My Deceptive Wife: The Bumpkin With Endless Mysteries

The rainforest lay eerily still until two burly men suddenly charged through the thick vegetation, sending birds flapping into the air and insects fleeing in every direction.

"Where the hell did he go? He was just here!"

"Spread out. The boss wants him dead, so don't let him get away!"

Thunder rumbled across the sky. A flash of lightning pierced the darkness, briefly revealing the beautiful face of a young woman concealed among the trees. There was nothing gentle about the cold, merciless look in her eyes.

Madelynn Foster had no idea how these men had managed to track her down. Since they were already here, however, she had no intention of allowing either of them to leave unscathed.

Keeping her footsteps light, she slipped between the trees and thick vines. When she got close enough to one of the men, she emerged from behind the foliage and struck the back of his neck with the side of her hand. His eyes rolled back, and he dropped heavily to the ground.

The second man remained focused on his search. "This guy is unbelievable. He's bleeding badly, yet he still managed to disappear without a trace. The boss rarely orders someone killed personally. If we bring him back, we'll be handsomely rewarded!"

When his companion failed to respond, he turned around to check on him. Instead of finding the man, he came face-to-face with a young woman who looked almost innocent. She stood several steps away, staring at him as though she couldn't understand why he was there.

"Well, what is a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" His eyes traveled over her, and a crude grin spread across his face. "Looks like we've stumbled onto something interesting."

Madelynn's brows drew together. "Aren't you looking for me?"

"You?" The man stared at her for a moment before his grin became even more vulgar. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll take my time with you after I finish what I came here for."

He never got the chance. Madelynn closed the distance between them in an instant. Her foot drove hard into his abdomen, and before he could recover, her fist connected with his temple. The man staggered once before collapsing face-first onto the wet ground.

She looked down at him, her expression full of disdain. "I might have misunderstood who you were searching for, but after the way you spoke to me, you deserved that."

Lightning flashed again, followed by a deafening crack of thunder. Heavy clouds had gathered above the canopy, and rain would soon sweep through the rainforest.

Whatever answers she had hoped to uncover today would have to wait. There was nothing more she could do here for now.

Madelynn turned toward the edge of the forest. She had barely gone a short distance when something dark caught her attention between the trees. Having spent enough time in this area to know the terrain, she immediately understood what she was looking at. She had found the man those two men had been hunting.

If their intention was to kill him, Madelynn had no reason to help them succeed.

She moved closer and discovered a man sprawled across the ground, his clothes soaked in blood. The amount he had lost was alarming, and his condition was critical. Only the barely noticeable movement of his chest confirmed that he was still alive.

Madelynn crouched beside him and quickly worked on several pressure points, restricting the blood flow from his wounds. She was just about to assess the extent of his injuries when his eyes suddenly opened.

His gaze remained fixed on the treetops, but there was no focus behind it. The damage he had suffered had clearly affected his eyesight. After struggling to make out the person beside him, he finally whispered hoarsely, "You..."

Madelynn's lips curved into a warm smile. "Yes. It's me..."

She had just begun to explain that it was her who had saved him when his expression abruptly changed. Without warning, he swung his fist toward her.

Madelynn had not expected the attack. She caught his fist before it could land, then struck the side of his neck with a sharp blow. His body immediately went slack, and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Ungrateful bastard!" she cursed, glaring at him. "You're no different from those two idiots."

She stood and took a few steps away, fully intending to leave him behind. But after a moment, she stopped. Her conscience refused to let her walk away.

If she abandoned him, he would either succumb to his injuries or be discovered by the people searching for him. Neither outcome would end well for him.

Madelynn let out a resigned breath. Having a conscience was troublesome enough. Having a soft heart to go with it was even worse. She couldn't simply stand by and watch someone die when she could save them.

She bent down, lifted the injured man onto her back, and began carrying him toward the rainforest's edge.

As she neared the outskirts, she noticed several heavily armed mercenaries moving through the area in a coordinated search. They were clearly a separate group from the two men she had dealt with earlier. Madelynn decided she could trust them enough to take the risk.

She lowered the wounded man onto the ground in a place where the search party was certain to notice him, then disappeared back into the cover of the trees.

Her plan worked. The instant one of the mercenaries spotted the injured man, he raised his radio. "We found him. Mr. Phillips is in critical condition. Get the medical team here now. He needs immediate surgery."

The other mercenaries rushed toward the location. While they were occupied with their injured employer, Madelynn quietly withdrew, leaving without revealing that she was the one who had saved him.

Not long afterward, rain came crashing down from the sky. Water swept through the rainforest, erasing footprints and washing away every sign of the struggle that had taken place there.

Madelynn fought her way through the heavy rain until she reached an old house. The moment she stepped through the door, a young man approached her with a towel. "Madelynn, did you find anything?"

She rubbed the towel over her drenched hair and shook her head. "Something happened while I was there. I'll return after the rain passes."

The young man seemed hesitant to speak, but eventually said, "We received news from home. Your family has arranged a flight for you to go back to Aldenridge the day after tomorrow."

Madelynn looked at him in surprise. "Why so suddenly?"

"The Phillips family is insisting on moving forward with the marriage. They want the wedding held as soon as possible. Martha can no longer keep you out of sight, so she's being forced to bring you back."

Madelynn almost laughed at the irony.

Ten years ago, her father, Rodger Foster, and her stepmother, Martha Foster, had sent her to stay with her maternal grandmother in an isolated region of her home country. They had claimed it was for her recovery.

For ten whole years, neither of them had shown the slightest concern for whether she was alive or dead. In fact, they had already intended to have Lana Foster, given birth by Martha, take Madelynn's place and marry into the Phillips family.

But Eleanor Phillips, the matriarch of the Phillips family, had never accepted anyone else as a suitable bride. She had always demanded Madelynn. Recently, she had increased the pressure on the Fosters, insisting that they arrange Madelynn's marriage to her grandson, Ethan Phillips, without further delay. Martha would never have agreed to bring Madelynn back if Eleanor had not forced her hand.

Madelynn gave a quiet sigh. "Fine. At least the marriage gives me a legitimate reason to stay in Aldenridge."

She had originally entered Aldenridge without her family's permission and assumed a false identity to conduct her investigation. It had been the only way to uncover the truth surrounding her mother's death without alerting her family to what she was doing.

Operating without legal status had made everything far more difficult.

The Fosters remained completely unaware that Madelynn had been in Aldenridge all this time. As far as they knew, she was still an ignorant country girl living somewhere far away in her home country.

If she wanted to preserve that illusion, she would have to cross the border secretly that day and then take the scheduled flight to Aldenridge two days later.

"I'll leave today," Madelynn said. "After the rain stops, send a few people into the rainforest to continue searching for clues. If you run into trouble, don't do anything until I get back. Whatever happens, wait for me."

The young man gave a firm nod. "Understood."

Meanwhile, at the Phillips Estate, Jackson Williams, a young man with gold-rimmed glasses, stepped into a private residence. The moment he saw Ethan lying injured in bed, his face changed. "Ethan, are you okay?"

Ethan dismissed his concern with a wave. "I'm fine. Did you find out who attacked me?"

Emergency treatment had pulled Ethan out of immediate danger, but his injuries remained extensive and serious.

His attacker had clearly intended to take his life. Until the person responsible was identified, Ethan could not consider himself safe.

Jackson's expression became uncomfortable, and he quietly looked away.

Ethan immediately understood. He had not expected a different answer. "Before I passed out, I caught a glimpse of a woman who seemed to be attacking me. I couldn't see her face clearly, but I remember the necklace around her neck. There was something distinctive about it. Start your investigation there."

Jackson nodded. "I will. There's one more thing. The Foster family has agreed to send Madelynn here for the wedding."

Displeasure immediately darkened Ethan's expression. "I'll find a way to send her back."

Madelynn arrived at Aldenridge International Airport two days later.

Nearly everyone from her flight had already passed through the arrivals exit. The remaining passengers continued to trickle out, but Madelynn was nowhere in sight.

Bryson Foster, her stepbrother, eventually ran out of patience. "Mom, are you sure she even got on the plane?"

"Of course she did," Martha replied firmly. "I sent someone to watch her board. She must be somewhere in this airport."

"So what's taking her so long?"

Martha could not explain it. Her irritation was rising when someone dressed in an unbelievably tacky outfit finally emerged from the arrivals exit.

"Martha! Bryson! Thank goodness I found you!"

An oversized floral pattern covered Madelynn's long dress, and her hair was pulled into a sleek, high ponytail. She wore no makeup apart from a thick coat of vivid red lipstick.

Madelynn sobbed until her nose ran and looked completely shaken. "I thought I was going to be trapped in this airport forever!"

An airport security officer turned to Martha and explained, "She can't speak Aldenrish. She spent quite some time wandering around by herself until one of our employees noticed her and realized she'd gotten lost."

Bryson eyed Madelynn with open disgust. "She really is a hick."

Martha felt exactly the same way, though she could not let the officer see it. She thanked him politely, took hold of Madelynn, and headed for the exit.

"Hold on!" Madelynn crouched down and seized a huge zippered storage bag. She heaved it over her shoulder and flashed Martha an innocent smile. "I nearly forgot my luggage."

Martha tried to hide her annoyance. "You didn't bring a suitcase?"

"Why would I waste money on one?" Madelynn waved off the suggestion. "Suitcases cost a fortune, and you can hardly fit anything inside them. This bag holds much more. I managed to pack an entire comforter and two winter coats, and I still had room left!"

Disgust tightened Martha's face. She had known Madelynn would be a naive country girl, but she had not expected her to grow into someone this foolish and crude.

The massive bag forced Madelynn to stoop as she eagerly made her way forward. People stared from every direction, but she did not appear to notice. Martha could no longer stand the humiliation, so she motioned for Bryson to take the bag.

Bryson objected at once. "You want me to carry that thing? We should toss it in the trash. Who packs a thick comforter and winter coats for somewhere as hot as Tralvale?"

His words filled him with regret almost as soon as they left his mouth.

Madelynn whirled around. "You're not throwing anything away! My grandma made this quilt herself, and I'm supposed to take it with me when I get married! Speaking of that, how much is the Phillips family paying for the wedding? You'd better understand one thing. Grandma gave me everything I'm bringing into this marriage, so every cent from the Phillips family belongs to her. Don't even think about taking it!"

Many travelers inside the international terminal understood her language. Her loud protest quickly drew everyone's attention.

Martha hurried out of the terminal in embarrassment and slipped into the luxury car waiting outside.

Madelynn still would not allow Bryson to handle the bag. She dragged it to the car on her own, shoved it into the trunk, and got into the back seat.

"Martha, this car really isn't that great. The trunk's so tiny that I could barely squeeze my bag inside! The old farm truck back home is much more useful. It has tons of space and can carry almost anything!"

Martha abandoned her polite act once the car doors shut. "Bryson, drive straight to the Phillips Estate."

Bryson gave her a puzzled look. "We're not stopping at home first?"

Martha looked over her shoulder at Madelynn, whose face was still bright with excitement. "No."

Martha wanted Eleanor to see as soon as possible how crude and humiliating Ethan's chosen bride truly was.

Perhaps the Phillips family would cancel the engagement before the wedding. If that happened, Lana could replace Madelynn. She was prettier and far more polished.

Martha did not see the smile disappear from Madelynn's face in the back seat. Her usual cold and distant look had returned.

Marrying a man she knew nothing about had never been part of Madelynn's plan.

The Phillips family ranked among the most powerful dynasties in her home country, and their businesses reached across several industries. People claimed Ethan had remained in Aldenridge to care for Eleanor during her recovery. The truth was that the main branch of the family had forced him aside.

Still, the Phillips family would never let Madelynn marry Ethan if they believed she was really that crude and unfit for their social circle.

Her goal was to push them into canceling the engagement. She could return to the Foster family afterward and finally investigate the truth about her mother's death.

The drive seemed to last forever, but the car eventually passed through the gates of an impressive estate.

Martha had informed the Phillips family of their visit in advance. She dropped Madelynn and the massive storage bag at the entrance, then drove off without so much as a backward glance.

The butler came forward with a courteous smile, though it slipped slightly when he spotted Madelynn's dirty bag. "Ms. Foster, is that supposed to be your luggage?"

"That's right!" Madelynn nodded eagerly. "Sorry, are you the guard for this gated community? Could you point me toward the Phillips family's house?"

The butler's smile became noticeably stiffer. "This isn't a gated community, Ms. Foster. Everything you see here is part of the Phillips Estate."

Madelynn drew a sharp breath and waved toward the surrounding grounds. "All of this belongs to one family?"

"That's correct."

"Good Lord! I'm about to marry into royalty!" Madelynn exclaimed. She threw the bag over her shoulder and rushed toward the house with obvious excitement.

The butler watched her leave and released a weary sigh. He had never expected Eleanor to choose someone like her as her grandson's bride. With Ethan's temper, all hell would undoubtedly break loose.

Very few household staff worked at Ethan's private residence, but Madelynn had to stay in character. She criticized everything in sight.

Her hand swept across the courtyard. "What's with all these boring gray stones? I'll fill this place with flower beds after I move in. I want red, yellow, purple, and every other bright color I can find. That'll make it feel much happier!"

The complaints continued after she entered the house. "Everything in here needs to be redone. The hotel back in my hometown looks better than this place. Their crystal chandeliers shine so brightly that you can barely look at them!"

She studied the room and made her disappointment painfully obvious. "Everything looks so cold and empty..."

Madelynn lifted her eyes and found Ethan beside the staircase. An unreadable half smile rested on his face as he watched her.

Recognition hit her immediately. He was the man she had saved in the rainforest. Shock nearly broke through the foolish look she had worked so hard to maintain.

Could this man be Ethan Phillips?

Ethan broke the silence. "You're Madelynn Foster? The woman I'm supposed to marry?"

Madelynn gave a careful nod. "That's me."

Ethan's gaze traveled from her head to her feet. A cold laugh escaped him. "I see the Fosters raised you well."

The sarcasm in his voice was impossible to miss, yet it only reassured Madelynn.

Blood loss must have left him too confused to remember her face clearly that day. Her disguise had worked, which meant she could stick to her original plan.

Her face opened into a wide grin. "So you're the man I'm going to marry?"

Ethan's brow creased. He somehow had a bad feeling about where this was going.

Madelynn kept smiling as she unzipped the storage bag. She took out bright red boxer shorts decorated with huge white hearts and offered them to Ethan. "My grandma made these just for you. You should wear them under your tux at our wedding. How romantic is that?"

The flashy boxer shorts in Madelynn's hand caught Ethan's eye, and his face tightened. Everything about her struck him as vulgar, cheap, and completely classless.

Why Eleanor insisted on marrying him off to someone like her was beyond him.

Ethan had no patience left for a reply. He walked straight past Madelynn and made for the door, unwilling to remain in the room with her any longer.

"Hey, where are you off to? You still haven't shown me which bedroom we'll share once we're married. I need to get my quilt on the bed!"

For a moment, Ethan stopped. However, he soon continued toward the exit without so much as a glance behind him.

The front door closed behind Ethan, and a pleased smile appeared on Madelynn's face.

From everything she had heard, Ethan was difficult to please and painfully picky about every detail of his life. Naturally, he would have even higher standards for the woman who would be living with him.

There was no doubt in Madelynn's mind that he would convince Eleanor to call off the engagement.

Her gaze wandered around the private residence. The elegant but simple decor revealed the owner's flawless taste. From the table, she took an expensive scented candle and inhaled its fresh pine fragrance, which reminded her of the air after a rainstorm. Almost immediately, the scent eased her tension.

Sooner or later, the Phillips family would kick her out. Until that happened, she planned to take full advantage of everything the estate offered.

By the time Ethan stopped, he had put considerable distance between himself and the residence. Some of his wounds had split open again, and small bloodstains dotted his white shirt.

Resting in bed was what he should have been doing. Still, staying beneath the same roof as Madelynn was more than he could stand.

After taking a deep breath, Ethan gave a quick signal. One of the mercenaries stepped out from a hidden spot nearby at once. "What would you like us to do, Mr. Phillips?"

His eyes shifted toward the residence among the thick greenery. "Give her a good scare. Make sure she runs back to the Fosters crying."

Meanwhile, one of the maids had drawn a bath for Madelynn. Warm steam and the scent of costly bath oils drifted through the bathroom.

Madelynn slipped into the water with a sheet mask covering her face and let out a long sigh of pleasure. Wealthy people certainly knew how to make themselves comfortable. She had no clue how long the Phillips family would let her remain there. However, she meant to enjoy everything she could before they showed her the door.

"Madelynn, are you even listening to me?" Keith Brown, one of her subordinates, spoke through the phone beside the bathtub.

The bath had distracted Madelynn so much that Keith's report about his investigation over the past few days had nearly slipped her mind. She sat upright, reached for the phone, and answered, "I'm listening. Go ahead with your plan."

As Madelynn prepared to hang up, Keith stopped her, and concern crept into his voice.

"Be careful over there, Madelynn. I heard Ethan's place is haunted."

Madelynn's eyes traveled over the polished fixtures and spotless tiles. The luxurious bathroom hardly looked like the sort of place where ghosts would linger.

"Apparently, Ethan tortures people there and kills innocent victims," Keith added. "Rumor has it their spirits can't leave the estate, so they attack anyone who comes inside."

"You don't actually believe that garbage, do you?" Madelynn said with a tired sigh. "Ghosts aren't..."

Something crashed before she could finish.

Beside the bathtub, the wineglass a maid had placed on a small table now lay shattered on the floor. Its red contents slowly flowed across the tiles.

Every sound in the bathroom seemed to vanish.

No one else was there. So who had knocked the glass down?

Madelynn immediately ended the call and snatched up a bath towel. After wrapping it securely around her body, she examined the bathroom and spotted a window that had been left slightly open.

Outside the window, dark clouds hung low, and darkness had swallowed the grounds. Several pale figures stood faintly among the trees, covered in blood and disfigured beyond recognition.

Keith's words surfaced in her mind. According to the rumors, the souls of Ethan's victims could not escape the estate and preyed on anyone who dared to enter.

Ready to defend herself, Madelynn backed away and quickly weighed several ways to take them down.

Ghosts did not exist as far as she was concerned. Whoever stood outside had to be wearing disguises, and one of her enemies had probably sent them to hurt her.

Waiting around for an attack made no sense. Madelynn chose to make the first move.

She climbed out the window and raced toward the spot where the figures had appeared.

Her sudden charge caught them completely off guard. None of them had time to fight back as she easily brought each one down.

Several disfigured bodies now lay scattered on the ground. Madelynn studied them briefly before calling Keith, who soon reached Ethan's residence with several members of their team.

"Bring them back for questioning. Find out if they'll finally tell us who's behind the attacks."

Keith gave a quick nod. "Got it. Are you sure you still want to stay here?"

Madelynn confirmed it with a nod. She planned to remain at the Phillips Estate until Ethan ended their engagement.

One thing still required her attention first.

A security camera nearby caught Madelynn's eye, and its red light continued to blink. Every piece of evidence from the attack had to disappear before the Phillips family grew suspicious.

Finding the security room inside the Phillips family's main residence took longer than Madelynn expected. She erased the relevant footage, slipped out unnoticed, and started back toward Ethan's residence.

Madelynn turned into another hallway and nearly collided with the refined butler she had met earlier that afternoon.

"Ms. Foster? Why are you here?" he asked with clear surprise.

Before Madelynn could invent an explanation, the butler asked, "Have you heard what happened to Mrs. Phillips, too?"

His question gave Madelynn the excuse she needed. She nodded and said, "Yes."

A troubled sigh escaped the butler. "Come with me. I'll take you to her."

Worry kept him talking throughout the walk.

"Mrs. Phillips could've asked one of the staff members to bring her whatever she wanted. She didn't need to get those old photo albums herself. She fell all the way down from the attic. I hope she'll be alright."

They soon reached the second-floor hallway below the attic, where several people had gathered. Eleanor lay at the center of the crowd. Violent convulsions shook her body, and sweat streamed down her face.

"Mr. Phillips, I've called Dr. William Carter," the butler said to Ethan. "He said he'll be here within half an hour."

Among the crowd, Ethan spotted Madelynn. Her reason for being there made no sense to him, but Eleanor was getting worse too quickly for him to question her.

"Thirty minutes is out of the question. Give him fifteen," Ethan instructed coldly. "If Grandma doesn't make it, all of you will answer for it, and so will Carter."

Not a single person dared to speak. Fear left the household staff rooted in place as they watched Eleanor and worried helplessly.

Severe spasms had seized Eleanor's muscles right after the fall. She had initially managed to cry out in pain and order the staff to call a doctor. Her consciousness was now fading, and she could no longer form a word.

She was in critical condition. Another wasted second could be the difference between life and death.

Fear held everyone else back, but Madelynn stepped through the crowd and bent down to examine Eleanor.

"Stay away from her!" Ethan snapped. "You might make her injuries worse."

His warning made Madelynn stop. She met his gaze with a cold look and blurted out, "You really think your grandma has another fifteen minutes? I won't hurt her. She and my mother were close, even with the age difference between them. If my actions cost Eleanor her life, you can have mine."

For a brief moment, Ethan said nothing. The woman before him seemed nothing like the one he had encountered that afternoon.

Something Eleanor had once mentioned came back to him as well. Corinne Jones, Madelynn's biological mother, had studied under a master of an old school of traditional medicine and eventually became an expert herself.

Was it possible that Corinne had taught Madelynn too?