Chapter 14: Marriage

A matching but wider men's ring lay in her palm.

She picked up the ring and lifted his gloved left hand. The man chuckled softly and cooperatively bent his ring finger. As the cold metal circle slowly slid onto his finger, Lily felt like she was putting a collar on a temporarily tamed beast.

"Congratulations!" The priest sighed in relief.

Almost simultaneously, David's deep eyes locked onto hers through his mask, carrying an undeniable smile. His strong arm suddenly wrapped around her slender waist, pulling her into his embrace with a force that made Lily gasp and stumble, her forehead inevitably hitting his cold silver mask. Her nose was filled with his intense cedar scent, overwhelming her senses.

"The mark is effective," his magnetic whisper rolled past her ear.

The next second, his head dipped down. His rose-colored lips captured her gasp.

Lily's body stiffened, her mind blank for a moment.

Unlike the chaotic kiss at the cliff, this time his kiss was clear-headed, fiery, and possessive. She instinctively wanted to turn her head to avoid this sudden intimacy. Her arm naturally bent, her palm pressing against his firm chest as she tried to push away a bit.

This slight struggle seemed to ignite something.

She clearly felt the man's broad chest suddenly tense, the strength of his muscles transmitted through his suit. The arm around her waist tightened instantly, almost crushing her into his body.

Through several layers of clothing, something unexpected, hard, and hot was pressing against her lower abdomen! It was clear and impossible to ignore!

Lily's face instantly burned red, blood rushing to her head!

All the vague sense of safety and that slight absurd warmth were instantly replaced by intense shame and confusion. She froze there; even her breath stopped. Her hand on his chest stiffened, unsure whether to pull back or continue pushing.

David let out a barely audible low gasp, but the kiss on her lips became deeper and more irresistible, with a near-punitive devouring sensation, crazily plundering her breath. But she could feel he was using willpower to control his body's reaction.

Finally, when Lily felt she was about to suffocate, he abruptly pulled away. The sound of their lips separating was light but clear in the quiet church.

Behind the mask, his eyes were as deep as the sea before a storm, swirling with emotions Lily couldn't understand and didn't dare to look at. His fiery gaze firmly locked onto her swollen, moist lips. His left hand, wearing the wedding ring, lifted, and his rough fingertips forcefully, almost venting, wiped across her lower lip, smearing the bright wet mark further, as if trying to erase his own imprint, yet deepening some kind of mark.

His voice was hoarse like sandpaper scraping, "The contract is established." Each word wrapped in unquenched desire, clearly striking Lily's sensitive and chaotic nerves.

He rebuttoned his suit, perfectly covering the earlier suggestive change. He slightly bent down, his hand naturally falling on her still flat abdomen, pressing lightly through the thin fabric.

"Now, my dear wife," his eyes flickered with a triumphant and determined fire, the earlier loss of control seeming like her illusion, leaving only a composed sense of control. He emphasized "dear" with charming power, "where do you want to start with the new and old grudges?"

Lily looked at the fire in his eyes, the urge for revenge growing stronger in her heart. "I want to take everything from the Martin family piece by piece, make them taste the fall from grace."

David raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I can make them lose everything by tomorrow."

Lily shook her head, her gaze resolute. "That would be too easy for them. I want them to despair slowly, just like they did to me."

David was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "Alright, I support you. Just let me know when you need help."

They walked out of the church, the sun setting, casting a golden hue on the white building. As Lily reached the bottom of the steps, she heard a familiar voice:

"Lily!"

She turned sharply, seeing Eric stepping out of a black sedan, quickly walking towards her.

David had thoroughly investigated Lily's background and had even sent people to intimidate him, naturally recognizing this cheating scoundrel, Eric.

David sensed Lily's body stiffen, ready to step in and have the bodyguards drive Eric away, but he heard Lily say, "I want to talk to him alone."

David's eyes flashed with a hint of displeasure, but he nodded. "I'll be waiting over there." He pointed to a distant tree. "Call me if you need anything."

Lily nodded, watching David walk away with the bodyguards.

Eric hurried over, warily glancing at the departing David, his eyes full of complex emotions. "Who is he?"

"None of your business."

"How is it not my business? You're my fiancée. Lily, don't you love me anymore? Do you know how happy I was when I saw the news that you weren't dead? I started looking for you as soon as I saw the news, and I didn't expect to find you here."

"Is that all you wanted to say?" Lily's tone was cold, completely different from when she faced David.

Eric noticed her coldness, saw the ring on her hand, and his face immediately changed. "You got married? To that masked man?"

"Yes, so what?"

Eric shouted, "Are you crazy? How can you, a woman, be so shameless? We haven't broken up, and you married another man?"

Lily laughed in anger. "Eric, did you forget? You betrayed me! You hooked up with Haven! You tried to kill me. I survived by luck, and you question why I cheated?"

Eric said righteously, "That's different! It's normal for men to make mistakes, but how can you, a woman, be so casual?"

Lily looked at him, full of disbelief. She began to doubt her sanity. Was she blind before? Why did she fall for such a lunatic?

Eric thought Lily's silence was guilt. "Lily, you scared me with your tricks, and now you marry someone else, do you think I can't see through it? These are all your ways to make me change my mind, right?"