The Substitute Bride And Her Poor Husband

Meagan Allison walked into the house of the Allison family, feeling uneasy.

She was an illegitimate daughter, and she had been living with her mother and brother somewhere else for many years. This was her first time here.

Her father, stepmother, and half-sister, Winona Allison, were sitting on the sofa and waiting for her.

"You're finally here." Disgusted, Meagan's stepmother looked at her, raising her eyebrows. "Take off your dusty overcoat and hang it by the door. Don't get our house dirty."

Meagan's father ignored her and her mother for many years. But two days ago, he suddenly contacted her and asked her to marry someone on behalf of Winona.

The Allison family and the Whitman family had been friends for generations. They had agreed that Winona would marry Zayden Whitman. However, the Whitman family had declined and hidden in a small village. It was said that Zayden was a gangster and had been arrested several times.

Of course, Winona would never agree to marry such a poor man. But the agreement had to be fulfilled, so the Allison family had to ask Meagan to replace Winona in marrying that man. After all, she was only an illegitimate daughter.

Meagan could still remember her father's words when he called her that day. He said coldly, "Meg, think it over. As long as you agree to marry Zayden, I will give you a sum of money you can use to treat your mother's illness."

Meagan didn't sleep the whole night, thinking it over thoroughly. The next day, she agreed.

After all, she had no other choice. She needed the money to treat her mother's illness and send her brother to school.

That was why she came to meet with the Allison family today.

Meagan stood at the door and took a deep breath.

"I want to talk about the marriage."

Her stepmother got very impatient. "What else do you want to talk about? The deal is already good enough for you. You're still being ungrateful?"

This time, Winona chimed in arrogantly, "You're suited to marry that man. Anyway, your mother has slept with many men, and your brother is also a bastard. A woman like you only deserves to marry a rogue."

Winona's words were so harsh that Meagan's face turned pale. Her eyes were slightly red because of anger.

Her father pretended not to hear anything. He waved his hand and said, "As I told you, I will give you a large amount of money if you agree to marry Zayden. That's all. There's nothing else you need to know, so there's no need to talk about it more."

Meagan was still worried, but she had to suppress it. She was powerless against her father.

She had no choice but to prepare for the wedding alone.

On the day before the wedding, a typhoon struck the city. Billboards and trees were blown down and could be seen everywhere on the streets. Despite this mess, Meagan's wedding was pushed through.

There was no luxurious bridal car to pick her up. She walked a long way before she got in an unremarkable van. It took a long time to reach the village. Her shoes and wedding dress got muddy as she walked.

Elderly people had a belief that someone who got married in such weather would not have a happy married life.

But Meagan didn't care about her happiness long ago.

Her husband's house was in the village. The house was dilapidated, and rain leaked in from some holes.

Actually, there was no ceremony for this so-called wedding. It seemed that her husband was also unwilling to marry her.

Meagan was so nervous that her body tensed up. She kept her head down, not daring to look at her husband.

After she entered the room, her husband went to the bathroom to take a shower. She was left sitting at the edge of the bed. She kept this posture for so long that her back stiffened. And she was still wearing her wedding dress.

"It's late. Go to bed now."

His deep and charming voice suddenly brought Meagan back to her senses. She looked up and met his deep-set eyes filled with unpredictable emotions.

Meagan held the hemline of her wedding dress nervously, and her heartbeat went abnormally fast.

When she saw his wet hair from taking a shower, she realized that she would spend their wedding night with him tonight.

Meagan didn't know how to get along with her husband. After all, she didn't know him. And she was the substitute bride.

She took a deep breath and tried her best to stand up, but she was trembling all over. "I... I'll take a shower too."

The man's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything.

Meagan quickly trotted into the bathroom and was about to lock the door. But to her surprise, the wooden door didn't even have a lock.

She was stunned for a moment. Although she also had a hard life, it was not as poor as this.

Her eyes turned red slightly. She hesitated for a long time, not knowing if she should take off her wedding dress.

The man, outside the bathroom, seemed to have seen through Meagan's mind. He suddenly said, "I'll go outside to smoke. Take your time."

Meagan didn't answer. Instead, she leaned against the door and listened. She heard his receding footsteps and the creak of the door. Then she didn't hear anything else.

After taking a shower, she walked out of the bathroom while wiping her hair.

Her husband hadn't returned to the room yet.

Meagan was squatting in front of her suitcase, looking for her pajamas, when he came in.

When Meagan looked back, she moved a little abruptly, making the bath towel slip from her body and fall to the floor. There was nothing to cover her now. She screamed and wrapped her arms around herself subconsciously. But it was too late.

He had already seen her body.

Meagan hurriedly pulled the quilt and covered her body. Her face flushed.

The man swallowed his saliva, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. He walked to her slowly and said, "It's late. We should sleep." His voice was low, cold, and hoarse with a bit of intimacy.

He stressed the word "we."

Meagan's heart almost jumped out of her throat. She closed her eyes tightly, but she suddenly felt a force around her waist. The next moment, she fell into his arms. Then she was pressed on the bed.

Her mind went blank.

She felt his hot chest against her back, and she heard his strong heartbeat. His masculinity enveloped her whole being. She took a deep breath, hoping it would calm her down even a little. Her limbs were as stiff as before.

His hands suddenly stopped.

Then his voice sounded in her ears. "Do you know who I am?"

Meagan was stunned by his question.

He wanted to remind her that he was her husband, and it was their wedding night. It was only normal for them to consummate their marriage.

However, due to her extreme nervousness, Meagan answered his question literally. "I know. You are Zayden Whitman."

His eyes narrowed, and he smiled.

Zayden Whitman... At least, that was what she knew. But the truth was he was not Zayden Whitman at all. And he knew that she was not Winona Allison either.

Actually, he already knew she was just a substitute from the moment she entered the door. He didn't know what exactly happened. But he knew clearly that it was impossible for Winona to marry a countryman.

But it didn't matter anymore. Meagan replaced the real bride, and he replaced the real groom. They were just even.

"Zayden..."

He came back to his senses when he heard Meagan call him. He lowered his head and met her beautiful sparkling eyes. Her timid and soft expression made him enamored of her.

"I'm sorry. I'm just too nervous." Meagan bit her lower lip, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck. "Of course, you are my husband now. But please understand. It may take some time for me to get used to this. Anyway, let's get started."

As beads of sweat oozed from the tip of her nose, she clumsily approached him, trying to act naturally. But her whole body was trembling.

His heart skipped a beat. When he saw that she was about to kiss him on the lips, he suddenly held her hands and gently pushed her away.

Meagan froze. Her face still flushed, and her eyes were full of confusion.

He looked at her and said, "Forget it. I'm sure you're tired today. You can rest and sleep for now."

"Zayden... I..."

"I think you need some time to get used to your new life. Don't worry. I won't make things difficult for you until you get used to having a husband."

After saying this, he lay on one side of the bed and turned his back to Meagan.

Meagan looked at his bare back in a daze. She didn't even realize how much time had passed. Eventually, she heard him snoring lightly.

Now that he was deep asleep, she finally had a chance to look at him carefully.

He looked very handsome even though he was asleep. He rested his head on his muscular arm, showing how good his body was. She couldn't help blushing even more when she saw his muscular body.

At the thought of this, her heart started throbbing violently. Meagan hurriedly turned around.

She finally felt sleepy. But her mind was still filled with everything that had happened today.

Meagan awoke with a jolt. It was only then that she found the sun was already shining brightly outside, and her husband was no longer beside her.

Meagan got up from the bed and put on her clothes. Then she went out to the yard, only to see her husband doing some morning exercises.

He was half-naked, revealing his bare chest. He was holding two dumbbells in both hands, lifting them alternately. As the morning sunlight showered upon him, his toned muscles, which were like small rocks lined up all over his body, glowed up. It was as if he was a Spartan warrior.

While looking at him, Meagan felt her face hot. She blushed lightly as she greeted him. "You get up very early."

He turned his head and looked at her indifferently.

Meagan was so embarrassed that she looked around the yard to avoid his gaze. The yard wasn't too big, and it was a little messy. There were sandbags, boxing gloves, baseball bats, and dumbbells everywhere. Seeing these things made her feel a bit nervous, remembering the rumors that Zayden had been imprisoned multiple times before. She didn't know if those rumors were true. But judging from his physique, it was apparent that he fought a lot.

Now she couldn't help wondering what character he had.

She heard that most men in this area had serious male chauvinism, to the point that beating their wives was normal, especially when they were drunk.

Meagan bit her lower lip and mustered up the courage to approach him. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet. Go cook."

Meagan quickly nodded, turned around, and ran to the kitchen.

She was skillful in cooking, so it didn't take long for her to make breakfast.

At this moment, he got inside and sat at the table. When he raised his head, he saw Meagan's smiling eyes and his heart skipped a beat. But he pretended it was nothing, picked up a sandwich, and put it on her plate.

Meagan was stunned for a moment. She was about to refuse when he said, "You are so skinny. You should eat more."

"Oh, okay."

She pursed her lips. Actually, there were many things she wanted to talk with him. First, she wanted to apologize for what had happened last night. All men should be looking forward to making love with their wives on their wedding night. However, her reaction made it look like he was forcing her, although he wasn't.

Second, she wanted to ask him about his future plans. Since they were now a couple, they should plan for their future.

Besides, she still didn't know what he did for a living. How would he earn money to support their family?

And they had to know each other more.

However, he always kept his head down, only focusing on his breakfast. Meagan observed him quietly. Whenever he raised his hand, the calluses on his knuckles were pretty eye-catching. Most probably, he got them from punching the sandbags countless times.

When Meagan saw this, she swallowed back all the words she wanted to say.

Their first meal as a couple was long and silent. Of course, Meagan felt very uncomfortable. But she had already married him, and there was no turning back.

She suddenly asked, "By the way, are you free today?"

He was slightly taken aback. Obviously, he didn't expect the question. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I'll just go downtown to return my wedding dress. I rented it from the bridal shop," Meagan replied with a smile.

He froze for a moment. He didn't give a damn about anything about the wedding. He didn't even know that her wedding dress was rented. Getting married was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most women. This was the biggest event of their lifetime. So they would buy their wedding dresses. At the thought of this, a strange feeling surged in his heart.

Meagan noticed that he fell silent, so she hurriedly explained, "I'm not asking you to accompany me. I can return the wedding dress myself. You can deal with your business if you're busy. You don't have to worry about me."

"Okay," he answered lightly.

They were polite and distant from each other. It was as if they were new roommates.

Meagan cleaned up the soiled wedding dress, packed it up, and put it into a bag. Then she left the house and took several bus rides before reaching the bridal shop. She left in the morning, but it was almost noon when she arrived downtown.