Chapter 9

|| VALERIA ADDAMS's POV ||

LISLE HOSPITAL,

" You will be fine, Mom! I..I promise..you...you will be out of this coma, one day. I am not gonna leave you alone again!"

Tears trickled down from my eyes as I held my mom's hand after a long time. Talking to her without getting any response had become my favorite hobby in these years. Whenever I visited her, I made sure to tell her everything about my life and dad. She had been in a vegetarian state ever since I was only seven. Dad said that it caused her by an accident.

The doctor said that there was no hope from her side to wake up again but I wasn't willing to trust it. She was my mother. How could I give up on her so easily? Even Dad sometimes said that we should let go of her to heaven but I had never agreed. Until there was one tiny hope left, I was going to wait for her.

Her medical expenses were bored by me so far. Dad's savings were more than enough to give her financial support but it wasn't working for her anymore. That's why, I needed money desperately and a job to feed myself. When I came to look for my dad in prison, he showed me his side that even if he was in jail, he was still the monster who wouldn't hesitate to kill his own family for power and money.

My mind was slightly diverted, remembering the last words, coming from Knox last night.

" If you want to save everything, you have no choice but to accept this forced marriage and be a baby breeder for me, Princess!"

I felt like an object that was easy to sell out. However, Gideon was right in either way. I had no one to rely on except for him. My ex-boyfriend cheated on me. Even rumors had been circulating that he was going to the stripper club now and then.

I burst into tears harder, grabbing my mother's hand which felt warm and cozy. Although she never talked to me anymore, it gave me a sense of security to feel that she was always right beside me.

" I...am going to marry him, Mother..I have no choice..I have to ...."

I confessed, holding onto her hands tighter. She would have never agreed if she was able to speak today. I remember her being a virtuous woman who always respected relationships and love deeply. There was no love between Gideon and me anymore. He just needed me to satisfy his anger and ego to get a child from me. If that was all going to stop him from hurting my family, I was willing to trade my life for the time being. After all, he will eventually get tired after playing enough with me.

An hour later, I came out of my mother's room to give a phone call. The call went straight to him. It was answered fast as if he knew that I would be calling him. I blurted, closing my eyes to let the tears fall,

" I..agree..to your offer but only.. for a child.. Where should I come now? "

He gave me a location without any details. I got into a taxi, staring at the empty roads ahead to embrace my cruel fate.

Why couldn't I get a normal life?

___________

"So...no wedding ring?", I asked in puzzlement, staring down at the registry papers in my hands. That's it, we were a legally married couple now. How powerful is the Gideon Vitalies now?

I didn't need any documents to register my marriage here. He had everything set from the beginning. The authority didn't require anything except for my signature. I think that I didn't know this man at all.

Gideon scoffed, lips pulling up in a devilish smile,

" Oh come on, Valeria! You don't expect me to treat you like a real wife, do you? No wedding for you! It's a payoff for what you have done to me."

I swallowed the painful lump in my throat. I was probably the first woman on earth who didn't have a wedding ring even though we were married. The car drove in dire silence to his luxurious mansion. It was different from the mansion that I had gotten in last night. I didn't want to flatter myself, thinking that he prepared this mansion to start our new married life.

The car was turned off. I came out on my own as Gideon left without a word. Confused, I stared at the mansion in horror, remembering the words that I had once told him. I told him that I wanted to live in a house which looked like an old castle. There, it was no less than a hundred years old. Even though my father was a rich man, he never liked anything too old or used. I couldn't understand why Gideon would bother to fulfill my wish after he clearly stated that he hated me to death.

As I was lost in checking the European-style mansion, I failed to notice his presence beside me. He whispered into my ears, lips forming into a devilish smile,

" Welcome to hell, Valeria Addams."

My eyes narrowed at his face in fear. I couldn't trust this man any longer. Still, I had no idea what he prepared for me in this house. I followed him inside cluelessly. As soon as we entered the mansion, a girl in her late twenties stepped outside, swaying her ass seductively.

I furrowed at her as she greeted him with a smile followed by an intimate hug,

" Gideon, you are back!"

Gideon smirked without pushing her back. He gestured at me as if I was nothing but a puppet there,

" Meet my wife, Lina! Valeria Addams Vitalies. I am sure, you have already heard her name."

Lina shot me a glance that looked murderous. She replied pressing her lips together hatefully,

" Of course! How can I forget the name of the woman who destroyed your life? But I don't understand..when I am here..why do you need her to fuck you..."

I felt the biggest slap as a woman there. So, he had already kept a woman in his place. If that was the case, why did he marry me? Why did he force this marriage on me? He could have just taken me in his bed for a child.

Holding the tears of shame down, I dragged my feet from there weakly to the stairs. I heard Lina chuckling at my back but I wasn't in mind to see their intimate moments.

______

I had no idea for how long I was in a daze, sitting in the room. The second floor had many rooms but one of them was the biggest and well-decorated. I assumed that it belonged to Gideon and I just slipped inside it. If we were husband and wife, everything needed to be shared including his bed.

The door slammed open with a bang. The rich smell of his cologne hit my nostrils. He looked like a happy devil who just got his prey. His clothes were all twisted, implying the fact that he had gotten close to the woman. Despite our hatred, I felt a sting in my heart. After all, he was the first man who stole my heart once. I still cared for him but I knew, I deserved nothing but his hatred.

His eyes stayed on me before curling up into a bitter smile,

" Time has changed, isn't it? You could have been the lady of this house but now...you are just a fuck whore to me. Be a good wife, Princepessa! Get on the bed and wait for me."