My Fiancé Took Her on Vacation Instead of Marrying Me? I Married WAY Better Chapter 16

My Fiancé Took Her on Vacation Instead of Marrying Me? I Married WAY Better Chapter 16

After the wedding, the guests slowly trickled out.

I sat on the couch in the lounge, rubbing my sore cheeks from smiling too long.

Adrian sent all the staff away, closed the door himself, and sat across from me.

“There’s something I’ve never found the right time to tell you.”

I looked up.

“The first time I saw you was eight years ago, at your grandfather’s sixtieth birthday celebration

I blinked. Eight years ago?

“You were wearing a light blue dress, your hair loosely pinned up, rushing out the door in a hurry.

He paused, his eyes soft. “Because your boyfriend was working late, and you had to go bring him

dinner.”

I tried to remember, but it was all blurry. Back then, my head and heart were full of Ethan. I never knew that my retreating figure had also caught someone else’s attention.

“Later, I visited your grandfather under the pretense of paying my respects. We chatted about you. He said you’d been stubborn since you were little-once you set your mind on someone, not even

ten wild horses could drag you away.”

He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I remember thinking, that guy must be the luckiest man

alive.”

“Then I looked into Ethan Hale.” His eyes went colder.

“And I knew one thing for sure-he wasn’t good enough for you. But you chose him, so I had no right to interfere.”

“Until four years ago, when I heard about the family ultimatum.”

I went still.

Adrian looked at me, his voice low and steady.

“After that, I visited Wright Manor every week. I played chess with your grandfather. I drank tea with him. To put his mind at ease, I locked ten percent of Ashford Group shares and a voluntary

prenup-everything I own-into his safe.”

“So, the marriage pact list only ever had one name on it.”

I was speechless. “You…”

“I spent four years proving to your grandfather,” he said slowly, “that if you ever lost everything, I

would be the one to catch you.”

The lounge fell quiet.

I looked down at the pink diamond on my finger. My nose stung.

All this time, when I thought I’d lost it all—someone had been quietly laying a safety net where I

couldn’t see.

Ethan took eight years to show me how cold a person could be.

And Adrian also took eight years to show me how precious I truly was.

I took a deep breath, pushing back the tears. “Adrian.”

“Yeah?”

He looked at me with a rare hint of nervousness, as if afraid his careful planning might scare me

off.

I said softly, “Thank you for taking care of my grandfather.”

He blinked, then his tense shoulders relaxed. A low chuckle escaped him. “I thought you’d call me

manipulative.”

I stood and walked over to him, meeting his eyes. “We’re already married, but we’ve only known

each other for two weeks. There’s still so much I don’t know about you.”

“So, for the days ahead-let’s take it slow.”

Adrian looked up at me, then gently took my hand.

“Okay,” he said. “No rush.”

He paused, then added quietly, “I’ve already waited so many years. I can wait a lifetime more.”

I froze for a second, then couldn’t help but laugh.

Outside, the night grew deeper. City lights fell softly through the window.

And I realized-this time, I had finally walked into a relationship where I didn’t have to bend until I broke.