The Hijacked Marriage

On the day I was supposed to register the marriage with my girlfriend, the CEO of Whitmore Group, her scheming male assistant stepped in first and handed over his ID. Just like that, the marriage certificate that should have belonged to me and my girlfriend became his and hers instead. All I did was ask a couple of questions. The assistant dropped to his knees in front of me, looking as if his world had ended. “Nathan, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t needed to get my child registered for school, I never would have resorted to something like this and entered a fake marriage with Claire.” Then he started sobbing and tried to slam his head into the wall as if he had to die to make up for it. Claire Whitmore had always been sharp and levelheaded, but this time, instead of saying a word for me, she slapped me across the face in front of everyone. “Ryan is a single father. Everything he did was for his child. Do you really have to be this petty? “It’s just a certificate. Once Ryan’s child is enrolled, I’ll divorce him. What difference does it make if you get yours a little later? Did you really have to push him to the edge? “Get on your knees and apologize to Ryan. Then give him half your salary as compensation. If you behave, I might let you borrow our certificate, take a picture of it, and show it off in your family group chat. Otherwise, don’t even think about getting one with me.” I gave a cold laugh. “Then forget it.” And I did not mean only the certificate. I was done with her, too. Chapter 1 At that, my girlfriend, Claire Whitmore, froze for a moment, as if she had not expected her threat to fail this time. After a long pause, she seemed to think of something and let out a cold laugh. “Nathan Reed, this is one of your little games, isn’t it? Why are you so petty? “Ryan is raising a child on his own and trying to make it in New York City. That’s hard enough already. What’s wrong with me helping him out as his boss? “You can get married anytime. If Ryan gets his marriage certificate too late, his child won’t be able to enroll in school. If that ruins the kid’s future, are you going to take responsibility? “With you acting this cold blooded, how am I supposed to trust you enough to marry you and let you be the father of my future children?” Listening to her righteous speech, I rubbed my cheek. The slap had left it aching and numb. Yet inside, I felt calmer than I ever had before. Maybe it was because things like this had happened too many times. I had gone numb a long time ago. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Ryan Chase, the male assistant who had just claimed he would smash his head into the wall to apologize to me. I almost laughed. He moved as slowly as a snail. His forehead only tapped the wall lightly. At that force, forget killing himself. He could not have broken a piece of jelly. The performance was laughably bad. And yet Claire believed him. This time, I did not swallow it like I always had. I shot back coldly, “Ryan stole my chance to get married today. Am I supposed to smile and thank him for doing such a great job?” Ryan’s eyes reddened again. He made another move toward the wall. “Claire, this is all my fault. I’ll pay for it with my life right now!” Claire stopped him with a look of open distress, then turned and snapped at me. “Nathan, are you done? Apologize to Ryan right now, then give him half your salary as compensation. You owe him that much!” Claire had always favored Ryan. If the smallest thing upset him, she would make me apologize and make it up to him. Once, Ryan wrote the wrong company name on a contract and cost Whitmore Group tens of millions. He was the one who caused the disaster, but she made me take the blame. In the past, because I loved her, I compromised again and again. Now, I did not want to give in anymore. “I did nothing wrong. Why should I apologize? If anyone should apologize, it’s Ryan.” Claire’s face flushed with anger. “Nathan, you...” Before she could explode, I had already turned and left without looking back. By the time I walked out of City Hall, the sky had gone dark. Watching couples pass by on the street, I felt a bitter ache settle in my chest. Chapter 2 It was almost laughable when I thought about it. Claire and I had been together for six years, yet we had never gotten married. At first, she said marriage would get in the way of her career and that her work had to come first. To help her build that career, I quit my stable, high-paying job without hesitation and followed her to New York City to start a company. I drank myself sick at business dinners and fought my way through one negotiation after another until I finally helped her take the CEO’s chair. But once her career became stable, she wanted to “test” my sincerity. She said she would only agree to marry me after I passed the fifty-two premarital tests designed by Ryan. So Ryan used the word “test” as an excuse to torment me. He made me collect 9,999 handwritten blessings from strangers. He deliberately dumped ice water over my head when I walked into the office. He slipped laxatives into my water so that during a partnership meeting, I was running to the bathroom in front of everyone and humiliating myself. That was not all. Whenever Claire and I went on dates, he would find all kinds of excuses to pull her away. Every time, he said it was another test for me. For Claire, I endured all of it. Until yesterday. I had just finished a design proposal when Ryan told me to give it to him. He said it was the final test. That proposal had taken an entire year of my work. When he saw that I was reluctant, he started saying that my hesitation proved I did not love Claire. So I gave in. And Claire finally agreed to marry me. I was so excited that I did not sleep all night. I got up early and went to City Hall. The marriage certificate had been right there, almost in my hands. Then Ryan jumped out and got the certificate with Claire instead. All I did was ask a couple of questions, and Claire took his side. She called me filthy-minded and said that was why I saw everything as dirty. But if she truly had no feelings for Ryan, why did she never help any of the other single parents at Whitmore Group? Why was Ryan the only one she cared about so much? Only now did I understand. Claire’s heart had shifted a long time ago. All those so-called tests had only been excuses because she did not want to marry me. My stomach felt hollow, and only then did I remember I had not eaten all day. To get the certificate early, I had skipped breakfast and came here to wait in line. In the end, I had only paved the way for someone else. It really was not worth it. I found a restaurant and ate. Just as I finished, I saw Claire had posted a photo of her marriage certificate with Ryan on Instagram. My coworkers were all in the comments, sending congratulations. Of course, they did not forget to mock me. [Nathan Reed may be the CEO’s boyfriend, but Ms. Whitmore still got married to Mr. Chase, didn’t she?] [What does that dried-up old man have on a young, handsome assistant like Mr. Chase?] I knew Claire had posted it to provoke me. But this time, I only gave a cold laugh and liked the post. Soon, my parents saw the post too and called me. “Son, what’s going on with Claire’s Instagram? Why did she get married to someone else?” My parents had always worried about my marriage. All they wanted was to see me and Claire settle down. But Claire had delayed it again and again. She felt sorry for Ryan and all his struggles, but she had never once thought about mine. I was just about to answer when Claire sent me a message. [Nathan, I made sure not to hide this Instagram post from your parents. They must be panicking right now, aren’t they?] [If you apologize to Ryan, I can explain to them that it was all a misunderstanding. Otherwise, you can deal with the consequences yourself.] Before this, Claire had always respected my choices. She never forced me to do anything. Once, when I went to dinner at her family’s house, I told them I was allergic to eggs, but her mother insisted on making me eat them anyway. Claire was so furious that she flipped the entire table over. Now, to force me to apologize to Ryan, she was willing to post on Instagram just to upset my parents. The woman who once loved me so fiercely was gone. Chapter 3 I ignored her. I only replied to my parents. “Mom, Dad, Claire and I are over. I’ll listen to you and go back to Maple Creek for the blind dates.” My parents had never thought Claire and I were a good match. But back then, I had been willing to leave my hometown behind just to be with her. Now it seemed they had been right all along. “Good. Your mother and I will arrange it for you right away!” After hanging up, I bought a bus ticket for the next day. Then I called a cab and went home to pack. As soon as I reached the door, I heard laughter inside. I pushed the door open and saw three pairs of shoes in the entryway. They were matching family shoes. I recognized one pair as Claire’s. They had been Ryan’s birthday gift to her, some cheap street stall shoes that cost 8.80. The workmanship was rough, and the material was cheap. Yet Claire treasured them like they were priceless. Meanwhile, the custom designer shoes I had bought her for tens of thousands of dollars sat untouched, gathering dust. She had even said my taste was embarrassing and that wearing them out would humiliate her. For a while, I had genuinely thought there was something wrong with my taste. I had even humbled myself and asked Ryan how to improve it. Looking back now, Claire had simply looked down on anything I gave her. I kicked the three pairs of shoes aside and walked into the apartment. The moment I looked up, I saw Ryan lounging on the couch in my pajamas, watching television like he owned the place. His son, Noah Chase, was running barefoot over the spotless white rug. My mother had stayed up with bloodshot eyes to knit that rug for me herself. Now Noah had trampled it with black footprints. What made my blood pressure spike even higher was the sight of my carefully collected figurines scattered all over the floor. Several had their arms and legs snapped off. Furious, I snatched one of the figurines out of Noah’s hand and demanded, “What are you doing in my home?” Noah lifted his chin stubbornly. “Mom said it was okay!” The next second, Claire came out of the kitchen after hearing the noise. She never cooked, but now she was holding a spatula and making dinner for Ryan and his son. “Noah, why did you call Mom?” Claire was about to pick Noah up and comfort him, but when she saw me, she froze. “Claire, when did you become his mother? Funny how I never heard about that.” Faced with my question, Claire only paused for a moment before brushing it off. “Noah grew up without a mother’s love. Letting him call me that a couple of times won’t kill anyone. Besides, why are you suddenly back?” I almost laughed. “This is my home. Am I not allowed to come back? “And you, who gave you permission to bring them here?” Claire looked perfectly justified. “Ryan’s place is too far from the school Noah will be attending. The commute is inconvenient, and over time, it will affect Noah’s studies. “Our home happens to be close to Noah’s school, so I brought them here. The place is big enough anyway. Until Ryan finds a suitable apartment, there’s plenty of room for him and Noah.” “And what if Ryan never finds a suitable apartment?” Claire looked fondly at Ryan and Noah. “Then they can stay. It’s just two extra sets of dishes.” But before, when I wanted to have my parents stay with us for a while, Claire had refused. She said she was not used to having other people in the house. She said she was a light sleeper and would be disturbed. Now, she had taken the initiative to let Ryan and his son live here. So in the end, only my parents counted as outsiders. At that thought, my voice darkened. “I don’t agree to them living here.” Claire’s face instantly went cold. Chapter 4 “Nathan, do you have no compassion at all?” I laughed coldly and shot back, “You’re right. I’m nowhere near as kind as you. You’re so kind that not only did you get married to your assistant, you even brought him and his son home to live with you.” Just then, Ryan, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke. His eyes were red as he took off the pajamas he was wearing, looking fragile and wounded. “Nathan, Claire, please stop fighting because of me. “If Nathan doesn’t want us to stay, I’ll take Noah and leave right now. It’ll just be harder for Noah to get to school from now on, that’s all. Claire, I’m already grateful that you helped Noah with his school registration. I wouldn’t dare ask for anything more...” As he spoke, he exchanged a look with Noah. The next second, Noah rushed forward and sank his teeth hard into my calf. Blood welled from the bite mark. But Noah still was not satisfied. He clenched his fists and started hitting me. “You’re a bad man! Why do you get to kick Dad and me out? This is my home. If anyone should leave, it’s you!” Only after Noah had beaten red marks into me did Ryan finally step in and carry him away. “Nathan, he’s just a kid. He doesn’t know any better. Please don’t take it personally.” Before I could speak, Claire cut in. “Ryan, you and Noah can stay here in peace. “Nathan, Ryan felt guilty about taking your turn at City Hall, so he bought you a gift to apologize. And you’re still being this petty? If you ask me, the one who doesn’t know any better is you.” I looked over and saw half a soufflé that had already been eaten. My voice turned cold. “I’m allergic to eggs. I can’t eat that. And I’m not a trash can. I don’t have the habit of taking other people’s leftovers.” Ryan’s tears immediately began to fall. “Claire, I know Nathan thinks my gift is cheap, but this is already the best I can afford. If he doesn’t like it, he can just say so. Why does he have to be so passive-aggressive?” Claire’s expression darkened. She picked up the half-eaten soufflé and shoved it toward my mouth. “Ryan gave it to you out of kindness, and now you’re looking down on it? “You can even come up with something as ridiculous as an egg allergy? Fine. Let’s see if you’re really allergic.” I could not dodge in time. The soufflé smeared across my mouth. The smell of egg hit me hard, and nausea surged straight up. It took me a long while before I finally spat everything out. By the time I recovered, red hives had already spread across my body. Only then did Claire remember that I really was allergic to eggs. Guilt flashed through her eyes. “Nate, I...” I did not bother listening anymore. I turned and went back to my room. Claire followed me in and softened her voice. “Nate, I only forgot about your egg allergy because I was angry. I’m sorry.” I was wondering why Claire had suddenly become so easy to talk to when, the very next second, she revealed what she really wanted. “But can you let Ryan and Noah stay here for now? “Once Ryan finds a place, I’ll make them move out. After that, I’ll marry you to make it up to you, okay?” So in the end, it was still for Ryan. I pulled my hand away from Claire. “There’s no need. I’ll move out right now and leave the happy family of three to yourselves.” With that, I lowered my head and began packing. When Claire saw that, she finally lost her temper. “Nathan, I already backed down. What more do you want? Keep this up, and I’ll break up with you.” I only gave a cold laugh. “Perfect. I was thinking the same thing. Let’s break up.” Claire froze. She had only wanted to use the threat of a breakup to make me give in the way I always had. She had not expected me to agree. “Nathan, do you even know what you’re saying?” I nodded. Chapter 5 “Didn’t you say you wanted to break up? I agreed. What’s the problem?” Claire was speechless. Her face flushed with anger. Ryan and Noah heard the commotion from the living room and pushed the door open. Ryan put on a fake wounded expression. “Nathan, I didn’t expect you to use a breakup to force us out. “I’ll take Noah and leave right now. We wouldn’t want to make anyone sick of us.” Ryan picked Noah up and rushed out the door. After a moment of hesitation, Claire chased after them too. Before leaving, she did not forget to throw one last harsh line at me. “Fine, Nathan. If you want to break up, then break up! And if you want to leave, then leave. I’d like to see how long this tantrum of yours lasts!” Claire thought my moving out was the same as before, just another angry stunt. I still remembered the time she made me take the blame for Ryan. We had fought so badly that I left home in a rage. Claire searched for me for a long time before she found me. Then she held me and cried. “Nate, I was just worried that if something happened to Ryan, no one would take care of his child. That’s why I asked you to take the blame. I was wrong for not considering your feelings, but I really couldn’t stand by and watch someone suffer. Please forgive me, okay?” Seeing how sincerely she apologized, I forgave her. So Claire believed this time was the same. She thought that as long as she cried a little, I would return to her side. But she had miscalculated. This time, I had truly decided to leave. I did not want her anymore. After Claire left, I packed my bags. I tore all 999 photo booth pictures we had once taken off the wall and burned them in one fire. Then I went to the backyard and stood there in a daze, looking at the grapevine and the swing hanging from it. Because I liked eating grapes, Claire had planted a grapevine for me in the yard. She had even built a swing so we could sit on it in the summer. But now, everything had changed. I brought over an axe and cut down both the grapevine and the swing. Along with them, I cut off the six years I had spent loving Claire. After that, I took the property deed and went to a real estate agency to sell the house. I had paid for the house in full, and it was under my name, so selling it was not difficult. The agent quickly handled the paperwork and listed the house online. After leaving the agency, I stopped by Whitmore Group and went to HR to resign. HR told me that my resignation needed Claire’s approval, so I should call her and let her know. But after more than a dozen calls, she still did not pick up. With no other choice, HR called her directly. This time, she answered immediately. “Ms. Whitmore, Mr. Reed is...” “The company seal is in the drawer. Whatever he wants to do, just handle it. I’m busy. Don’t call me over something this minor.” Before HR could react, Claire had already hung up. Since Claire had approved it, HR had nothing else to say and processed my resignation. The next second, I received a private message from Ryan, clearly meant to provoke me. In the photo, Claire, who had always been terrified of heights, was riding a roller coaster with Ryan and Noah at an amusement park. The caption read, [Smart people know when to back off.] No wonder Claire had said she was busy. No wonder she had approved my resignation without even asking what was going on. She had been busy spending the day with Ryan and his son. I laughed coldly and replied, [Some people love picking up trash. I’m happy to let them have it.] Once I finished handing over my work, I left Whitmore Group. As soon as I walked out of the building, the real estate agent sent me a message. [Mr. Reed, we’ve found a buyer. You can sign the contract tomorrow.] [Great. Thank you.] After that, I took a cab home. During the ride, Ryan kept sending me updates of Claire’s outings with him and Noah. Chapter 6 [Claire took Noah and me on the Ferris wheel. Everyone said we looked like a family of three!] [Claire even bought out the amusement park and had our names put up. You never got that kind of treatment, did you?] I ignored him. That night, Claire did not come home. I did not care. I slept beautifully. The next day, after signing the contract with the buyer, I took my luggage and headed for the bus station. On the way, I happened to run into Claire and Ryan, who had just finished handling Noah’s school enrollment and were coming out of the kindergarten. Ryan was holding Noah in his arms. Claire had her arm looped happily through Ryan’s, looking exactly like a family of three. Even passersby could not help sighing. “What a happy family.” “The parents look so loving and well-matched. That little boy is lucky.” Claire smiled without saying a word, clearly enjoying it. When she saw me, she froze. Then she immediately let go of Ryan’s arm, a trace of guilt flashing across her face. “Nathan, what are you doing here? It’s work hours. This counts as skipping work. According to company policy, your pay has to be docked.” I almost laughed. I had resigned a full day ago, and Claire still did not know? “Claire, I’ve already resigned.” Claire did not believe me. Her brows drew together. “Resigned? What now? Yesterday, you were making a scene about breaking up, and today, you’re making a scene about resigning? “Nathan, enough is enough. Keep going, and this will cross the line.” Ryan’s eyes darted around before he put on his fake sincerity again. “Claire, don’t be angry. Nathan must know he was wrong. He probably followed us here to ask for forgiveness.” Claire’s mood visibly improved. The corners of her eyes lifted slightly. “If you want me to forgive you, fine. But you have to apologize to Ryan. Also, Ryan doesn’t sleep well, so you need to give him and Noah the master bedroom. You can sleep in the study. Besides that, from now on, you’ll be responsible for cooking all three meals a day for Ryan and Noah as your apology. Not one condition can be missing.” I found it funny. Did she think I was their live-in servant? I had originally planned to tell her about selling the house later, but since we had run into each other, I might as well say it now. “Claire, I can’t agree to any of that, because I’ve already sold the house.” Claire’s pupils shrank. “You sold the house? How could you not tell me about something this important?” I said coldly, “It’s my house. I can sell it whenever I want. I don’t need your permission.” Ryan immediately fanned the flames. “Nathan, I didn’t expect you to sell the house just to force Noah and me out. Since you hate us so much, I’ll go with Claire to get divorced right now. We’ll move out soon, so we won’t be an eyesore anymore.” Claire looked worried. “But didn’t you just give up your apartment and use the refunded rent to pay Noah’s tuition? If you move out, where will you stay?” Ryan wiped at tears that did not exist. “What choice do I have if Nathan can’t stand us? Worst case, Noah and I can sleep under a bridge. It’ll be a little cold, but at least we won’t have to live under someone else’s glare.” Noah spat at me. “You big bully! You’re mean to Dad! Mom, teach him a lesson!” Claire lost her temper, too, her voice turning cold. “Nathan, there has to be a limit to how unreasonable you can be. If you keep acting like this, you can forget about ever getting married to me in this lifetime!” Faced with Claire’s one hundred and first threat, I laughed out loud right there. “Claire, did you forget? We already broke up. We will never get married.”