Contract Marriage: The Replacement Groom

"I wasn’t expecting you," the Nanny said.

Nancy helped her to a seat before she sat in front of the woman. "I didn’t think I’d be here either," She replied.

The Nanny sighed, "Your life must be hard." she held Nancy’s hands, "Your hands are freezing," she leaned in and touched her forehead. "You are burning up... WhWhy are you wearing so little?" she glared at the two guards standing behind Nancy and yelled with disappointment in her voice, "How could you not take proper care of your Miss?!"

The guards bowed their heads even lower as the old woman reprimanded them.

"Nanny Xie, they are innocent. It’s my fault."

The old woman shook her head, "You don’t have any faults, child." She continued while gently patting the back of Nancy’s hand. "If death had taken me in place of your sister, I believe you would have been..."

"I don’t regret anything," Nancy cut her off.

The old woman gazed at her for a long time before asking, "Are you still mad at your family? They–"

"Nanny Xie, they’re dead now..." Nancy cut her off again. She didn’t want to hear it.

"Nancy, my girl," the woman pulled her into a hug, "I’m sorry. The world treated you wrongly, you have sought your revenge now, you should rest and take care of yourself, child." The woman pulled away and held her by the shoulders, looking deep into Nancy’s sad eyes.

"Nanny Xie, do you think it’s time for me to rest?" Seeing the woman nod, Nancy got up and walked to the wall where a photo of the young her and little Brian was hung. She brushed her fingers over the frame and while saying.

"His life is in danger, if I leave now, Hwang Min will kill him."

"That shouldn’t be your problem anymore, child. You’ve protected him for 26 years, yet he chose to love his father over you. Isn’t that enough reason to move on?..."

"He’s my son!" Nancy cried out. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The old woman watched her with sorrow in her eyes, "I heard his mother is back and you two got into a confrontation. Why? Didn’t you say you won’t get involved in her life anymore?"

Nancy moved her gaze away and answered, "She came for Brian," she turned her head again to face Nanny Xie this time. "Nanny Xie, what would you have done if you were in my shoes?... You and Brian are the only ones I have. I can’t live without him, Nanny Xie." A teardrop slipped down her cheek.

Nanny Xie felt an ache in her heart, "This child," the woman said sorrowfully and closed the gap between them. She hugged Nancy, then started patting her on the back, wanting her to cry so she’d be relieved but Nancy is not the type to wail, she’s a very stubborn woman.

"Next week is your sister’s memorial, it’s been Ten years since you last visited her." She changed the topic. They’ll talk about it again later and see if she could persuade Nancy to let Brian go, get a divorce, and move out of the Country to start a new life.

Nancy didn’t speak and just remained in Nanny Xie’s embrace.

"Child, you look thin and exhausted, you should go inside and rest a little. I’ll have the servants prepare something for you."

"Hm," Nancy let go and went into one of the rooms.

After she left, the old woman turned sharply to look at the guards. With her walking stick and fibble hands, she beat Death and Nightcrawler until she got exhausted. The two didn’t move and rather made it easy for her.

"I warned you two to not allow her to stress herself! Look at her now, she’s so thin. If her sickness returns, will you be able to suppress it?!" She hit her walking stick on the floor in a fit of rage.

"Forget it, you can’t stop her if she’s decided anyway."

She sat herself down to catch her breath. Nightcrawler hurried to the kitchen to get the old woman a glass of water.

A while later after she had drank some water, she set the cup aside and inquired, "How does Hwang Min treat her? Is he still cold towards her?"

Death nodded gently.

"That bastard!" The old woman thundered. Regret suddenly filled her heart. If she had known, she wouldn’t have brought Nancy back to seek revenge for a family that didn’t recognize her.

Thinking of it, Nanny Xie shut her eyes as memories invaded her mind.

Years ago, she was just a maid in the Rong family. The old master and madam of the Rong family wanted Mrs. Rong to give birth to a son as soon as possible or she’d be sent packing. The pressure built up in the woman’s mind that she became desperate to get a male child, even though she had no child for the past ten years of her marriage.

Mrs. Rong finally got pregnant after a second wife wife was brought in, still, Mrs. Rong wasn’t relieved because her husband’s new wife also got pregnant.

Nobody knew what they would give birth to, but Old Madam Rong already announced that only one female child will be accepted from one of the wives.

On one of Mrs. Rong’s trips to the temple where she prays for a male child, she gave birth on the way and the children happened to be two girls. One of them had a hole in her heart and the other was healthy.

Everyone thought the one with the hole in her heart would die because she was very fragile, so Mrs. Rong asked Nanny Xie, who was just a young maid, to take the child to the temple and leave her to her fate... Also, her identity as the Eldest Miss of the Rong family must be hidden.

Nanny Xie did as told but her conscience didn’t allow her to abandon the crying child. She took care of the baby until she was two years old and left the temple.

Nanny Xie worked day and night to send Nancy to school and also to care for her health. It continued like that until calamity befell the Rong family fifteen years later.

Mrs. Rong came searching for the daughter age abandoned. The woman wanted Nancy to sacrifice her life for her twin sister, but Nancy refused and threw her mother out of the house. That was where her hatred for her mother solidified.

As fate would have it, Nancy’s twin sister came looking for Nancy and built a beautiful relationship with her for two years. Through her twin sister, Nancy knew about Hwang Min and the other members of the family.

Then one day, Nancy came home with blood all over her. When Nanny Xie asked her what the matter was, she got to know that Nancy’s twin sister was involved in a well planned accident.

Knowing that she wouldn’t survive the accident, Nancy’s twin sister told the doctors to give her heart to Nancy without Mrs. Rong’s consent.

Shortly after the operation was done, Nancy’s twin died and Mrs. Rong blamed Nancy for it. Mrs. Rong then made a deal, either Nancy come and take her twin sister’s place, or return the heart.

Left with no other choice, Nanny Xie forced Nancy to return with her mother.

From that day henceforth, Nancy was thrown in a den of tigers. Enemies from the Rong family, and Hwang Min, the villain in Nancy’s life.

Although, Nancy was fortunate enough to build her own faction when she was still living with her, it didn’t mean that the young woman got all that she wanted.

Nanny Xie sighed, Nancy’s life had never been easy. If only she chose peace... But then again, would Hwang Min, Luisa, and the entire Rong family had let her live in peace?