His Unwanted Bride: The Substitute's Secret

Chapter 7

Word Count: 626 | Released on: Today at 15:42

ar. The moment her feet touched the ground, he tucked her ar

Leach estate. A hundred conversations paused. A hundr

d, his voice a low comm

leasant smile. It was a mask she had perfected over

and around her, both

gauntlet: his mother, Vivian Leach,

ug was warm, but her eyes immediately darted down to

grip tight, her voice a stage whisper that carried. "You look exhausted,

tch she was holding. Her smile remained fixe

ian chimed in, her tone sweet but pointed. "And Adrie

tag team, steered the conversation

Caroline said, her patience clearl

sensation of being cornered. She glanced at

faced their mothers, his expression perfectly composed.

they had rehearsed. It

tisfied. "If your s

ddenly devoid of all warmth. "Let's n

. She looked offended

at his defense of her. But it was quickly exting

," she said, her smile unwaverin

nodded to their mothers. "She's be

detached herself. She turned and walked toward t

s to the crowd, the sm

further from the noise and the judgment below. At the

ing at something one of them said, perfectly at ease, the master of his universe.

ar their words, but she could read the expression on her mother's face. It was the same one she

ed to Ivette. The brilliant

Elianna. She turned away from the

quiet place. Even

Chapter End

Claim Your Bonus at the APP

Open

His Unwanted Bride: The Substitute's Secret

Hui Hui Romance

“Elianna was nothing more than a substitute wife, pushed into a cold, transactional marriage with billionaire Adrien Leach after her perfect older sister, Ivette, suddenly ran away. For a year, they lived as strangers sharing a zip code, which was exactly what Elianna needed to hide her darkest secret-a severe, trauma-induced phobia of physical touch that left her trembling and terrified at her husband's slightest proximity. But this fragile, loveless balance was completely shattered at the annual family gala. Just as Elianna swallowed her panic to play the dutiful wife, Ivette unexpectedly returned. The golden child burst in, demanding her rightful place beside Adrien, while their own mother looked at Elianna with familiar, crushing disdain, ready to cast the understudy aside. Hiding in the shadows of the balcony, Elianna felt the suffocating weight of her past closing in. She waited for Adrien to terminate their contract, fully expecting him to agree that she was just a pathetic, temporary placeholder who couldn't even bear to be touched. Instead, she heard Adrien's voice cut through the dark, delivering a ruthless warning to the sister who thought she had won. "It's not a deal, Ivette. I married her because I'm in love with her." Standing frozen behind the glass door, Elianna's blood ran cold as she realized her fake, business-deal marriage was hiding a terrifying secret of its own.”