Contract Marriage: The Replacement Groom

’Don’t pretend to act like a good girl. You aren’t and you will never be.’

Jeslyn took the phone off her ear and looked at the ID before looking around the room. She didn’t understand what that woman was talking about.

"Sorry, ma, do you know me from anywhere?"

’And you expect me to answer such stupid question from a Gold digger like you? Jeslyn or whatever your name is, stay away from my son. I won’t warn you again. Vera is my daughter-in-law and she’s pregnant with a second child for my son. If you aren’t a wicked person, you wouldn’t need anyone to tell you what your next step should be.’

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

Jeslyn gasped in shock. What is going on?! She didn’t want to believe the mess that just happened, so she tried searching for Vera’s number but couldn’t find it anywhere on her phone.

Their previous messages, chats, emails, and calls could not be found on her phone. It felt like Vera never existed.

Jeslyn chuckled in rage. "You think you can wash away your dishonesty by erasing Vera’s existence from my phone?" She furiously wiped her tears again and sat on the bed with her phone placed to the side.

Her tears fell uncontrollably even though she wasn’t making an effort to let them out. Jeslyn remembered the conversation she had with him at the island.

"What would make you hate me?"

"Ah, if you kill your own child? Restrict my freedom, get rid of my friends because you can, and also..." She smiled, then hugged him. "If you choose Vera or any other woman over me."

Then he asked; "What if I impregnated a girl and killed the child?"

"Why would you kill the child?" She frowned.

"It’s a fetus, isn’t it? Not a child yet."

"What are you saying? Breaking an egg that’s already forming a baby chick, isn’t that killing the chick?" She looked at him with a frown.

"Mn."

"Maverick, why did you ask that? Is someone pregnant for you?"

"No,"

"Then? Why the weird question?" She looked at him suspiciously. He was lying and she could feel it.

Her heart clenched in wait for a heartbreaking truth. If dared to affirm her suspicion and the person turned out to be Vera, she wasn’t going to forgive them both.

"...For your sake."

Jeslyn stared dumbly at him for a while before understanding what he meant, then she burst out into a fit of loud laughter.

"Hahahaha... you scared the hell out of me. I thought you wanted to tell me you got a woman pregnant."

"You wouldn’t want it, right?"

"Is that a question? Of course, I would hate you and that woman forever... especially if she’s Vera. Hmph!" She turned her face away in disgust.

"You don’t like her anymore?"

...

Jeslyn clenched her chest as she mourned. How did she get deceived to believe what he said? "I should have known it was real." She bit her lips to suppress her scream until her lips drew blood.

"What am I supposed to do now?" She balled her fist and slammed it on the bed.

His mother was right. She’ll be a wicked person if she continued to be in between them.

Jeslyn’s mind was too messy to think. She was scared for Valen and his unborn sibling. She grew up in a home where she was unloved by her father because there was another woman. She understood the pain and heartbreak she and her mom went through snd she doesn’t want that for Valen.

Jeslyn would rather choose to die than watch Valen suffer. That’s how much love she got for that child.

She knew she loved Maverick and might not be able to live without him but at this moment, Valen’s happiness matters most.

She picked up her phone with shaky hands and called Pink.

"Older sister," her voice shook and her lips quivered.

"Little bunny, what’s wrong with your voice?"

"What do I do? My husband..." she didn’t know how to continue. Her vision was clouded with hot tears.

"Take it slow and tell me, what happened?"

"Vera is pregnant."

Jeslyn heard Pink take a deep breath before she spoke again.

"What do you intend to do?"

"I want to... leave for Valen’s future."

"Child, that’s a hard decision. Your husband won’t allow it and your heart also won’t. However, I would advise against it but if you feel that’s the best thing, you should go for it."

"Pink, you are not helping...waaaah," she broke down in hot tears. She knew that Pink was right but somehow, she wasn’t expecting that answer. Or rather, she couldn’t accept the obvious truth.

"That’s not so. You’ve already fallen in love with him and he has also shown that he’s very possessive of you. How do you think you can let him go? Your husband is very stubborn and it’s obvious he won’t accept it."

"I can’t be the other woman... waaaah."

"But you are the genuine wife, Jeslyn."

"His mother hates me. She only sees Vera as her daughter-in-law. Older sister, I have decided." Jeslyn wiped her face, still the tears wouldn’t stop.

"I support whatever decision you choose."

Jeslyn put down her phone and covered her face with her palm as she cried her heart out.

...

The next morning, Jeslyn handed a document to Yellow with her puffed face and reddened eyes.

"You already know what this is, after all you brought it for me. Deliver it to your boss."

"Little bunny, are you sure about this?"

"I have made up my mind."

Yellow stayed silent for a while. She looked at the disheveled Jeslyn and sighed. "How about you think about it a little more?"

"The only thing I’ll consider thinking about is your resignation letter if you prove stubborn one more time." Jeslyn looked fiercely at Yellow.

Yellow shook her head. "This will hurt you more than you intend to hurt your husband. I hope you come to your senses soon enough."

After Yellow left, Jeslyn sat on the bed and started to cry again. Of course, she’s hurting. However the least thing she can ever do in her life is to be in a messy relationship. Her mother’s life taught her enough lessons.

Since yesterday, Jeslyn had not eaten anything nor drank anything. She has no appetite and again, there was no alcohol in the full house. It must have been Maverick’s instructions to get her away from alcohol.

She was going to a party soon, she would want to know how influential Maverick was. Would he also get rid of all the alcohol in the party?