The contract in her hands had also been torn by him, and she had no evidence to refute him now.

Lucinda belatedly realized that she had been led by Stefan. He seemed gentle, but he was actually a sneaky guy.

Cecilia once told her that she was too casual about choosing someone to marry. She had even told Cecilia that Stefan was not a random person but someone she had known for eleven years. Now that she had thought about it, she had spoken too soon.

“Lucy, the marriage certificate is here, we’re legally married, there’s no such thing as pretend.”

Stefan quickly put away the two marriage certificates, then tightly embraced the stunned Lucinda. His move made Lucinda’s body stiff instantly, and she instinctively wanted to push him away.

Stefan's arms held her tightly, and she couldn’t escape. She struggled to look up at him, and he also lowered his head, their eyes met. At this moment, his eyes were blazing like fire, and these intense eyes made her heart race.

“Stefan...marriage is a lifelong matter. We have no foundation of love. This marriage can’t last, so, I’ve paid the money, and we should stick to the agreement, end the partnership, and then, tomorrow, yes, tomorrow, we’ll go get the divorce certificate.”

Stefan’s eyes were bright, his gaze dark and muddled, trapping Lucinda. “Lucy, we have a lifetime to fall in love, to cultivate feelings.”

Lucinda, “...but Stefan, let go of me first, let’s sit down and talk, okay?”

Stefan didn’t want to let go. However, he eventually loosened his grip. He needed more patience in dealing with her; he couldn’t push too hard, lest he scared her.

They sat at the small table, one on each side, facing each other. Lucinda wanted a glass of water.

“I’ll get you a glass of water, you sit down.” Stefan held her back, not letting her get up, and he went to get her a glass of water.

“Thanks.”

Lucinda drank half a glass of water in one gulp, then held the cup, looking at Stefan. Her thoughts also cooled down with the tranquil water. She calmly said, “Stefan, I didn’t know your real identity at first, and considering you were my brother’s college classmate, and we’ve known each other for eleven years, I thought of asking for your help.

“Now that I know your real identity, I think we should get the divorce certificate as soon as possible. Ms. Scott, who you grew up with, is back, and I can tell, that she really likes you. The gap between us is too big, we don’t have a foundation of love, and we can’t sincerely continue this marriage.

“I know, my sudden decision to terminate the partnership before the due date is my fault, I’m willing to give you compensation, for the time you lost helping me for the last few days.”

Lucinda said, sending a message to her brother, asking him to lend her some more money for Stefan’s compensation.

Upon receiving the message from his sister, Ike felt something was off and immediately called.

“My brother is calling, Stefan, I’ll go outside to answer it.” Lucinda said, picking up her phone and running out.

Stefan was helpless. Was he that scary?

When she didn't know his real identity, she always called him Stefan and wasn't afraid of him at all. As soon as his real identity was exposed, she became afraid. Shouldn't she be over the moon? After all, she had easily married into the Anderson family, becoming the daughter-in-law of the Anderson family.

Stefan chuckled softly, “Lucy is different from others, she’s not like those women.”

She didn’t seek higher social status. She only got accidentally married to him because of her mother's nagging about marriage, and she was fed up. However, they were not a real couple yet.

Lucinda went downstairs and stood outside the apartment building to answer the call from her brother. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Ike, big things have happened.” As soon as the call was connected, Lucinda said to Ike on the other end of the line, “How should I handle this?”

Ike was so spooked by his sister's words that he nearly dropped his phone, but tried to keep his cool on the surface, trying to soothe his sister's emotions. He said with concern, "Lucinda, take it easy. Don't freak out, okay? I'm here."

Lucinda calmed down a bit and then started ranting, "You and Stefan were college buddies. How come you don't even know his real identity? Do you know who he is?"