The Bride Swap

The courtyard fell into a stunned silence. Everyone stared at me in disbelief.

Seriously? Pulling this kind of stunt at my wedding? And what was that about a special day?

Last time around, the two of them had gone off to celebrate it like it was some sacred anniversary. When they came back, they didn't give Sarah so much as a word of explanation. That icy silence between them lasted a lifetime.

'But I'm not Sarah. She could swallow that kind of thing. I can't—not even a little.

'Wanna go celebrate that day? Go ahead. I'll fight you right there and then, throw my things in a bag, and leave this godforsaken island without a second thought.

'Did you think the daughters of the Cameron family are desperate to marry? If it weren't for the elders clinging to some ancient promise, I'd be living my best life right now—no strings, no nonsense.'

"Blake, are you hurt? You can't treat him like this, Joyce. He's a man—how could you just..." Leila's pale face flushed with fury, her eyes filled with concern as she looked at Blake.

But Blake had already straightened up. He gave me a long, unreadable glance, then cleared his throat with a light cough and said calmly, "I'm fine."

Then, like nothing had happened, he came over and took my hand. "You're coming with me tomorrow."

I blinked in surprise. Leila looked completely betrayed.

"Blake! How could you?" she cried. "I'm never speaking to you again!"

She burst into tears and ran out, hands covering her face.

Then I felt the heat of his breath by my ear. "Let's finish the wedding first. I'll explain everything later, okay?"

With the nuisance out of the picture and me not quite in the mood to make a scene, the guests stayed quiet, and the ceremony moved along quickly.

Not long after, I was in the bridal room, slapping the mattress hard with my palm.

'What the hell was that earlier? Was that supposed to be some kind of seductive act? Hmph. As if that would work on me.'

Click.

The door opened, and Blake stepped inside. My face darkened immediately.

"I'm telling you now, I can't stand men who don't know where they stand," I said coldly. "If you're planning to have other women clinging to you every other day, then let's just end this right here. Don't waste my time. I'll head home and marry someone better."

He frowned. "My grandfather arranged our marriage. Since I married you, I'll take responsibility."

I scoffed. "Pfft. Blake. Let me tell you—if our marriage works out, great. If it doesn't, we split. When they arranged this marriage, there was no fine print saying I had to be yours for life."

"You…" He looked genuinely rattled, pacing back and forth in the room.

Then he sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for my hand. "Joyce, there is nothing between Leila and me. Never was, never will be. I truly want to make this marriage work."

He held my hand tightly despite my resistance. "I'm not good with words. If there's anything you don't like, just say it. I'll change whatever I can."

Under the warm glow of the wedding room lights, his face was serious and sincere.

My cheeks burned for no reason. I nodded, trying to sound casual. "Fine. I've got a temper. If you can deal with it, then we're good."

Seeing the smile in his eyes made me unreasonably annoyed. I leaned in and grabbed him by the neck, kissing him hard.

Soon, our breathing grew heavier. Blake, worthy of his title as a naval commander, quickly took the lead. His hand moved to my buttons, eyes locked onto mine with a hoarse whisper. "Can I, honey?"

Flustered, I pinched him hard.

Why ask now?

His low chuckle brushed against my neck as he whispered, "My bad…"

The heat of his breath against my skin made me close my eyes.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sudden knocking at the door shattered the moment.

"Blake! Leila left a letter. She's gone!"

Blake's body stiffened instantly. He stood up.

"Honey, get some rest. I'll be back soon."

I glared at him, fury burning in my chest.

"There are tons of people in the unit. Why the hell does it have to be you? Do you have any idea what night this is? It's our wedding night!"