Surprise Oath With His Stand-In Bride

The hotel door was forcefully pushed open.

The sound reverberated in the air, ringing in Hanna Murphy's ears.

Hanna felt a chill run down her spine as the oppressive presence entered the room.

"Help me detox, and I'll reward you in return," a man said. His voice was low and raspy, affected by the poison. It was like it came from another world.

Heavy footsteps approached the bed, and a tall figure staggered over.

In the dim light, Hanna could not see the man's face clearly. But she could see his eyes, which were a deep, unfathomable black that exuded a chilling and noble aura.

Hanna's instincts immediately told her she was in danger, but the drug within her was already taking effect. She could not speak or move. It was as if she was paralyzed. So she could only watch in horror as the man stripped her clothes off, one by one.

Then the man was on top of her, and a burning hardness pressed between her legs before he suddenly thrust inside her without warning.

A desperate sound escaped her throat. "No-"

When Hanna woke up the next day, it was already afternoon.

She was no longer at the hotel. Instead, she seemed to have been dumped in a roadside flowerbed. Her clothes were in disarray, and her entire body felt battered and sore.

Hanna hurriedly lifted her clothes to check and saw ugly bruises and marks covering her skin, every pore oozing with pain.

The marks instantly reminded her of everything that happened last night.

Hanna burst into tears as the revelation hit her like a freight train.

She couldn't believe that she had lost her virginity like this on her twentieth birthday.

As she thought about the person who had drugged her and taken her to the hotel, Hanna clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

She did her best to straighten her clothes before taking a cab straight to a seaside villa, seething with anger.

Someone was going to pay!

Inside a villa in the Serenity Garden, Jessie Murphy and Brynn Murphy sat on the sofa in the living room.

The mother and daughter were talking to each other while wiping away their tears.

At that moment, Hanna entered the living room and immediately glowered at Brynn, her eyes filled with hatred.

Brynn was her half-sister from a different mother and also the one who plotted against her yesterday.

"Mom, look!" Brynn exclaimed, spotting Hanna.

"Hanna!" Jessie said, standing up from the sofa. "You finally came back!" Her eyes, which were full of worry a moment ago, suddenly lit up with joy. "How come you're only back now? I called you all day. Why didn't you answer?"

Hanna ignored Jessie and instead snatched a vase from the windowsill, hurling it directly at Brynn's face.

She missed, however, and the vase hit Brynn in the chest before shattering to pieces on the floor.

Even though the shards didn't pierce her skin, Brynn gritted her teeth in pain from the heavy impact, and she glared at Hanna venomously.

"You bitch! Are you insane?" she shouted.

"You're the insane one here!" Hanna yelled back. "You know exactly what you did. Today, I'm going to ruin your face and get my revenge!"

The painful memory of last night's violation flashed through Hanna's mind, and she began to see red. She grabbed a nearby fruit knife and lunged at Brynn.

Enough was enough!

She had endured fourteen years of torment and abuse from this family. She also had to bear the humiliation of Brynn's constant bullying and scheming. This time, she was going to get justice for herself.

"Stop!" A thunderous roar suddenly rang out, shaking the walls of the room.

A burly, middle-aged man burst in and rushed towards Hanna.

In order to protect Brynn, he grabbed a fistful of Hanna's hair and slammed her face-first into the floor.

He used all of his strength to do this, not even caring about the consequences as long as Brynn was safe.

Hanna was caught off guard and fell heavily, blood gushing from her nose.

"Dad..." she muttered weakly as she struggled to get up. But she couldn't, so she just lay there on the floor, staring up at the man. "Do you even have any idea what she did to me?"

Cristian Murphy's eyes flickered with guilt, but it vanished as quickly as it came. His features twisted with rage as he glared at Hanna, whose face was covered in blood, and his eyes were filled with contempt.

"Hanna, what in the world has gotten into you? Don't spout nonsense," he said disapprovingly. "You're Brynn's big sister. Brynn was just playing a silly prank on you, but you reacted by trying to kill her like a psycho. You should know better! Don't be so petty."

"Just... a silly prank?" Even though she was in excruciating pain, Hanna let out a mocking laugh. "If our roles were reversed, would you say the same thing? If I schemed against Brynn the way she schemed against me last night, you wouldn't say that I was just playing a silly prank, would you? Instead, you'd beat me half to death, right?"

"You..." Cristian had no comeback. He knew he was in the wrong, so he was speechless for a moment.

Meanwhile, Brynn took that opportunity to take a step forward and kick Hanna hard in the back.

Hanna, still struggling to get up from the floor, fell back down. She coughed up blood as a searing pain tore through her, and her back felt like it was going to split in two.

Brynn had a smug look on her face while Jessie said something out of concern. But she did not even try to intervene. Meanwhile, her father just watched the scene coldly, not moving an inch from his position.

Like always, Hanna bit her lip hard, not allowing herself to shed a single tear.

"Damn it! You're my daughter too, but why are you so detestable?" Cristian roared angrily.

At that moment, Jessie stepped in front of Cristian, blocking him from doing anything.

"Cristian, you know that Hanna has always been a rebellious girl. Calm down and don't hit her anymore," she told him. "If you beat her to death, then who will marry into the Collins family in place of Brynn?"

Hanna felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. She stared at Cristian and Jessie in disbelief, unable to process what she had just heard.

"This morning, the Collins family sent someone to propose a marriage between our families," Jessie explained. "They specifically asked for Brynn to marry into their family. But your father and I convinced them to let you be the bride instead."

Jessie looked down at Hanna with a smile.

"You know that the Collins family is the top prestigious family in Zreles. This is a good arrangement for both families. So, you and Kayce Collins will be getting married in six days."

Hanna wanted to laugh bitterly at this.

What a joke! Everyone in Zreles knew that Kayce Collins was a terminally ill cripple who was expected to die at any moment.

They weren't arranging a harmonious marriage. Jessie and Cristian were basically just using her to gain favor with the Collins family by having her as their sacrificial offering.

The irony shimmered in Hanna's tear-filled eyes.

"You want to curry favor with the Collins family, yet you balk at offering up your precious daughter. Why not take her place yourself?"

"How dare you!"

Jessie, no longer needing to mask her true nature, unveiled her venomous side.

"Haven't you been searching for Helena? Your father and I found her three days ago. Only we know where she is. Agree to marry into the Collins family, and I'll divulge her whereabouts, reuniting you both."

A photograph was tossed beside Hanna.

With trembling hands, Hanna picked it up. As soon as she saw the woman in the photo, the tears she had held back for so long finally flowed freely.

Helena Owen was Hanna's biological mother.

Fourteen years ago, driven mad by Jessie, the home wrecker, Helena had been admitted to a mental hospital.

However, last month, Helena had gone missing from the mental hospital, and Hanna had been searching for her ever since.

She never imagined that Cristian and Jessie had discovered her mother three days prior and were now using this information to blackmail her!

"A lunatic like Helena wandering the streets alone wouldn't survive. She might drown, be struck by a falling billboard, or perish in a car accident, all without anyone being in the loop! Hanna, isn't Helena the one you care about the most? If I tell you where she is and you bring her back, she'll be safe..."

"Enough!" Hanna cut Jessie off sharply. "You have no right to utter my mother's name!"

As she stared at the photo of her mother, she made up her mind.

"I'll marry him!"

Ever since her mother had been driven to madness, Hanna had felt no warmth in this cold, unfeeling world.

Even though her mother was now mentally unstable, she was the only person who had ever loved Hanna, the only one she cared about in this vast, indifferent universe.

For her mother, anything was worth sacrificing!

Six days later, Hanna married into the Collins family as planned.

Since it was a quickie marriage, everything was kept minimal.

The Collins family didn't host a grand ceremony, merely sending a wedding car to the Murphy family's house to fetch the bride in the evening.

By the time the car reached the Collins family's villa, night had already fallen.

Hanna was escorted directly to a bedroom by two women.

The room was dim, lit only by a unity candle flickering in the breeze.

In the faint glow, Hanna could just make out a figure lying motionless on the bed by the window, as still as a corpse.

This person had to be her groom, Kayce.

"My bride is here!" The corpse-like figure suddenly spoke.

His voice was cold and melodious, carrying an intense presence that sent chills down Hanna's spine, rooting her to the spot.

Rumor had it that Kayce had fallen ill a month ago, becoming paralyzed from the waist down, with his face disfigured to the point of resembling a ghost, and he might die at any time.

She couldn't believe that a cripple could possess such a magnetic and rich voice...

And this voice was strangely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

"Come here!" the voice commanded, its tone leaving no room for disobedience.

Before Hanna could react, she felt something soft yet firm coil around her waist.

A powerful force yanked her forward, making her fall heavily onto the bed.

"Ah!" Hanna cried out in pain, her eyes snapping open to find a man looming over her, his chiseled face hovering just above hers. His cold, deep eyes were like whirlpools, drawing her in with a single look.

"Are you really... Kayce Collins?"

Her breath became inexplicably labored, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

Wasn't Kayce supposed to look like death itself?

Could she have stumbled into the wrong room?

"That's right!"

The man's voice was cold and detached.

Yet, the breath from his lips was warm and fiery, like a seductive spring breeze caressing Hanna's delicate face.

Hanna's heartbeat became increasingly erratic.

The man fixed his gaze on her, his cold, narrow eyes betraying a hint of something unanticipated.

What caused it was the scent on Hanna.

It was an extraordinary, natural fragrance, reminiscent of an edelweiss blooming atop a snow-capped mountain, faint yet deeply penetrating.

Kayce had encountered this scent only once before, exactly seven nights ago-

That night, it wasn't merely the poison that drove him mad; it was this captivating fragrance on the girl as well.

He never expected to encounter the same scent on Hanna.

Just a whiff of this fragrance made it impossible for him to suppress his inexplicable desire for the girl before him. This urge rapidly escalated into a feverish intensity...

Damn it!

He didn't like this feeling of losing control.

Kayce's dark eyes scrutinized Hanna, subtly reining in the heat simmering within.

"Have we met before?"

Facing such an intoxicatingly handsome man at close range, Hanna felt herself blushing uncontrollably. "No..."

"Are you sure?"

Kayce's relentless gaze bored into her, his presence vast and cold.

Hanna had never feared being scrutinized before, but now his gaze made her inexplicably anxious.

"Mm." She instinctively lowered her eyes, still feeling his piercing stare. Her already flushed face grew so red it seemed ready to bleed. "Yes."

It was natural for a girl to appreciate beauty.

If Hanna had ever seen such a stunning man before, she would surely have admired and remembered him.

Kayce's eyes turned even colder.

"In that case, it will hurt. Endure it."

His face, already close to Hanna's, moved even nearer as he spoke. His exquisitely curved lips edged toward hers.

Hanna's heart skipped several beats.

Then, it began to pound wildly like a drum.

Kayce's lips stopped just a breath away from hers, moving instead to her neck.

"Ah!"

The excruciating pain left Hanna's mind in a blank slate.

When Hanna regained her composure, she noticed Kayce had already distanced himself. Bright red blood blossomed on her skin, trickling down onto the sheets.

Kayce had actually sunk his teeth into her!

Had this man lost his marbles?

"Sleep on the sofa!" Before Hanna could finish fuming internally, Kayce's icy voice hit her like a winter gale.

He bit her and now expected her to sleep on the sofa?!

Hanna's wide, clear eyes were filled with disbelief as she prepared to argue with Kayce.

But when she locked eyes with his profoundly cold gaze, the words caught in her throat, rendering her speechless.

Hanna was never one to be easily bullied, but she also knew when to endure.

The moment she first laid eyes on Kayce, she was captivated by his striking looks and sensed his intimidating, powerful presence.

This man was very dangerous.

She couldn't afford to rile him up.

"You've got two ticks of the clock to get off my bed, or face the music!" Kayce's patience had worn thin, his tone icy.

Hanna seethed internally but could only glare at Kayce. She silently reminded herself this man was worthy of pity.

He was only twenty-five, but was struck by a terminal illness, with death looming over him like a dark cloud. His foul temper and twisted behavior were almost understandable.

"You'll be sleeping on this sofa from now on." As soon as Hanna lay down on the sofa, Kayce's commanding voice sliced through the air once more. A thin blanket then landed on her.

"Got it," Hanna responded, her delicate eyebrows arching in defiance, her small face etched with displeasure.

But she held her tongue. She had married Kayce to save her mother, and now that her mission was accomplished, she didn't want to stir up any trouble.

Soon after Hanna lay down, the day's exhaustion enveloped her, and she fell into slumber.

Kayce, however, lay awake for hours.

The lingering, faint scent on the bed kept his thoughts in turmoil.

He glanced at the woman sleeping on the sofa, his eyes glinting.

At that moment, his phone vibrated.

Kayce glanced at it, slipped out of bed, and left the bedroom.

If Hanna saw him now, she would be utterly stunned-wasn't Kayce supposed to be paralyzed?

In the study, Kayce's well-dressed female assistant reported respectfully, "Shadow Master, I've discovered that the woman you married is named Hanna Murphy. She's standing in for Miss Brynn Murphy..."

A week ago, Kayce had been poisoned but was saved by a girl, but he left soon after he was detoxified due to urgent business matters. When he returned to seek out the girl, she was nowhere to be found. Not long after, Kayce's assistant found Brynn wearing Kayce's ring, revealing that Brynn was the girl from that fateful night. To repay her, Kayce proposed marriage to the Murphy family. However, the Murphy family sent a ringer!

The assistant cautiously observed Kayce, as she spoke, her voice growing softer.

In Zreles, no one dared to play tricks on Shadow Master.

"Well, this is intriguing!" Kayce suddenly laughed.

The assistant knew this expression all too well. Trouble was brewing for someone!

Wiping sweat from her forehead, she hesitantly asked, "Shadow Master, should we have someone handle Hanna..."

Before she could finish, Kayce raised a hand to silence her. "No. I want to see what game the Murphy family is playing."

The next day, Hanna was shaken awake by someone.

As she slowly opened her heavy eyelids, she saw a man in a designer suit sitting in a wheelchair. Her eyes traveled upward, and when she saw the man's face clearly, she was instantly so frightened that she couldn't utter a sound.

She had never seen such a grotesque face!

His features were mangled, his skin a maze of wrinkles and cracks, marred by angry red and purple scars. Encountering this face at night would surely scare someone to death.

"You can't recognize your husband after just one night?" the man teased.

Hearing the cold, yet aristocratic and magnetic voice, Hanna realized this was Kayce.

"Get up and put this on!"

A flash of red landed at Hanna's feet.

It was a vibrant red dress.

According to the customs in Zreles, a bride must wear red for three days after the wedding to seal the union.

Ignoring the red dress, Hanna continued to stare at Kayce's horrifying face.

No wonder people said Kayce looked like a ghost.

He wore that ugly mask on purpose.

Typically, folks tended to show off their best side by making themselves look better and enhancing their appearance.

Why would a super good-looking guy hide his face behind an ugly mask?

As if reading her thoughts, Kayce said with icy detachment, "The more secrets you uncover, the more perilous it becomes. Remember, if you wish to live a long life, keep your mouth shut."

Hanna shivered.

She understood Kayce was cautioning her against revealing what she saw last night to anyone.

Yet, his warning only kindled her curiosity about his hidden truths.

"If you want me to change clothes, you'll have to leave," Hanna said, clutching the dress, her eyebrows raised defiantly.

Kayce's cold eyes swept over her. "I'm not interested in someone like you."

Despite his words, he turned his wheelchair, granting her some privacy.

Seeing the scorn in his eyes, Hanna felt a surge of indignation.

"Don't worry, Mr. Collins. I have no interest in you either. You're too cold-definitely not my type!" she retorted.

A flicker of something inscrutable passed across Kayce's face.