My Fiancé's Trap: Buy His Ex's Dump—So I Did

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My fiancé had his eye on a new development. He wanted me to buy a unit there as my wedding dowry.

Then, right when we were about to sign the purchase contract, he decided he wanted a cramped, run-down sixty-square-meter flat instead.

"Eve Gilbert, look how much life this place has. Real neighborhood feel."

"Buy this one for your dowry. It can be our marital home."

The run-down flat cost the same as the hundred-and-thirty-square-meter new build, and well above market rate.

He dragged me to the agent's office to sign, and swore that if I didn't buy the old flat, there'd be no wedding.

While I was still hesitating, a string of text drifted across my vision.

【This run-down flat belongs to Ina Chavez, your fiancé's ex-girlfriend.】

【Once you buy this flat, Ina will use the money to buy that new development as her own marital home.】

【Sign fast and buy it. This flat is about to be slated for demolition, and that new development is going to collapse.】

1

My fiancé, Otto Dickerson, held out the pen, pushing me to sign.

"Eve, if you don't buy this flat, then I'm not getting married."

I frowned and stared at him, those lines of text still turning over in my head.

Did this flat really belong to his ex-girlfriend?

He'd been thrilled about that new development, and then yesterday he'd suddenly switched to this run-down flat.

The agent, Jacob Lambert, coaxed me with a bright smile.

"Miss, I know it looks a little dated right now, but redo the interior and it'll be good as new."

"That new development, who even knows when it'll be finished?"

"No way it'd be ready in time for a wedding."

Otto nodded along. "Exactly. Who knows when that place will get built? It could easily end up abandoned."

"Eve, I can't wait that long to get married."

I still had my doubts about whether that text was telling the truth.

I lowered my head, opened the purchase contract, and looked at the seller line.

The three words "Ina Chavez" jumped out at me.

So the text hadn't lied.

Everything Otto had done these past two days suddenly made sense.

I lifted my eyes to him again.

"Otto, you're sure you want this flat?"

"Once we buy it, this is where we'll live. And the location's a pain to get around."

"Eve, I want this flat, one hundred percent."

"After we're married, I'll just buy a car for the commute. Problem solved, right?"

He looked like he couldn't wait, ready to grab my hand and sign it himself.

"All right, Otto. We'll do it your way."

I took the pen and signed the contract fast.

Once I'd signed, he pushed me to pay the whole amount as soon as possible.

"Eve, why don't we go to the bank right now and pay it off?"

"I won't feel settled until the money's paid."

"You've got the money ready anyway, so there's no point dragging it out."

He pulled me along to the bank and had me pay it off.

The next day he took me to the county property records office to transfer the title.

That was where I saw Ina Chavez, the owner of the run-down flat.

Average height, plain-looking, but very warm.

"Miss Gilbert, if I weren't in urgent need of the money, I'd never sell this place."

She and my fiancé didn't exchange a single word, not even a spare glance.

The two of them looked like complete strangers.

That evening, I got a call from the sales office for the new development.

"Ms. Gilbert, you're really giving up this unit?"

"Yes."

"All right, then I won't hold it any longer. As it happens, a Ms. Chavez has asked for this exact unit as her marital home."

"She even came in with her boyfriend today."

Honestly, I was still a little confused. My fiancé would rather live in a run-down flat so his ex-girlfriend could have a brand-new marital home?

Was he still carrying a torch for her?