Hot Secret of Marriage

"Positive?"

Daisy's mouth trembled, as did her hand that was holding the pregnancy test. She, who was in the toilet, fell down in disbelief.

"This can't be!" the straight-haired girl whispered.

She threw the small object into the corner of the toilet. The double line she had just seen was like a loud boom that hit the earth. There was no way Daisy could get pregnant, since no man had ever fucked her.

A knock on the door made the pretty girl gasp. Surely her future husband's parents and family were eagerly awaiting the results down there.

"Daisy? Daisy? Are you okay?"

It was her mother's voice. Even being honest with her parents scared Daisy. She wasn't sure they would believe her explanation. Based on the positive evidence on the test pack, her parents would think Daisy was bragging, lying, or ....

"Daisy? What took you so long, Honey?"

Again, her mother asked as she knocked on the door. Daisy's mind was completely stuck. Her head was spinning, wondering who had gotten her pregnant. Not even Denver - her boyfriend - had done anything to her.

"Open the door, Daisy. Don't make me worry-"

Elijah was silenced with a flurry of questions when her daughter opened the door with a glum look. "What's wrong with you, Daisy?" the socialite-style woman asked anxiously.

Daisy rushed to embrace her mother. She had high hopes that the woman who gave birth to her would believe her. "I beg you ... you must believe me no matter what you will find out later," she said, with tears in her eyes.

Elijah, who did not understand, released her daughter's embrace. Then she framed her sweet, frightened face. "What's wrong, Honey?"

There was no answer from Daisy. Her daughter just sobbed while looking down. Various speculations filled her head. Elijah immediately went into the toilet to look for the test pack that her future son-in-law had given her.

It turned out that the tiny object was lying at the end of the toilet. Then she grabbed it in the hope that the results were striped one. But immediately Elijah was unsteady. Her head suddenly hurt when she saw the test pack result was positive.

Elijah staggered out of the toilet. "Who got you pregnant?" She asked flatly. Her voice was heavy, as if she was swallowing disappointment.

Daisy dropped to her knees and hugged Elijah's legs. "I beg you to believe me, that test pack could be wrong... I've never slept with anyone."

"You think I'm that stupid, Daisy? Then what is this?" Elijah asked back, showing the test pack in front of her daughter's face.

Daisy shook her head and looked up at Elijah, who looked away. "But I haven't had sex with anyone at all. I'm not pregnant, Mom. Please... you have to believe me!"

"What's going on?"

Like a baritone, Harrison's question made Daisy flinch when she heard her father coming.

"Look at this!" Elijah held out the test pack to her husband. She still couldn't believe what she was seeing. But the test results were undeniable. It was like a thunderbolt in the stillness of the night.

"Stand up!" commanded Harrison angrily.

Daisy stood with her head down. She couldn't look her parents in the eye right now, especially her father. But silence and resignation were not the way out. She had to voice her honesty so that they wouldn't misunderstand her.

"Please, Dad. Believe me... the test pack was wrong. I'm not at all-"

"WHO HAS PREGNANTED YOU?" snapped Harrison. His knuckles were clearly imprinted as his hairy hands clenched into tight fists.

Daisy and Elijah gasped in shock. Harrison, who has a stern demeanor, can't be expected to be that angry. Instantly, the atmosphere in Daisy's room turned tense. Really, she needed her parents' hugs right now. However, even hugging her mother felt far away. It wasn't about the distance, but about her having no defense for her.

"ANSWER ME!"

Again. Harrison snapped while hitting the wall. He was upset to see his eldest daughter just crying. It was really embarrassing. What's more, right now there was the Gilbert family downstairs who would be having a wedding talk tomorrow.

There was still no answer from Daisy. Meanwhile, Elijah was busy guessing in the blink of an eye. Despite his daughter's long stay in Xiney City, she believed that Daisy was not close to any man there. She had only been asked out by Denver, her fiancé whom she had only known for the past month. Who is the son of a prominent businessman and the result of an arranged marriage between Harrison and Gilbert, his best friend.

Or maybe it was because Daisy was so clever at lying that her parents thought that their daughter was still good at taking care of herself.

"It seems Daisy really doesn't know who impregnated her. Let's discuss it with the Gilbert family," Elijah suggested a little softly. Because getting angry was pointless.

"Don't be crazy, Elijah! Where would I put my face in front of the Gilbert family if our daughter was pregnant?" Harrison growled.

"It would be more embarrassing if Daisy's child was born without a father. Besides, we need to be suspicious. Daisy has been hanging out with Denver for a month now. There's a good chance he's the one who fucked our child!" said Elijah.

"So why did Denver suggest that Daisy be tested first if he did it?"

Yes, Harrison was confused. Even if Denver did impregnate his daughter, why would his future son-in-law insist that Daisy be tested before the wedding? It's as if Denver is introspective about getting a virgin wife.

Both of them were silent. Disappointment, anger, and confusion mixed together. Daisy, meanwhile, was still unable to see her parents' gaze. She understood what they were feeling and thinking. Including who got her pregnant. She don't know, everything is like a big puzzle.

Meanwhile, the Gilbert family, who were visiting in the living room accompanied by Angel, Harrison's second daughter, looked confused when Daisy and her parents came down the stairs with wrinkled faces. They don't look as fresh as they did earlier. Denver felt guilty, especially his fiancée, as it looked like the hazel-eyed girl had been crying.

"Mr. Harrison? How did it go? I believe the result was negative. I'm sorry for being so presumptuous. Because this is my family's decision."

Denver - the tall man apologized to Harrison and Elijah for asking that Daisy take a test pack before the wedding.

Harrison doesn't answer. The fifty-something man held out a thin object on the table, right in front of Denver. "Since when did you dare touch my son?" he asked coldly. Yes, he was sure that Denver had gotten his daughter pregnant. He was her fiancé, after all.

Denver, who was sitting between his parents and brother, was almost wide-eyed. The sight of the two red lines on the table was like an eye wrench. It was painful. So did Gilbert, Karen, and Gerald. They were equally shocked.

"What does this mean?"

"Yes, Mr. Harrison? Whose test pack is this? It can't be Daisy's, can it?" Karen asked.

"Daisy answer, can you explain what this means?"

The barrage of questions from Denver and his parents was like a sharp knife attacking the chest cavity. It was suffocating. Daisy couldn't even begin to explain.

Harrison sighed heavily. "Yes, I'm sorry Gilbert, Karen... that test pack proved that my daughter was pregnant. My wife and I are just finding out now, but we are certain that the father of Daisy's unborn child is... Denver!" he concluded anxiously.

Denver was gaping at his accusation.

"What? Pregnant?"

Karen turned around and held the back of her son's hand. Her gaze demanded an explanation as to whether it was really him who impregnated Daisy. "Admit it if you did, Denver!"

Denver dismissed. Really, he couldn't accept any of this. He turned to his parents with a stern look.

"One thing Mom and Dad should know is that I never touched Daisy, no matter how close it was. Because I know our family was raised to be a family of honor and dignity. So there's no way I would do such an immoral thing!"

In between the two families meeting, Daisy was still shedding tears. Her heart ached even more when Denver admitted that he had never done that to her. She felt like screaming in the middle of a heated debate between her parents and Denver's parents that Daisy wasn't pregnant and had never been touched by anyone. The test pack was wrong. Daisy was sure.

But Harrison still kept asking Denver to marry her. Yes, what father would want his daughter to give birth without a responsible man? But Denver still insisted on disowning him until Daisy finally got a headache when she heard Gilbert's words.

"Let's just cancel this marriage. Our arranged marriage is off!"

"You can't do that, Gilbert. This is a mutual agreement. They love each other, and thousands of invitations have been sent out for tomorrow's event!" insisted Harrison as he stood up.

Denver also got up. "Should there be any more love for a girl who has been tarnished?"

Harrison didn't answer. Neither did Elijah and Daisy.

"I ask permission to withdraw from this marriage. Thank you, Daisy, you have betrayed my trust in you!" Denver said to the girl, who was now looking at him with tears in her eyes.

Daisy stared at her lover's departure until her back was turned. Even to chase and beg for love feels embarrassed. Because Daisy was still confused about who the man who impregnated her was. But she had to put that shame aside in order to be with him.

"Wait!"

Daisy shouted as she chased after Denver, who was about to get into his luxury vehicle.

"Please listen to my explanation first. Please ...." she pleaded just a few steps behind Denver.

Denver turned to look at the beautiful, split-chin girl. Her alluring hazel eyes, her tall, slender body, could not make his love whole again. "Okey, you may speak up!"

There seemed to be a glimmer of hope as Denver gave her a chance to explain. Her tears were wiped away quickly. "I really don't know why the test pack was two-striped. Really, I've never slept with anyone. Your trust is precious to me right now. I was already very sad and confused when my parents doubted my faith. But not with you... I want you to believe me for a while before I look for proof that I'm not pregnant. Please ...." she added with cupped hands.

Denver hissed. Which test-pack proved the pregnancy test wrong? Now, Denver seemed to be dealing with a liar. After all, Daisy couldn't have gotten pregnant on her own. A man must have gotten her pregnant. And she was asking to believe after losing her parents' trust?

No, he wasn't. Denver didn't want to marry a woman who had betrayed him and lied to him. No matter how beautiful and smart she is, loyalty is the price of death. Once disappointed, he would leave her. That was Denver's principle in romance.

"Come in. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. I'm disgusted with you, Daisy!" snapped Denver with an unmistakable look of disappointment. The man in the black suit got into the car.

Like a wound doused in salt water, Daisy's heart was torn apart when she heard her lover's scorn. The girl in the knee-length white skirt collapsed to the natural stone floor. Denver's car drove away into the darkness of the night. Along with the lost love and hope.

Angel - her sister - came over and hugged Daisy, helping her up. As a fellow woman, and knowing her sister's nature, Angel knew exactly how she felt. Very fragile. Because she had experienced being abandoned by a lover when she was still very much in love. It was painful.

"It doesn't need to be like this. Let's go inside."

Meanwhile, inside the three-story European-style house, the two sets of parents were still arguing fiercely about the marriage that Gilbert had asked to be annulled. Harrison was adamant that his daughter's wedding should go ahead, as the news and invitations had been widely circulated in the media over the past few weeks.

However, Gilbert could not force Denver. It didn't matter that he lost shares with Harrison, who had agreed to work with his company. But his son's happiness comes first. After all, why should Denver be responsible for something he never did? That's funny.

Karen thought the same way. She believed what her son said. She didn't believe the girl who had returned to her seat with the drama of her tears.

"Please, you can't run away from the responsibility of the agreed cooperation. My daughter claims not to know who the man was who fucked her. Most likely, Denver raped her while she was unconscious!" Harrison concluded confidently.

"You can't be impudent, Mr. Harrison. Denver is not that kind of man!" defended Gilbert. From his gestures, it looked like he was about to attack. His hands were clenched into fists.

"Then what is my daughter? Did she intentionally give her body to any man? Do you mean like that? I believe she was actually raped!" challenged Harrison. Their faces were almost close to each other, believing their respective defenses.

"Even if your daughter was raped, it certainly wasn't Denver who did it. I raised him to be a man who should respect women, so I swear to the truth of what my son said!"

Harrison really didn't take it well. "And if not your son, then who?" he joked.

Gerald - Gilbert's second son, who had been silent all along, intervened to break up the argument between the parents. He calmed his father down and asked him to sit beside him. Likewise, Elijah asked her husband to calm down. Yes, because solutions will never be solved if not faced with a cool head.

Gerald saw that Daisy was back with her sister. They both went back to sit on the wooden carved chair next to their parents. Like lifeless flesh, her blank stare made her lose the spirit of life.

"The wedding will still go ahead, so there's no need for arguments or fights!" Gerald said politely.

Everyone turned to the man with the solid forehead. Including Daisy, Angel, and her parents. "What do you mean?" asked Harrison, not understanding.

Yes, how could the wedding work since even Denver had backed out of the arranged marriage.

Forming a salute, Gerald bowed slightly before Harrison. "Allow me to propose to your daughter. With all sincerity, I will replace Denver in marrying Daisy and take full responsibility for her pregnancy."

Night passes, and morning greets warmly. In the three-storey house, Daisy is looking at her reflection in the mirror with a flat stare. The two MUAs who had been doing her make-up had successfully transformed her into an angel.

Daisy smiled sarcastically. The make-up model and the white dress attached to her body were her and Denver's choice one week ago. She had wanted to dedicate her beauty today to someone she loved.

However, fate was mocking Daisy today. The turmoil she feels goes hand in hand with the humming of wounds and the drying of tears. The day she looked forward to never came. Yes, because Denver, the man who was supposed to be at her wedding, backed out because of a mystery pregnancy.

Daisy stared intently at her own face, silently making a vow. Never in her life would she forgive the man who raped her. Because of the man, her self-esteem in the eyes of her own family and Denver's family had been destroyed. Even looking at herself was disgusting.

There's nothing to be proud of about Daisy - an actress with a myriad of entertainment and academic achievements that everyone would be proud of. No one would have ever guessed that the girl who graduated from Oxford University with honours was pregnant out of wedlock. How sad.

The creak of the door broke her reverie. Daisy turned around to see who had entered her room. When she realized who it was, she looked back at the mirror. She still felt guilty for the woman who had struggled to give birth to her twenty-five years ago.

"Gerald and his family are here. They're downstairs with the other guests. Are you ready, Daisy?" asked Elijah. She tried to act as if nothing had happened last night. However, Elijah had to put her daughter's sanity first.

Daisy, who wore a white crown on the top of her head, nodded. "Yes, Mom."

Reluctant, embarrassed, and sad. That's how Daisy feels now to her mother.

"Is Denver here, Mom?"

Elijah let out a long sigh as she touched Daisy's shoulder. Now, they are both facing the mirror with their faces close to each other.

"He's not here, and it's better that you don't shed any tears later. Be strong, Daisy. Prove to yourself that my girl is a strong child."

Daisy didn't respond. Elijah knew what she was thinking. It wasn't easy to let go of a love that had grown so special. Yes, Denver was her eldest daughter's first love. Even though it was an arranged marriage, Daisy and Denver's love affair was like a young person finding love on their own.

"But Gerald is no less handsome than his brother. Remember, Daisy ... just like you loved Denver through an arranged marriage, you can also love Gerald after living together," Elijah said, trying to give a positive vibe about Gerald being her daughter's husband.

Never mind love, Daisy had only seen Mr Gilbert's second son for the first time last night. It was because Gerald was living in Meadle City, studying for his master's degree there. He only returned three days ago to witness his brother's sacred day. In fact, he was not just a witness, but fate made him the groom who replaced his brother.

However, Daisy was very grateful to the man. His intentions last night were so noble. He will replace his brother to marry Daisy, who was a stranger to him. Just because he didn't want the Gilbert family and the Harrison family to bear the shame of a cancelled wedding. Primarily, Gerald said he couldn't bear it if the child Daisy was carrying was born without a father.

"Do you believe that I'm not pregnant?"

Her daughter's question was not answered immediately. Elijah didn't know... it hurt too much to express. "Let's not discuss it anymore. I'll wait downstairs!"

Daisy scrambled to her feet. She walked towards the balcony, carrying her long dress. It was true, in the spacious courtyard of her house, there were already many invited guests. The decorations were gorgeous, the stage was as expected with a welcoming MC. The outdoor theme was all white and pastel blue. Those are her and Denver's favourite colours.

Her mother was right, Daisy couldn't afford to be down. Whoever her husband was going to be, it was all for the sake of the little creature in her belly. It was hard to come to terms with all that had happened, because letting go wasn't as easy as holding on.

"Daisy?"

Angel's call made Daisy look into her room. She informed her that she needed to come downstairs immediately because the party has started.

Step by step, her glass slipper-clad feet descended the stairs. Accompanied by her mother and sister, Daisy flashes a faint smile at the people who look at her in amazement.

Everyone looks on in awe, especially Harrison's business associates, who are seeing his daughter for the first time. Unlike Daisy's friends who are in the same profession as her as movie actresses and advertising stars, it's as if her beauty has been memorized. But it still looks different with her elegant and graceful bridal makeup. Very mesmerizing.

Snapshots from various cameras dazzled the eyes. Yes, as a public figure, everything she does is in the spotlight, let alone a historic day called marriage. The journalists seemed not to want to miss capturing the momentum that would be reported in the media. Including the replacement of the groom, it must have made a stir in cyberspace.

The two MCs in charge of organising the event also welcomed on a magnificent stage that echoed in a microphone. All pairs of ears quite anticipated the welcome speech. The MCs, dressed in white suits with red ribbons around their necks, invited the bride and groom's parents to prepare themselves to enter the party room.

The top-notch band Daisy had requested to grace her wedding began playing music to accompany the entrance of the bride's parents and siblings. Adding warmth to the romantic atmosphere enveloped by the blue sky. Beautiful ....

Gerald, who was smiling dashingly at Daisy, began to approach. The man who wore a dark blue suit like a prince in a fairy tale dropped to one knee, keeping one hand behind his back. Then he extended his hand in front of Daisy.

Whether forced or resigned, Daisy welcomed his hand with a smile that was merely a formality. Inwardly, Daisy was screaming that it was Denver who should be wearing the prince's clothes, not Gerald.

After the bride and groom and their families took their seats, thousands of pairs of eyes stared in awe at the bride and groom, Daisy turned to Gerald.

"Thank you for marrying me," she said. Yes, Daisy felt obliged to say that to the only man who would marry her in a pinch.

Gerald extended his hand. It seemed to shake hands. "Gerald Van Gilbert! Just call me Gerald. Sorry we didn't get to know each other last night."

Daisy chuckled. "Daisy Agatha Harrison. Whatever you want to call me, just don't call my father's name."

It was sweet when his future wife was cheerful again, not gloomy like last night, like a boneless body. "Okay. I'll just call you Daisy."

Daisy nodded. "By the way, apart from wanting to keep our family's good name, is there any good reason why you want to marry me?"

Even though it was clear that Gerald's reason was because he felt sorry for the foetus in her womb. But Daisy wanted to know if there was another reason.

Gerald didn't answer. But his inner voice echoed loudly.

'Of course I have to marry you, because this is my responsibility!'