Chapter 4

But before Adriel could reach me, Amara suddenly clutched her stomach.

"Adriel, my stomach hurts!"

Her face twisted as she cried out.

"Something's wrong with the baby!"

Adriel froze.

Only for a second.

Then he turned away from me, swept Amara into his arms, and carried her toward the villa.

The heavy door slammed shut behind them.

The sound felt like the last door to survival closing in my face.

I didn't know how long I struggled in the water.

My strength slowly disappeared. Just as everything around me began to blur, a pair of strong hands grabbed me and dragged me onto the bank.

I collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently.

When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself staring into a face that was both familiar and strangely distant.

Arden Aguirre.

"Azalea Ashbourne."

He looked me over, one eyebrow raised.

"How did you manage to make yourself look this pathetic?"

Arden shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around me.

His movements were careful, but that irritating amusement in his eyes hadn't changed at all.

He was still the same man who had spent half our childhood arguing with me.

I coughed up another mouthful of water.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your father told mine that your engagement to Aldridge was finished."

Arden crouched beside me.

"So naturally, I came back to see whether the great Azalea Ashbourne had finally been dumped."

His mouth curved.

"I couldn't miss something that entertaining."

He started to stand.

I suddenly grabbed the edge of his coat.

Arden looked down at my hand.

"Since you've already enjoyed the show..."

I met his eyes.

"Do you want to marry me?"

His expression went completely still.

For once, Arden Aguirre had nothing to say.

Several seconds passed.

I released his coat.

"If you don't want to, forget it. There are plenty of other Families my father can negotiate with."

Before I could move away, Arden caught my wrist.

"Who said I don't want to?"

The teasing expression disappeared from his face.

He looked directly at me.

"But Azalea, understand one thing before you say yes."

His fingers tightened slightly around my wrist.

"If you marry into the Aguirre Family, I'm not letting you walk away later."

Two hours later, Arden drove me straight to the county clerk's office.

By the time we walked out, the marriage was legal.

I was Azalea Aguirre.

Arden took me to one of the Aguirre hotels afterward so I could shower and change out of my soaked clothes.

I sat in front of the mirror while he stood behind me, awkwardly running a towel through my wet hair.

For someone who could negotiate with armed men without blinking, he looked strangely serious about drying my hair.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

A message from Amara.

Then another.

The last one contained a private video link.

[Azalea, there's something I should probably tell you.]

[That story about Adriel simply helping me have an heir? It wasn't exactly true.]

[There was never some cold, clinical arrangement between us.]

My fingers stiffened.

Another message appeared.

[And ever since I got pregnant, he hasn't been able to stay away from me.]

I stared at the screen for several seconds before opening the link.

The video had been recorded inside the villa.

My villa.

My bedroom.

Adriel and Amara were tangled together beneath the sheets, kissing as if nothing else in the world existed.

Then I heard Amara laugh softly.

"Tell me something, Adriel."

She looked up at him.

"Her or me?"

Adriel frowned.

"Why are you bringing Azalea up now?"

"Just answer me."

There was a brief silence.

Then Adriel laughed.

"Fine. After ten years with Azalea, things got predictable."

He pulled Amara closer.

"But you..."

His voice lowered.

"I never expected this side of you."

Amara smiled triumphantly.

"So you like it?"

"More than I should."

I kept watching.

Not because I wanted to torture myself.

I simply wanted to remember exactly what kind of man I had wasted ten years loving.

By the time I closed the video, my fingers were ice cold.

But strangely, my mind had never been clearer.

There was no pain left.

Only disgust.

I found the number of the Ashbourne attorney who had handled the villa purchase and called him.

"Uncle, stop the remaining payment on the Aldridge villa."

He sounded surprised.

"Azalea?"

"The property has nothing to do with me anymore."

My father had already transferred nearly ten million dollars toward the purchase through one of our holding companies. Another payment was still pending before the property would be fully settled.

I looked at Amara's messages again.

"Since Adriel put the deed in his and Amara's names, they can pay the rest themselves."

I ended the call.

Then I opened my handbag and took out the marriage certificate Arden and I had received less than an hour ago.

I placed it on the table.

Took a picture.

And sent it directly into the Aldridge Family group chat.

Then I tagged Amara.

[Since you want my trash so badly, he's yours.]

[I've already married someone else.]

[From now on, I won't stand in the way of the Aldridge and Atkinson Families becoming one big happy family.]

I pressed send.