The Wife He Swore To Destroy

The first thing he did after saying I do was to annoyingly let go of my hand.

Like touching me burned his hand.

The altar was silent except for the echo of the priest's final blessing and the soft click of cameras taking pictures, I hadn't been told about. I stood there in a white dress, borrowed, didn't fit, staring at the man who was now my husband, and his back turned towards me, walking away.

"Mr. Blackwood," the priest called anxiously. "You may kiss the bride." pointing to me.

Adrian Blackwood reluctantly turned slowly.

He looked at me with eyes full of hatred and questions. They were the eyes of a man looking for answers.

"I won't, if I were you," he said to me.

The words felt like a blow to my face.

A few people gasped.

I felt all of them looking at me, wondering what sort of a woman would marry a billionaire who stares at her with eyes of hatred.

Adrian leaned in, just enough for only me to hear.

"This marriage is a transaction, a contract I paid you for" he said. "Don't mistake it for mercy."

Then he turned back to the priest. " I am done here."

And just like that, my supposed wedding ended. Without a kiss.

After two hours, I sat alone in the back seat of his car, words going on in my mind, holding my phone like it was a lifeline, as the traffic in Melrose Avenue road crawled around us. My reflection looked back at me in the tinted glass, eyes too big for my petite face.

Adrian sat opposite me, scrolling through his tab as if I didn't exist. His tuxedo was perfect for his sculpted muscular body. His posture was firm. He did not look bothered even by the fact that he had just married someone he clearly hates.

I cleared my throat, "My mother..."

"She'll get the surgery," he cut in without looking up. "The best doctors. The best hospital."

Relief flooded me so fast my chest burned.

"Thank you," I said faintly.

He finally looked at me then.

And whatever warmth I had expected, whatever human virtue, I didn't find any.

"You weren't thankful when you betrayed my family," he said.

My heart stopped.

"I didn't..."

"Don't," he snapped. "Don't lie. I know exactly who you are, Lina."

Hearing my name from his mouth felt wrong. Too intimate. Too sharp.

"Whatever you think I did," I said, my voice trembling despite all my effort to sound calm, "but I swear to you, I have never betrayed you or your family, I didn't do such a thing."

He laughed.

He didn't believe a word I mentioned.

"You disappeared the same week my father was arrested," he said coldly. "The same week our company lost everything. And now you show up years later, desperate and broke, asking for help."

My fingers curled into the fabric of my borrowed, saggy looking dress. "That's a coincidence."

"There are no coincidences," Adrian replied. "There are only liars and victims."

The car stopped.

We had arrived at his mansion, massive iron gates, high walls, a place that screamed, money, power. A place I would now call home.

A prison dressed as luxury.

He stepped out first. When I hesitated, he turned back, his face hard.

"You wanted this marriage," he said. "You wanted my name. My money. My protection."

He leaned to me until his face was just inches away from my face.

"What you would never get from me," he continued, "is my heart and my forgiveness."

The bedroom was big.

A king sized bed was in the center of the bedroom. Perfect. Cold. Soft.

Adrian threw his jacket over a chair. "You'll sleep on that side," he said, pointing to the far edge. "We will not share a bed. We will not share a life. You will smile in public and stay out of my way in private."

"And if I don't?" I asked quietly.

He paused.

Then he turned to me, eyes darkening. "Then I will make sure that I put you to shame and put you where you belong."

The door banged loudly behind him as he walked out of the room.

I sat on the bed, my knees gave out.

This was it.

I traded my freedom for my mother's life.

Tears tried to flow out from my eyes, but I refused to let them fall, at least not yet. Crying would not change anything. Crying would not save her.

Still, my chest was pounding with a question I couldn't silence.

What did he think I did?

Later at night, long after the mansion went quiet and dark. I lay awake looking at the ceiling. Somewhere down the hall, I heard Adrian's footsteps, slow and deliberate.

He stopped outside the bedroom door.

For one forsaken moment, I thought he might come in.

Instead, his voice seeped through the door, low and controlled.

"You should know something, Lina."

I held my breath.

"I married you to keep you where I can see you," he said. "Because if I ever find proof that you destroyed my family..."

The pause was sickening , deadly.

"I will destroy you right back."

His footsteps faded through the darkness.

I rotated to my side, pressing my face into the soft pillow to suppress the sob that finally escaped.

He despises me.

But the truth, the real truth, was worse.

Because I had no concept who framed me.

And whoever did was close enough to him that he trusted them with everything.

As Lina lay in the dark, replaying Adrian's threat in her mind, her phone buzzed softly on the nightstand.

She hesitated... then reached for it.

One new message.

From an unknown number.

"You should never have married him."

"He can't protect you now."

Her breath caught.

A second message appeared.

"He doesn't know who you really are."

And then, from across the hall, a door creaked open.

Footsteps stopped right outside her bedroom.

Slow.

Deliberate.

Waiting.

Lina jumped up fast when she heard the sound of glass breaking and scattering all over the floor. The sound of the glass was really loud. It startled Lina. She got up from where she was sitting to see what had happened to the glass.

She was sitting up in bed. Her heart was beating fast when something hit the wall on the other side of the room. A picture that was hanging on the wall fell down. Broke into pieces on the floor. The painting was in a frame. It was a really loud noise when it shattered.

"What the..."

The bedroom door swung open fast.

Adrian was standing there with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbow. His jaw was tight and his eyes were really angry; they were like fire. He was holding her phone in his hand. Adrian was still holding her phone and his eyes were raging with fire; it was like he was furious about something.

Her phone.

Oh no.

The man wanted to know where this thing came from. He asked the question in a way.

Lina's heart was beating fast and she could hear it loud, in her ears. She quickly got out of bed. Reached out for something. "Give my stuff back, " Lina said.

He picked it up. Hold it really high. "You do not tell me what to do in my house, " he said.

"It belongs to me, " Lina said, her voice shaking. "You did not have any right to go through my phone."

He interrupted me. "I have every right". He looked at me. "You are my wife". Then he shook the phone. "And this phone was hidden in a secret part of your bag".

Her mouth felt really dry.

She had totally forgotten that the compartment was there. The compartment was something she had not thought about in a time. She did not recall the compartment all until now. The compartment was a thing of the past, for her.

Adrian said to answer him. He wanted to know why she had an email app that was locked with a code. Adrian asked this in a furious voice. "Why do you have an encrypted email app?"

Lina swallowed. "I want to keep things to myself " she said, "I have my privacy."

Adrian's laugh was sharp. He said "Poor girls who are struggling with debt do not usually pay for military grade encryption."

He tossed the phone onto the bed between them. The phone screen turned on. It showed a message that she had not seen before. The message was on the phone screen. It was something Lina did not recognize.

UNKNOWN CONTACT:

"They are watching."

Adrian looked at the screen. He was focused on the screen to see what was on it. The screen was in front of Adrian. He kept looking at the screen.

Then at her.

He smiled slowly.

He said. "So will you tell me what is going on with this thing, this situation, this problem. Can you explain this to me?"

Lina's mind was over the place. The walls felt like they were closing in on her. Every single lie she had told was about to fall. Lina said "It is spam", in a weak voice.

Adrian stepped closer to the phone. He wanted to see it clearly.

He said to Lina "Tell one lie, Lina and I promise you I will make sure you are sorry you ever married me Lina."

Her chest felt really tight. She said "I did not want to marry you. "

That really stopped him. He didn't know what to do.

For a short moment something sparked in his eyes. It was not anger.

Pain.

Then it disappeared. It was there for a moment. Then it vanished.

He said," You came to me .You walked into my office.You said you wanted my name."

"I asked you for help". She was really loud. "There is a difference."

There was a lot of silence between them. It felt really heavy. The silence between them was very uncomfortable. It felt like it was weighing them down.

Adrian breathed out slowly. " Get dressed"

She looked at them with surprise and asked "Why?"

You are coming with me.

"Where?"

"My office."

She looked at him and said "No".

He leaned his head down looking at her like she was a problem he really wanted to figure out. "This is not a request."

"I am not your worker. I do not work for you." Lina yelled.

"You are my problem, until I figure out what kind of game you are playing, you do not ever leave my sight."

Her heart felt really bad. She said "That is not right."

"Marrying the woman who destroyed my family is not right either."

The words really got to her; they went into her soul. This was not the first time she had heard the words but that did not matter. The words still had an effect on her.

Adrian turned to leave. "You have ten minutes"

The door closed loudly behind him as he walked out.

The Blackwood Group headquarters is really something. It is a building with a lot of steel and glass.

The Blackwood Group headquarters looked perfect. Lina did not feel like she belonged there. Adrian was walking with her through the security area. He had his hand on her lower back, holding her tightly. She was not feeling very comfortable.

Possessive.

Deliberate.

Every single eye was on them watching their every move. It was really something to see. Every eye in the room followed them.

Whispers started to spread fast and they were very bad. They were like poison hurting her slowly. The whispers just kept on coming one, after another. They were all very mean,not nice.

"That is the woman we are talking about." said by one of the whisperers.

"The wife?"

"She looks like an ordinary person. She appears to be someone you would see every day and not really notice."

"Is that the person who destroyed them?"

Lina held her head up even when she felt bad about what happened and it made her feel really bad inside. She felt shame crawling under her skin.

In the elevator, Adrain finally said. "You are not allowed to talk unless someone talks to you, " He was very clear about this rule. He wanted to make sure she understood.

She clenched her jaw tightly and said. "I am not mute "

He said "You will be if you dare say a thing you are not supposed to."

The doors opened onto the executive floor. This was the part of the building where all the important people worked.

The boardroom was already full.

Men and women who were wearing suits all turned to look at Adrian when he walked in. All the conversations stopped. The room fell silent as everyone watched them.

Then she saw the woman.

Vivian Blackwood.

Adrian's sister got up from her seat and her face looked happy but it did not seem real. She said "Brother". Took a step forward. "You did not tell me you were bringing your wife today."

Her eyes moved to Lina. They were sharp even though she was smiling at her.

A chill ran down Lina's back. It was a cold feeling.

Vivian took Lina's hands in her own. She said to her softly "Welcome, to the family."

Her grip got really tight, her nails dug in enough to cause some pain.

"You look pale," "Are you feeling nervous?" Vivian asked.

Before Lina could say anything the doors swung wide open.

Two men who were wearing suits came into the room and they showed their badges to everyone.

One of them said "Adrian Blackwood,we are here from the Financial Crimes Commission."

The room suddenly became very loud.

Adrian looked confused."What is this?" He was very curious about what was happening.

The investigators looked away from him to Lina.

" We are looking into the Blackwood collapse case again,and your wife is someone we want to talk to about the case."

The words landed like a blow.

Lina felt the room shake. She thought to herself what was going on. She was getting scared.

Adrian turned around slowly to the investigators. He said "Explain to me what is going on,I want to know what is happening."

The investigator went on to say, " Some years back someone got into the company's private files and that caused a lot of trouble. It led to people getting arrested and the company going bankrupt. The person who told us about it just disappeared. Now it seems like that same person's doing things online again.This same source is now active. And your wife is a person of interest in this case."

The man passed a folder across the table to Adrian.

"All the evidence points to your wife."

Everyone looked at Lina. Everyone turned to face Lina.

Adrian did not move.

The morning sun was shining brightly through the big windows and lit up his face. He was standing beside the table, reading something on his tablet. He has not seen her yet.

For a change, he was wearing just a white shirt with the sleeves up and the first two buttons open. His hair was looking rough, like he'd ran his hands through it. He looked tired.

And handsome.

As Lina walked into the room quietly,he looked up at her.

There it was again,that sudden clenching of his jaw when he saw her. But this time, something else lit underneath it.

Awareness.

"You came late," he said.

"I did not know we had a schedule."

"We do now."

She crossed her arms. "Are you always controlling?"

"Yes."

"At least you're honest."

He pointed to the seat across from him. "Sit. We leave in thirty minutes."

"For the board meeting?"

"For damage control," he corrected. "You will be going with me to the charity lunch after that."

She lifted her eyebrows. "Why would I..."

"Because," he cut in smoothly, "the board believes a happy marriage makes me look stable."

"And are we happy?"

"Do not test me early this morning."

She sat anyway.

The housekeeper entered and placed food on the table.

Adrian did not eat.

Instead, he watched Lina.

"You are not eating well enough," he said.

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You barely touched dinner."

"You were interrogating me."

"That doesn't stop hunger."

She looked at him, thrown off.

Why did that sound like concern?

"I am okay," she said.

That didn't convince him.

Without saying a word, he carried her plate,put more fruits on it and dropped it back.

The gesture was simple.

Domestic.

Intimate.

"Eat," he said.

She obeyed.

And none of them spoke about why.

The charity lunch was full of camera flashes and people with fake smiles.

Adrian held her waist the entire time.

Firm.

Protective.

Anytime someone came closer, his grip tightened around her, as if he was reminding the world that she belonged to him.

Or perhaps reminding himself.

"Mr. Blackwood," a reporter called, putting a microphone forward. "Is it true that your wife is involved in the reopened investigation?"

The air froze up.

Lina felt Adrian's hand tense.

He took a step forward, pulling her with him.

"My wife," he said, "knows nothing about it."

"She has nothing to do with what happened to my family."

The reporter kept on. "But there are digital trails..."

"Then follow them," Adrian cut in sharply. "And when you find out the truth, I expect an apology printed boldly."

He turned away before anybody could respond.

Inside the car, Lina looked at him.

"That wasn't necessary," she whispered.

"Yes, it was."

"Why did you?"

He looked outside the window.

"Because I will not let people arm what belongs to me."

The words surprised her.

What's mine?

She shouldn't have liked the way that sounded.

But she did.

That evening, the mansion was full of anxiety.

The investigation became worse. Calls flooded Adrian's phone. The board demanded explanations.

By the time he entered the bedroom,he was angry.

Lina was leaning by the window again, her hands around herself.

"Don't stand up for me like that," she said softly.

He removed his tie. "Why not?"

"Because you will look stupid if I did something wrong."

He stepped closer.

"Do you think I feel concerned about that?"

She stared at him.

"You care about control."

"Yes," he said simply.

"And I am currently choosing how this goes."

Her heart was beating fast as he moved closer.

"Why?" she asked again.

This time, his answer was gentle.

"Because something doesn't add up."

Her breath caught.

"You do not act like someone who's guilty," he continued softly. "You look like you are waiting for something bad to happen."

She swallowed.

"What are you waiting for, Lina?"

She gave no answer.

He lifted his hand.

For a moment, she thought he would touch her face but instead he just moved a strand of hair away from her face.

The touch was light.

Barely there.

But it sent heat racing down her spine.

His thumb stayed near her jaw.

"You are shaking," he said softly.

"So are you," she replied.

His eyes were gloomy.

And then...

He kissed her.

It wasn't gentle.

It wasn't soft.

It was restrained hunger breaking free.

She put her hands on his chest to stop herself from falling.

His mouth tasted like a mix of anger and desire.

For a moment, the investigation faded.

The past didn't exist.

There was only the way his grip was firm around her waist.

Only the way her body responded without asking.

He deepened the kiss.

She made a soft moan in her throat.

And that was his doing.

He suddenly pulled back, breathing heavily.

"This is a mistake," he said roughly.

"Then stop," she challenged.

He got angry.

"You think I won't?"

"Prove it."

The air between them stopped.

He walked forward again, pushing her gently to the wall.

His forehead pressed on hers.

"You don't know how much effect you have on me," he said softly.

"Then explain it."

His hand went from her waist down to her hip.

Slow.

Deliberate.

Her pulse rumbled.

He said softly. "I hate that you're inside my house. Inside my life."

His fingers tightened.

"And I hate that when I look at you..."

He didn't complete his words.

Instead, he kissed her again,very slow this time.

Not punishment.

Not anger.

Something far more dangerous.

Something that felt like surrender.

She held on to his shirt tightly.

And for one reckless moment..

She almost told him everything.

Almost confessed who she used to be.

She almost trusted him.

A phone rang.

The noise broke the silence.

Adrian took a step back, angry and breathing very hard.

He brought out his phone and his face changed when he read it.

"What is it?" Lina asked softly.

He didn't answer immediately.

When he did, his voice had turned cold again.

"The digital team just traced the anonymous activity."

Her blood ran cold.

"Where?" she forced herself to ask.

His eyes lifted slowly to hers.

"To this house."

Silence.

"That's impossible," she whispered.

"Is it?"

He turned and walked back to the door.

"Adrian."

He paused.

"If you're telling me lies," he said without looking back, "I won't protect you again."

Then he walked out.

Lina stood frozen.

Her phone beeped in her hand.

She never knew she was holding it.

A new message.

Unknown number.

You should have left when you could.

Her fingers shaked.

Another message appeared.

He's about to find the file.

Her heart stopped.

What file?

Footsteps exploded down the hallway.

Not Adrian's.

Heavier.

Faster.

Then...

A crash echoed from downstairs.

Voices.

Raised.

Angry.

Lina rushed to the bedroom door.

Before she could open it, it swung inward.

Adrian stood there, face pale with fury.

In his hand...

A printed document.

He held it up slowly.

"Do you want to explain," he asked, calmly,"why your fingerprints are on a secret Blackwood file from five years ago?"

The room started to spin.

Her vision blurred.

"That's not possible," she breathed.

His eyes hardened.

"It's dated the night my father was arrested."

Her knees nearly gave out.

He entered the room.

"Tell me," he ordered, "what your name is doing on this report under a different identity."

The words hit like a gunshot.

Different identities.

Her lungs refused to work.

He knew.

Or he was about to.

And somewhere in the house...

The door creaked.

Soft.

Intentional.

Unseen.

Adrian's phone beeped again.

He glanced at it.

And whatever he read made his face drain of color.

"What?" Lina whispered.

He looked up at her slowly.

"Something has happened," he said.

"Where?"

His voice became empty.

"At the hospital."

Her heart stopped beating.

"Your mother," he finished.

And the lights in the mansion went out.

Total darkness swallowed the room.

Somewhere below them...

A woman laughed.