Late happiness
Chapter 1
It was eight months into my sham marriage to
Ethan when I got pregnant.
I wasn’t his wife, I was a stand–in.
The spoiled heiress, Lily, had run off, and I,
her near–identical lookalike, was kidnapped
to take her place.
Lily’s father promised me five million dollars.
after a year.
Now, things were getting a little complicated.
I frantically called him: “Find her, and get her
back! If you don’t do it soon, it’ll be too late!”
I was whisked away in the dead of night,
without even packing a bag.
Two weeks later, I was in Paris, feeding
pigeons and agonizing over what to do about
the baby.
Then, I was scooped into someone’s arms.
A man gently stroked my cheek, his voice low
<
and soothing: “Honey, had enough fun? Time
to go home.”
1
Being forced into marriage with Ethan was a
complete surprise.
I was buying street food when I was suddenly
grabbed.
Strong bodyguards shoved me into a luxury
car.
Thirty minutes later, I was at a sprawling
mansion.
In the grand living room, a middle–aged man
sat stiffly.
Upon seeing me, he threw a teacup at me. His voice boomed, “Lily, do you know the
consequences of eloping? How could I have raised such a daughter!”
I dodged the attack with a quick move.
The man grew angrier.
“You dare dodge me? I raised you for years,
<
and you commit such a grave error and still
dare dodge me?!”
Me: “Huh?”
He grabbed his cane to hit me.
I ran around the living room, yelling, “Who’s Lily? You’ve got the wrong person!”
After showing him photos, my social media,
and my ID, he finally accepted that I wasn’t
his daughter.
I was just a random stranger who inexplicably
resembled her.
As an apology, he gave me ten thousand
dollars.
I happily took the money and prepared to
leave.
Then he said, “Ms. Riley, since you seem to
need money, I have a proposition for you.
There will be a significant reward upon
completion.”
That single sentence stopped me in my
<
LI AUNS.
The wedding was a month away.
Lily had run away.
If she returned before the wedding, he’d give
me fifty thousand dollars.
If she didn’t, I’d pose as his daughter and get
married.
A year–long contract, and I’d get five million
dollars regardless.
I was desperate for money.
In a moment of impulsive madness, I agreed.
“Honey, daydreaming at a time like this?”
Ethan frowned, biting my lip. “Baby, you’re
being naughty tonight. Don’t you want to get
out of bed tomorrow?”
Me: !
I snapped back to reality from my jumbled
memories and quickly said, “No, no, I’m very
good! I have to work tomorrow, please,
please.”
batted my eyelashes looking pitiful
く
I batted my eyelashes, looking pitiful.
Ethan tucked my damp hair behind my ear
and leaned down to kiss me.
He whispered, “Too late.”
3
My eyes glazed over as I stared into space.
Damn it, nobody told me before the wedding
that Lily’s husband had such a strong libido.
Mr. Thompson told me that his daughter’s
marriage to Ethan was a business
arrangement; they had only seen each other’s
photos, never met in person.
And I, looked incredibly similar to Lily.
So much so that Mr. Thompson, still
unconvinced, had a paternity test done on us.
Unfortunately, we shared no blood relation; it
was purely a coincidence.
My heart ached.
My dreams of being a rich heiress shattered.
If I couldn’t be a real heiress, being a stand-
く
in was just as good, just as wealthy.
Since Lily couldn’t be found, I had to grit my
teeth and go through the dates, the proposal,
and the wedding.
On the wedding night, I sat in the bridal suite,
wearing a million–dollar wedding gown,
waiting for him.
He pushed open the door, the light casting a
long shadow.
Ethan’s tone was calm, “Miss Thompson
seems nervous.”
I swallowed, my fingers fidgeting with my
dress, “Um, next…”
He loosened his tie, explaining, “I have normal
biological needs.”
Before the wedding, I’d prepared myself;
newlyweds couldn’t possibly be sexless.
Ethan was handsome.
He had a great body too.
Six feet two, eight–pack abs, seven inches…
く
Ahem.
In short, it wasn’t a bad deal for me.
The next morning, I lay in bed contemplating
life.
Ethan wrapped his arms around me from
behind. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“I didn’t know I was this kind of person.”
His voice was raspy and satisfied from his
morning wake–up, “Hmm?”
I mumbled, “I actually slept with my husband
on our wedding day. How…open–minded am
1…”
He pulled me back.
“We can do it again tomorrow.”
Back then, I didn’t realize anything was amiss.
Maybe it was the novelty, but I was also
captivated.
Months into our intimate relationship, I
suddenly woke up.
Something was wrong.
