Chapter 2 Framed By Her Father

Before Andrew could answer, a cold voice interrupted him.

A hint of mockery colored the voice.

"Yes, he sold you."

At those words, Tabitha could only stare in shock with her deathly pale face. Blood nearly beaded on her palms as she tightly clenched her hands into fists.

Of course. She should have known better than to hope for a peaceful and stable life with such a snobbish father.

Even though they barely had kinship ties, she didn't expect that he would really sell her.

Tabitha was framed by her father.

Last night was the most tragic time of her life, and yesterday was shaping up to be the most difficult day.

Andrew stuttered and tried to explain, "I'm sorry, Tabitha. I really needed money. If only..."

Although his tears dripped down his cheeks, not a shred of guilt could be found in his eyes.

Slowly, even her bright eyes gradually dimmed at the sight of her father.

Tabitha straightened her spine and slowly approached the imposing man. "I understand, let's go."

Perhaps leaving that family was the best choice, not only for her, but her father and stepmother too.

Boris lowered his head and glanced at the woman with a cold smile on his face. Then he walked forward.

In front of this powerful man, she could only be as insignificant as a grain of sand.

After all, she had a father like that.

It was natural that he would look down on her.

That was why Tabitha could only silently follow his every step.

Once they were close enough, the driver opened the car's door and she slid in. From the moment she sat down, she did nothing but silently lower her head.

"Do you regret it?" Boris glanced at her with a cold smile on his thin lips.

"Since I agreed to marry you, I won't go back on my word." Her unwavering answer made the man's brow rise in surprise.

"Good!"

Not another word left them until the car stopped and Tabitha immediately stepped out. Bright sunlight washed over her from above but the chilling wind felt like a thousand knives stabbing her.

Although she tried to hide within her clothes, the simple dress on her body offered little protection.

Fortunately, it was made of wool, so it wasn't too cold.

A man and a woman stood together in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau. While the man was cold as a statue chiseled from ice, the woman was as humble as dust. One look was all it would take to see how mismatched they were.

Naturally, many people turned to look at them.

At the feeling of stares piercing her, Tabitha lowered her head to look at the floor with a burning face.

Soon after, delicate handwriting was put on the booklet.

Two marriage certificates were handed to them, one for her and the other for Boris. They were now legally married.

When they settled back in the car, Boris said coldly, "Don't take it for granted that you're my legal wife. You aren't qualified."

'You aren't qualified.' Those three words felt like icicles stabbing directly into Tabitha's heart.

"Your role is to please my family and make them stop urging me to get married. That's all."

After saying that, he reached across her to open the door to chase her out, but she plucked up all her courage to grab his arm. "I want to... I want to go to school."

"Go to school?"

Boris repeated in confusion.

A beat passed, then an evil smile appeared on his face.

He leaned closer and whispered against her ear in a cold voice. "If you serve me well, maybe I'll consider it."

Once he pulled away, he threw a phone on her lap and said, "I already saved the numbers."

Afterwards, he grabbed her phone and threw it out the window.

"You can't..." Tabitha bit on her lip as she forced down her anger. "You can't act like that."

She married him. She was his wife, not his prisoner.

Since they should be equals, he had no right to interfere with her freedom.

"I'll show you what I can and cannot do tonight. Since it's our wedding night, remember to take a shower and wait for me to come back."

Soon after, the car finally stopped in front of a building. Boris got off the car and ordered the driver to send Tabitha home, his long legs carrying him into the building's huge golden gate without another word to her.

Inside the car, Tabitha remained frozen as the man's threat echoed in her ears. Fear filled her heart through the entire night.

However, he didn't come back and she remained alone the whole night.

Once morning arrived, she made herself breakfast and nibbled on her toast. It was impossible that he'd come in morning so it would be better for her to return to her own home.

As she tossed the idea around in her mind, it made more and more sense to her.

Much to her surprise, the driver did send her back when she asked.

For a moment, the sight of her own house made Tabitha feel strange.

Although her gut urged her to never step foot in her home again, she still had things she needed to figure out.

Despite her hesitation, she opened the door with her key and took her shoes off at the entrance, silently entering her home.

Pure white curtains blocked the bright sun while similarly white wallpaper with patterns decorated the walls. A comfortable light blue cot next to a wooden bedside table with a white vase on top completed the very image of a homely room.

However, all the white only made her headache worse.

In her opinion, no one in the world would like pure white, since it was the color of death, except those with mental problems.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she settled down on the bed, her hand absentmindedly reaching out to the vase and tracing it with the tips of her fingers.

Suddenly, a sharp voice broke the silence in the air. "Oh, why are you back?"

A tall figure greeted her sight when Tabitha slowly turned to look. With her hair coiled around her head and an apron wrapped around her waist, that woman looked like the very image of a typical housewife. Only the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes showed that she was in her forties.

This was Sherry Liu, the one who took her mother's place.