Chapter 2 2. Display Bride

Emily had just finished her delicious meal when Calvin emerged from the bathroom. Calvin could only stare at Emily in annoyance as she got up from her seat, displaying the silhouette of her almost bare body. Calvin took a deep breath, held it briefly, and closed his eyes. Again and again, the heat coursed through his entire body as his composure began to waver. Calvin had to stay in control, making sure not to rush over and succumb to the tempting challenge presented by the seductive girl before him.

Emily, seemingly oblivious to Calvin's irritation, walked toward their bridal bed. She was undeniably exhausted from standing to welcome guests for most of the day. Her full stomach naturally induced a sense of drowsiness that was hard to resist. However, just as Emily was about to lie down, the voice of the man who had been watching her since he came out of the bathroom interrupted her actions. She had been playfully hitting the pillows.

"You'll sleep over there!" Calvin quickly approached Emily and pulled her back to her feet.

Emily closed her eyes as Calvin's body nearly touched hers, her heart pounding like a racehorse on the track. The masculine scent emanating from Calvin instantly made Emily feel as though she were floating on air. She was momentarily lost in the charm of the man who had become her husband. Emily snapped out of it and held her breath, preventing her fingers from itching to play on Calvin's bare chest. Calvin was indeed the living embodiment of a character from one of her favorite novels. Wasn't marrying such a handsome and sexy man a blessing?

"Damn it!" Emily cursed herself inwardly when she realized that Calvin didn't intend to embrace her but was merely reaching for the pillows and blankets behind her.

"Here!" Calvin instructed as he pushed the pillows and blankets toward Emily.

"This is my room, so you sleep over there!" Calvin ordered, pushing Emily's body until she reached the small sofa in the corner of his room.

Ignoring Emily's flushed face and the fact that she was seething with emotions, Calvin went to the closet to fetch a blanket. Without a care, Calvin climbed onto the bed and nestled himself under the thick covers, his back turned to Emily.

Fifteen minutes passed in silence. Only the hum of the air conditioner seemed to be mocking Calvin. His mind, which had long been fantasizing about a romantic night on his wedding day, now felt purely fictitious. Completely fictitious, just like the reminder sentences at the beginning of a novel he often read, "This story is purely fictional, any resemblance of names, places, and events is purely coincidental."

The drowsiness that had been plaguing Emily vanished in an instant, swallowed by her frustration with the unempathetic man who now seemed comfortable in his corner. Unfortunately, Emily felt like she was just a decoration in her own bridal room. She jotted down a series of short sentences as an expression of her feelings on her Instagram story: 'A Mannequin Bride.'

After writing this sentence, Emily opened the folds of the blanket and covered her shivering body due to the thin lingerie she was wearing. Emily wasn't accustomed to sleeping in an air-conditioned room. She was just a girl born into an ordinary and simple family. She lived in the outskirts of Jakarta, in the Depok area. Her home was still in a lush and serene village, far from the pollution and noise of Jakarta. However, it didn't mean she was in a remote village. It only took a 200-meter walk for Emily to reach the city's main road.

Emily glared irritably at the broad back in front of her. She heard a faint snore, indicating that the man had fallen into a deep sleep. "Watch out, you polar doctor, wait for my revenge!" Emily shouted in her heart and then turned her body to face the back of the sofa, forcing her eyes to close. Slowly but surely, drowsiness dragged Emily's consciousness into another dimension.

The world of dreams.

***

The faint sound of a rooster crowing greeted Calvin's ears. He tried to move his body, which felt numb and heavy. It was as if a weight of tens of kilos was pressing down on his left side. Calvin hissed as he attempted to rise, but a tightening sensation in his body made his eyes widen.

Calvin struggled to get up, but a movement that felt constricting in his body succeeded in keeping his eyes wide open.

"Emily!" he muttered, then turned to the empty sofa. "You country girl!" Calvin exclaimed in annoyance, quickly getting up from his bed and roughly pushing Emily's hands away from his body. He flung aside the blanket that covered them and sat on the edge of the bed, running his hands roughly over his face.

Calvin glanced at Emily again, who was now sleeping on her side, facing him. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration when he realized what she was wearing. The thin and transparent lingerie displayed every detail of Emily's smooth body, especially her front, which was clearly visible through the white lingerie. This sight made Calvin groan in frustration. The problem was that his junior, Calvin, was throbbing in discomfort because he could only restrain his desires. He was a normal adult man, and seeing a nearly naked girl could certainly awaken his primitive instincts.

If he didn't remember his ego and the self-respect he held high, he would have undressed Emily since last night and enjoyed their wedding night. But for a high-egoed doctor like Calvin, he wouldn't spit on his own decisions. He would never jeopardize his credibility in front of that sharp-tongued girl. Never.

Seeing Emily shivering from the room's air conditioning, Calvin quickly covered her with the blanket again. Then, he swiftly grabbed a towel that he had carelessly left on the nightstand the previous night and headed to the bathroom to relieve his pent-up desires.

"Because of that feisty girl, I had to play solo. Damn it!" Calvin cursed to himself as he enjoyed the release of pent-up desires. Ironically, the girl he was cursing was now the one haunting his thoughts, becoming the object of his wild fantasies.

After completing his mandatory morning ritual, Calvin performed his daily routines and left the room. This was the only way to avoid falling into Emily's temptation. Calvin was determined not to fall in love with a girl who had never captured his attention from the beginning, as he had once mentioned to Emily during their first encounter. Instead, Calvin intended to make her willingly leave his life forever.

Ah... Emily's body writhed under the thick blanket. The cold feeling that seemed to penetrate her core made Emily reluctant to wake up. The girl actually curled up again in a thick blanket. Drowning yourself to find warmth. In less than 10 minutes of being under the blanket, the girl immediately woke up and screamed loudly, "You're stupid, Emily, you're at your in-laws' house. You might wake up at noon!" Emily immediately threw the blanket off her body then rushed into the bathroom. So that no one would suspect that her wedding night was just a fictitious Emily standing under the shower. Wetting his whole body. However, he wanted his two brothers and sisters to be relieved that the loveless marriage that had become public knowledge was not a problem. Emily wants to see her parents happy, especially her father who is suffering from a stroke. For almost a year his father had to use a wheelchair because he was paralyzed in part of his body.

This time Emily didn't want to disappoint her family again. The unilateral cancellation of his previous marriage to Rama was enough to hurt his parents' hearts. The man she had been dating for two years broke off their relationship when their wedding was about to be held in a matter of days for no apparent reason. This incident also caused his father's hypertension to recur and he suffered a stroke to this day.

Emily felt relieved seeing that the two middle-aged women welcomed her warmly. She smiled politely in response to her mother-in-law's teasing.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nadila. I'll do my best to be a good wife," Emily said softly.

Her mother beamed with pride. "I hope so too, dear. May both of you be happy."

They continued with breakfast and light conversation, creating a more comfortable atmosphere in the morning. Emily felt a little more at ease now, even though her situation was complicated.

Emily merely responded with a faint smile. If only her mother knew about Calvin's harsh treatment towards her, she would surely take her away right now.

"Where is Dad?" Emily asked as she pulled a chair next to Nadila and sat down.

"He's chatting in the backyard with Dad and Calvina," Amora replied, her gaze fixed on her fresh and beautiful daughter-in-law.

"Where's Calvin, Mom? He said he was staying here last night, right?" Emily continued.

"Oh dear, how forgetful you can be, sweetheart. Your siblings all left last night. So, it's just your dad and me who stayed here," Nadila explained as she sipped her hot tea.

"Sorry, I forgot, Mom. Hehehe!" Emily replied with a grin.

Not long after, Adelia joined the three women, adding to the lively morning in the luxurious house.

"Cie cie, the newlyweds with wet hair!" Adelia teased, pretending to sigh as she inhaled the scent of Emily's still-damp hair.

"Hey Adelia, don't tease your sister like that!" scolded Amora when she noticed Emily blushing.

Amora and Nadila had been friends since their high school days, but due to their busy lives, they hadn't seen each other in a long time. Adelia and Emily had also become quite close because Amora often invited Adelia to visit Emily's house during their free time. They were also online friends, which had strengthened their bond despite rarely meeting in person.

"Mom!" Calvin called as he approached the group of women gathered in the dining room.

"What is it?" Amora asked, looking at her son.

"Later, I want to take Emily to her house to get her clothes, and then we'll move to my apartment, okay?" Calvin continued, smiling at Nadila.

"Why don't you let your brother accompany Emily to get her clothes? You can just give him the address of her apartment," Nadila replied casually.

"Wait a minute. Who gave you permission to move? This house is spacious enough for all of us to live together," Amora said, surprised by Calvin's sudden decision.

"Mom, what's going on? Calvin has already prepared the apartment for his wife. Besides, we want to enjoy our honeymoon since it was postponed!" Calvin pleaded to get his mother's permission. Emily, who heard Calvin's words, choked. Her face turned red from embarrassment due to Calvin's candid statement.

"Be careful, dear!" Nadila patted Emily's shoulder and handed her a tissue.

"Fine, just go along with their wishes. It's like you've never experienced being newlyweds!" Nadila said as she continued to comfort Emily.

Emily gave Calvin a sharp look, which only made him approach her.

"Let's go to our room," Calvin said as he hugged Emily's shoulder. They walked together, their footsteps echoing on each step as they climbed the stairs towards their room.

"What else do you want from me, Calvin?" Emily whispered, without intending to look at the man who was currently hugging her. Their legs moved in sync as they ascended the staircase one by one.

"Of course, I'm tired of pretending all the time. Besides, I want to give you a valuable lesson," Calvin replied, moving his lips closer to Emily's ear, sending shivers down her spine.