Chapter 2 The Wedding Night

Annie had been sitting on the bed in the dilapidated, tin-roof house for an inordinately long period. She couldn't help but nervously cast an uneasy glance at the bathroom door every now and then.

Her heart stirred when she heard the sound of flowing water coming from just behind the bathroom door.

She had made the trip to the village during the day in the shabby, battered wedding car. However, halfway through the journey, the car had broken down. While the car was being fixed, she patiently waited along the roadside, glancing around at the surroundings. Suddenly, she heard a woman passing by say that the man she was going to marry was not only dirt poor, but also terminally ill. According to the lady's account, the man practically had one foot in the grave, and also suffered from a sexual dysfunction.

When Annie thought about what the woman had just said, she felt anxiety creep up on her, threatening to overwhelm her. She wondered if her sister, who had positively begged her to marry Addy, knew about this.

Suddenly and quite abruptly, the sound of the flowing water stopped.

The man now walked out of the bathroom in a pair of shorts. He threw a cursory glance at Annie with his sharp amber eyes. She was overwhelmed by anxiety so she held her breath in an attempt to keep her wits about her. She quickly lowered her head to avert her attention and calm herself down.

"Why do you still have your wedding dress on?"

Out of reflex, she automatically raised her head at the sound of his voice. Her eyes happened to fall on the water droplets on his abs. Unconsciously, she stared at the droplets slowly sliding down his abs until they disappeared, one at a time, into his shorts which covered his nether regions.

"Have you taken a good look now?"

His voice terrified her and she lowered her head instinctively in fear once more.

She could clearly sense him moving closer to her, and she could feel his intense gaze resting on her one-pointedly.

Her sudden marriage to this stranger had caused her feelings of great consternation and embarrassment. He was also highly aggressive, which caused her fear to intensify tenfold.

"Take off your wedding dress and have a shower," he ordered.

He then grabbed a pack of cigarettes and left the room.

The solitude somewhat eased her embarrassment. She lifted her dress a little so that the hemline stayed clear from brushing against the floor as she walked. Then she made her way to the bathroom. When she closed the door behind her, she noticed that the door was made of simple, plain plank. It couldn't even be locked, such was the simple and unskilled design.

Fortunately for her, he had gone out and left her to herself.

After she finished taking a shower, she walked back into the room with just a towel wrapped around her body. She noticed that he hadn't come back and she was alone, so she sighed a heavy sigh of relief. However, before long, she heard the creaking sound of the door being opened.

Addy had returned.

"Since it is our wedding night, I'm sure I don't need to teach you what to do, right?" Addy said in a hoarse voice while he bent over slightly to lean towards her. He had a wicked smirk on his face.

Without waiting for her response, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto his lap.

The longer she sat on his lap, the more her eyelashes trembled with nervousness and trepidation.

"Your bath towel has dropped," he said, unable to stop himself from teasing her.

"Liar! It hasn't fallen!" She was still utterly terrified so she just managed to complain in a soft, demure voice.

"Oh, so it turns out that you do have the ability to speak! I was under the impression I had married a mute.

Well, are you afraid of me? Do you perhaps dislike your own husband?" he raised his eyebrows and asked in a low, almost threatening, voice.

"I... I don't..." Annie was quick to refute his accusations without hesitation. She was, however, distracted by his eyes which were creased at the corners with the shadow of a smile.

"Look at me," Addy ordered as he raised her chin. The slight smile on his face immediately slipped off his face.

"Woo..." Tears filled her eyes to the brim because of the uneasiness she felt in that moment. Nonetheless, she obediently looked him in the eyes automatically.

Addy grabbed her firmly by the wrist with one hand, and pushed her against the bed with his other hand still wrapped around her waist.

The sudden change of position did nothing to relieve the stress this interaction was causing her. Her terror intensified when she felt his weight pressing down on her.

Somehow, however, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.

She looked at him as he pressed down against her. The intimate position made her feel shameful and reminded her of the scene she had seen in her dream...

Addy stared at the stunning woman in his arms, but did nothing. Instead, he just turned over and lay on one side of the bed.

"Sleep," he ordered.

Annie lay on the bed, absolutely confused by what had just happened. She blinked her eyes and then lay to face the other way, with her back facing him.

As she lay on the bed, she could feel his breath tickling her neck. She was quite uncomfortable. She was not accustomed to such a manner of closeness with a stranger while sleeping. However, she also couldn't help but ponder why he had suddenly stopped himself when he was on the cusp of having her.

Was it because Addy was a kind-hearted man that he had opted not to touch her tonight?

Or was it perhaps because... Because of the sexual dysfunction that woman in the village had mentioned?

As she was thinking about all of this and overcome by a mixed cocktail of emotions, her eyes dropped with exhaustion of the day. She closed her eyes and cast all her worries away. Whether he was unwilling to force her to be with him, or whether he was indeed suffering from disease, she thought that she was lucky that nothing had happened tonight.

After some time, he opened his eyes, only to find that she had curled herself into a ball. Her eyelashes were long and curled. Her snow-white, slightly pinkly tinged face was vibrant and radiating health. Her eyebrows were arched beautifully, and she was very attractive overall.

His subordinate had spoken about Florrie. He said that she was a shallow, self-absorbed and arrogant girl. Furthermore, she was a wild, promiscuous girl. This was completely different to the sweet, innocent Annie who lay before him.

Addy instantly realized that this bride was a substitute.

He sneered in his heart. The White family didn't even have the know-how to pick an appropriate substitute. Annie and Florrie were like chalk and cheese. It was so obvious to figure it out.

He couldn't care less if this was the right bride or not, because he wasn't Addy.

Besides, this woman was like a stubborn yet soft rabbit. It was more interesting to be with her than the egoistic, domineering Florrie.

Early the next morning, Annie opened her eyes in a daze. She found that Addy, who had been lying beside her, had now disappeared without a trace.