Addicted To His Deep Love

Darkness fell.

The two Rivera sisters were about to get married at the same time.

Wearing a white lace dress, Natalie Rivera looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her makeup was delicate and her eyes shone with happiness.

Today, she was going to marry Rowley O'Brien.

They had been in love for a year now and were finally tying the knot.

"Natalie, you're so lucky. You're marrying into the O'Brien family, an aristocratic family in Bloridge."

Wearing the exact same wedding dress, Alisha Rivera walked in and spoke in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

Seeing how beautiful her sister looked, Alisha was green with envy. How she wished she could scratch Natalie's pretty face!

Natalie's expression hardened. "I also want to congratulate you, Alisha. You're going to be Jarvis Braxton's fourth wife soon. By the way, I heard that he was seriously injured in a car accident recently and that he couldn't walk and was dying in a couple of years. If you marry him, you'll be a widow soon."

"Natalie Rivera!"

Alisha was so angry that her face turned purple. At the thought that she was going to marry a disabled man while Natalie was going to marry into the O'Brien family, she clenched her fists fiercely.

"Natalie, you don't know what the future holds for us. Do you really think that you'll be Mrs. O'Brien forever?"

"Natalie, Alisha, you're here!" Carrying two cups of coffee in her hands, Flora Rivera strode in with a smile. "Have some caffeine in your system first. The grooms' cars are still on the way."

The hypocritical smile on her stepmother's face made Natalie frown. They had lived under the same roof for over a decade. How could she not know what kind of person Flora was?

Natalie took solace in the fact that she would be moving out of the house soon and wouldn't have to see Flora and her daughter anymore, so she took the cup of coffee, albeit hesitantly.

"Thanks." Natalie only took a sip.

"You're welcome, dear." Seeing that Natalie drank some, Flora breathed a sigh of relief. "Although you're not my biological daughter, I've always treated you as my own. I'm sad that you're going to be leaving us."

Flora's eyes welled up with tears as she spoke.

Natalie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. No wonder this woman had won the title of the Best Actress; she truly was talented in acting.

When Natalie was eight years old, her mother passed away. In less than a month, her father brought Flora and Alisha home. Alisha was only one month younger than Natalie.

Only then did Natalie realize that her father had long since betrayed her mother.

"Ma'am, the O'Brien family's car is here," a servant knocked on the door and updated Flora.

"Oh!" Flora grinned. She winked at the servant and ordered, "Elva, take Natalie to the car."

Hearing this, Natalie stood up but suddenly felt a little dizzy. Her vision was blurred, so she could only let the servant lead the way.

A black car was parked at the gate. The servant, Elva, put Natalie in the back seat.

From the balcony, Flora watched as the car pulled away. Her smile deepened.

"Mom, are you sure this is going to work? What if Natalie finds out that something's wrong?" Alisha asked, fidgeting with her dress anxiously.

"Don't worry, my dear. I've taken care of everything. She will take your place and marry into the Braxton family."

It turned out that the black car belonged to the Braxton family, not the O'Brien family.

Alisha was unconvinced. "But how will I deceive Rowley tonight?"

Flora reminded Alisha cautiously, "As long as you have sex with Rowley tonight, the O'Brien family won't be able to do anything about it. Remember, don't let them see your face."

"Okay, Mom." Then, Alisha's expression darkened, her eyes filled with jealousy and hatred. "Mom, I have to make Natalie's life a living hell. Then she'll know the consequences of stealing my man."

Flora sneered coldly. "I doubt that Natalie will survive tonight. Do you know what happened to Jarvis' ex-wives? They all disappeared mysteriously."

......

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Natalie still felt extremely dizzy. Her body temperature kept rising, and her cheeks were burning red.

She thought about the coffee Flora had given her and had a sinking feeling.

Only then did she realize that she had fallen right into Flora's trap.

Flora must've spiked her coffee with a drug.

Looking out the window, Natalie noticed that they weren't headed in the direction of the O'Brien family's residence. She immediately became vigilant and panicked.

"Stop the car! Stop the car right now!" Natalie shouted at the driver anxiously. "Who are you? Where are you taking me?"

Hearing this, the driver looked at her in the rearview mirror with visible confusion. "Miss Rivera, I'm the Braxton family's driver. I was sent to pick up Mr. Braxton's bride."

"What? The Braxton family?"

It suddenly dawned on Natalie.

Flora's plan was to make her replace Alisha and marry Jarvis!

"Stop the car now! I'm going to marry into the O'Brien family! You've made a mistake!"

She didn't want to marry into the Braxton family. She refused to let Flora and Alisha succeed.

But the drug's effect on her body made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Clearly, Flora not only wanted her to marry into the Braxton family but also wanted to destroy her life completely.

"Stop the car now!" Natalie tried her best to stay sober and shouted in a low voice.

"Miss Rivera, we're almost there. What are you doing?"

The driver was shocked when Natalie suddenly opened the door and jumped out of the car.

She rolled on the ground several times before coming to a complete stop. The severe pain sobered her up immediately.

"Miss Rivera, please get back in the car!"

Seeing that the driver pulled over and jumped out to chase after her, Natalie gritted her teeth and limped away, enduring the searing pain.

The pain was what was keeping her mind clear.

Natalie was anxious. She knew the dire consequences if she was caught.

"Miss Rivera, please don't run! Come back with me!"

Hearing the driver's shouts from behind her, Natalie ran even faster. She was so anxious that she almost cried out loud. She didn't want to marry Jarvis.

It was late at night, enveloping the land in darkness. Natalie could tell that the driver was quickly closing the gap between them. Worse yet, the dizziness in her head was almost unbearable.

Natalie was so overcome with desperation that she didn't know where to run. Suddenly, she saw a black car parked not far away. A man in a casual suit was leaning against it, busy talking on the phone.

Just as the man was about to get in the car and leave, Natalie limped over with the last of her strength. She begged, "Help me, please. Help me..."

Stunned, the man looked at Natalie with his deep-set eyes.

At this time, the man on the other end of the line was shouting anxiously, "Your bride is about to arrive. Why aren't you here yet?"

"Shut up!" Without giving the caller a chance to retaliate, the man hung up the phone expressionlessly.

At the same time, the driver ran over. Natalie didn't have the time to think. She opened the door and got in the car. She pressed her palms together and pleaded, "Please help me! I'm begging you!"

The driver approached the car. "Miss Rivera, please come out of the car. We're running very late."

The driver was shocked when he saw the man's face clearly.

Before he could say anything more, the man cast a cold glance at the driver and barked, "Fuck off!"

The discomfort was so unbearable that Natalie felt as though her blood vessels were about to burst.

How cruel Flora was! Natalie had only taken a sip of the coffee yet the drug was already so potent. She hated to think what would've happened if she had drunk more than a sip.

Natalie felt as though her head was going to explode, yet at the same time, she felt a distinct numbness. Moreover, she felt an extremely unquenchable thirst, as though she had been walking in a dry desert for ages.

"Water... I need some water..."

Natalie managed to squeeze out a few more words. Her throat felt so dry and her body so hot that she wanted to drown herself in an ice bath.

"I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

The man knew what was going on with Natalie at a glance.

"Help me! Please! I'll do anything for you..." Natalie suddenly grabbed the man's hand in desperation. He was her last hope amidst this desolate, remote place.

"Just hold on a little longer."

The man frowned coldly. He had never meddled in other people's business. On any other day, he would've thrown her out of the car. However, for some reason, when he saw the desperation in Natalie's eyes, he felt pity for her.

"Thank you..."

Natalie expressed her gratitude sincerely. In fact, it never crossed her mind that the man in front of her would do anything bad to her.

The only thing that was keeping her awake was the sheer will to survive.

Natalie tightened her grip on the man's hand and sobbed pitifully. "I don't want to die!"

The man's eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth tilted upwards slightly. "You're a lucky woman. You're not dying today."

At this moment, Natalie was like a beautiful stranded mermaid. In a white lace dress, face flushed red, she looked fascinating.

The man stiffened. The helpless woman in the back seat was exceedingly tempting.

His voice suddenly turned hoarse. "My name is Jarvis Braxton. You owe me."

Natalie was swimming in and out of consciousness at that point and the man's words didn't register.

Jarvis slammed his foot on the gas and sped straight to the hospital under Braxton Group. Minutes later, he was handing Natalie over to the doctor.

That night, Natalie had an erotic dream. She dreamt of the fatal night a few years ago.

When she woke up, it was already noon of the next day.

The memories of the previous night flooded into her mind. When she realized where she was, a lump formed in her throat.

While she managed to survive, it was impossible for her to be with her beloved Rowley.

Natalie then noticed that there was a man lying prone on the edge of the bed, asleep. He was a very handsome man, and even she couldn't help but marvel at his dashing appearance.

His features were well-defined like a Greek god's.

Her gaze wandered to his strong arms.

Last night, she was in such a helpless situation, but this man didn't touch her. In fact, he even sent her to the hospital.

Natalie's cheeks flushed immediately.

What on earth was she thinking just now?

Was she hoping something happened?

She must've been out of her mind!

Seeing that the man hadn't woken up yet, Natalie carefully sat up in bed. The slight movement made the man stir.

"Trying to sneak away after I saved you?"

Jarvis stretched his arms lazily and glanced at Natalie with a faint smile.

She had woken him up.

If he had stayed asleep, she would've made a run for it.

"You owe me for last night. Were you going to sneak away just like that?"

"Huh? No, I...I didn't..." Natalie was at a loss for words. It was true that this man had saved her in her darkest hour, and hearing his pointed words, she felt guilty. "Thank you."

"That was my first time. Do you think a simple thank you is enough?" Jarvis looked at Natalie with piteous eyes.

"What first time?"

He made it sound like something had happened between the two of them.

"The first time I meddled in someone else's business."

Hearing this, Natalie secretly sighed in relief. Then, she regained her composure and explained, "My stepmother wanted to marry me to a dying, disabled man. I'd rather die than marry him. Anyway, thank you very much for saving me."

She'd rather die than marry that man?

Seeing the nervous expression on Natalie's face, Jarvis smiled playfully. "Yesterday was supposed to be my wedding day. However, after what happened, I'm afraid I won't be able to marry my bride anymore. You have to compensate me with a new bride."

"What? Oh, God! I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were supposed to get married last night!" Natalie felt terrible. But how could she give him a new bride? Clearly, he was making things difficult for her.

"Forget it. You're so beautiful, and your wedding dress looks really expensive. You wouldn't like a poor man like me." Jarvis's clicked his tongue in disappointment.

When Natalie saw how upset he looked, she suddenly blurted, "It's not what you think."

Jarvis broke into a smile and took her hand. "Then come back with me to meet my parents."

"What? No, not now..." Natalie withdrew her hand awkwardly. "There's something I have to take care of first. I'll leave my phone number with you. We'll get in touch later."

First things first; she had to confront her stepmother now.

"All right." Jarvis nodded and stopped teasing her.

Natalie jotted down her number and left in a hurry. But unbeknownst to her, she had made a mistake and one of the numbers she wrote down was wrong.

Jarvis watched Natalie run off with great interest.

Then he glanced at the necklace she left on the bed and chuckled.

Just then, his rang.

"Jarvis, the bride ran away, and we don't know where she is. As for you, where the hell were you last night? What could be more important than your own wedding?"

"I was with the bride." A rare touch of tenderness softened Jarvis's eyes at the mention of Natalie.

He didn't expect that fate would have his bride run away from the wedding, only to bump into him, the groom.

Jarvis' simple statement shocked Lamont Henderson, the person on the other end of the line.

"Are you joking? I said, your bride ran away. Oh, and let me tell you something: the Rivera family is very bold. The bride you were supposed to marry was Alisha. But they sent over Natalie instead. Alisha has married into the O'Brien family!"

It was easy to figure out what was going on, and Jarvis quickly pieced it together.

Lamont added, "Your grandfather said he'd be waiting for you to deal with this matter."

"Then call off the engagement."

After a slight pause, Jarvis added, "There's no need to make things difficult for the Rivera family."

"What the hell are you talking about? They made a fool of you! Alisha married into the O'Brien family. How can you let this go so easily?"

Lamont was shell-shocked. It wasn't Jarvis' style to let go of those who offended him.

Jarvis should've held a deep grudge against the Rivera family for tricking him and marrying off his original bride.

"Do as I said," Jarvis ordered.

Lamont couldn't help but remind him, "Your three ex-wives are 'dead'. If you call off the engagement this time, those people in the Braxton family will find out something wrong. At that time, all our previous efforts will be wasted."

Jarvis mulled over this for a few seconds. Finally, he said, "I have another plan."

"What?" Confused, Lamont couldn't tell what was going on in Jarvis' head.

Instead of answering his question, Jarvis changed the topic. "Get me a cheap car."

"For what?"

"Chasing my wife."

......

When Natalie arrived at the gate of her home, she found her father, Garrett Rivera, and Flora respectfully sending a middle-aged man off.

This was the man sent by the Braxton family to break off the engagement.

Back then, the Braxton family wanted Garrett's daughter to marry into their family, but now, they suddenly broke off the engagement. The bride had run away, but the Braxton family did not make things difficult for the Rivera family. Garrett was shocked by their leniency.

After the man got in the car and left, Garrett wiped the cold sweat on his forehead. When he saw Natalie, he barked harshly, "Natalie, look what you've done! You still have the audacity to show your face here. If the Braxton family didn't show mercy on us this time, we would've gone bankrupt."

Looking at Garrett, Natalie retorted coldly, "Dad, do you know what happened last night?"

Although Natalie already knew Garrett's answer, she still wanted to ask him point-blank.

She couldn't believe that her own father would hurt her like this.

Hearing Natalie's pointed question, Garrett looked away due to the guilt.

Over the years, he had come to feel intimidated by his eldest daughter.

When he looked into her pair of clear eyes, he remembered Natalie's mother, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

"How dare you talk to me like this? Am I some sort of convict that needs interrogating? I'm your father!"

Natalie sneered. "Dad, you know you're my father yet you let your wife hurt me. You let Flora marry me into the Braxton family!"

Natalie knew that without Garrett's acquiescence, Flora wouldn't have the guts to do such a vicious thing.

Now that it was out in the air, Flora stopped feigning ignorance and snapped, "The Braxton family wanted one of my daughters to marry into their family, but they didn't pick which one specifically. Moreover, in Bloridge, the Braxton family is powerful and influential. You should thank us for choosing such a good marriage for you!"

"Then why didn't you let Alisha marry into the Braxton family?" Natalie's voice took on a dangerous tone.

She had been to the O'Brien family before she came home. They told her that Rowley and Alisha weren't home.

At that moment, Natalie felt as if her whole world had collapsed.

Rowley had abandoned her.

He already knew that he had been tricked and his bride had been replaced. Why didn't he come to her?

"Enough!" Garrett roared. "Alisha's in poor health. If she married into the Braxton family, she'd only suffer. You're her older sister. So what if you took her place and married into the Braxton family?"

Hearing this, Natalie glowered at Garrett, her heart pricked with bitterness. Over the years, she came to realize that Garrett was partial to Alisha. But this time, he had gone too far.

"Mom passed away years ago. It seems you've forgotten that I'm still your daughter. You didn't support my studies and turned a blind eye to the way Flora treated me."

Garrett scolded reproachfully, "Flora's your mother. How dare you disrespect her like that?"

"My mother died a long time ago."

Natalie's eyes were filled with pain and coldness. Ever since Flora and her daughter moved in, Natalie was never allowed to sit at the same table and share meals with them. Every day, she ate leftovers.

After high school, she had to work her way through college, paying for her tuition with part-time jobs.

Her family was rich, yet she lived a life worse than that of an ordinary girl.

Alisha was known as the pampered girl of the Rivera family. She only wore branded clothing, went to high-end clubs, and partied, whereas Natalie wore cheap clothes and commuted to work.

In all of Bloridge, nobody knew that Alisha had a half-sister.

Natalie thought that she could at least marry the one she loved and leave the Rivera family, but little did she know that her stepmother and sister would set her up.

Flora pretended to try to smooth things over, but her words only added fuel to the fire. "Garrett, don't make a fuss about it with Natalie. She's right. I'm not her biological mother, and I know how she feels about me. It's okay. I don't want you and Natalie to quarrel with each other because of me."

"Look, she still defends you, you ungrateful brat!" Garrett was even more disappointed in Natalie. "The Braxton family just came to call off the engagement, so you don't have to marry Jarvis anymore. This matter is settled. You'd better go back to your room and change your clothes. Quit making a fool of yourself here. There are more pressing matters to deal with in the company, so I have to go now."

After saying that, Garrett left without looking back.

Natalie smiled bitterly. Over a decade had passed, but Garrett never cared for her. She didn't bother to waste her breath on him anymore.

As soon as Garrett left, Flora dropped the kind stepmother act and scowled at Natalie. "You bitch, how dare you escape from the wedding? Where the hell have you been? Are you satisfied with my gift?"

Natalie turned to look at her icily. "Flora, you are so despicable. Aren't you scared of karma?"

Hearing this, Flora smiled complacently. "My daughter's the new Mrs. O'Brien. Who do you think you are? You don't deserve to compete with Alisha. Besides, I wonder if Rowley knows that you gave birth to a baby a few years ago. Do you think you can hide it from the O'Brien family forever?"

Natalie's expression darkened. Her deepest secret had been exposed, and Flora was dangling it in front of her smugly.

"Once again, it was you and Alisha who set me up that time."

Indeed, Natalie did give birth to a child five years ago. But the child died after it was born, and she still didn't know who the father of the child was.

She didn't have the courage to tell Rowley about it. It was a nightmare that she wanted to forget.

Flora sneered, "So what? Even if you tell your father, he won't believe you. Natalie, everything in the Rivera family belongs to my daughter, not you. By the way, there's one more thing. The child you gave birth to didn't die. He's grown up to be a very beautiful boy."

"What? Where's my son?" Natalie was caught off-guard. Thinking of the baby she carried for nine months, her heart ached.

"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" Flora grinned viciously. "Kneel and beg me. Then I'll tell you."

"Flora Rivera!" Natalie hissed through gritted teeth, "One day, you'll pay for everything you've done."

......

In La Lune Bar, Natalie drank glass after glass of wine on an empty stomach. She didn't know how much she had drunk by the time her head started to spin.

Thinking about how her happiness had been stolen away by Flora and her daughter and how Rowley had abandoned her, she felt hopeless.

"Natalie, that's enough." Brinley Lauren snatched the half-empty glass of wine from Natalie. Seeing the sadness on Natalie's face, she felt sorry for her friend. "Only your stepmother and half-sister can do such a terrible thing. Well, at least you were able to escape the Braxton family."

Jarvis Braxton was a mysterious man and very few people had seen his face. There were all kinds of rumors about him in the city.

"Brinley, I feel so sad. My father ignores me and lets Flora and Alisha trample all over me."

How could Natalie not feel sad? To be abandoned and hurt by one's own family was a terrible thing.

Worse still, she hadn't been able to get through to Rowley yet.

"Rowley also abandoned me, Brinley. I have nothing." The sadness was too much to bear. Tears rolled down Natalie's cheeks.

"Don't say that, Natalie. You still have me. Come on now. Don't cry." Brinley rubbed Natalie's back in an effort to comfort her. "Rowley's a bastard. There's plenty of fish in the sea. I can find you a better man-a good man who's rich, handsome, and single..."

A good man...

All of a sudden, the man from last night came to Natalie's mind. Memories of last night flooded her brain, and her cheeks turned red.

But why did she think about that man all of a sudden?

"I'll find you someone right now. I just need to make a call. Wait for me here." Then, Brinley rushed outside to make a phone call.

Having drunk too much, Natalie lay prone over the table, reaching slowly for the wine. Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure in the distance.

It was Rowley.

She immediately sobered up and stumbled to catch up with him.