He Married Her on Our Wedding Day Chapter 01

He Married Her on Our Wedding Day Chapter 01

The day Adrian and I were supposed to get legally married, a hurricane made landfall.

Halfway there, Adrian made me get out of the car.

“Reporters are waiting outside the county clerk’s office. It’ll look bad if they photograph us together. It’s not far. You can walk the rest of the way.”

I didn’t even have time to grab my phone before Adrian shoved me out of the passenger seat.

The wind and rain were brutal.

I had no phone.

No umbrella.

So I had no choice but to walk.

It took me three hours to reach the county clerk’s office.

Adrian himself had instituted Vale Group’s no-dating policy.

He had once coaxed me with the same excuse.

“Tessa, I love you. But I’m the CEO. I can’t be the one breaking a rule I made myself.”

“I want Celeste to pretend to be my girlfriend. She’s close to both of us, and she’s willing to help keep our relationship quiet.”

“Don’t worry. You’re the only woman I actually love.”

So Celeste got the home Adrian and I were supposed to share.

She was also the one Adrian entrusted it to.

And now, on the day Adrian was supposed to go with me to make our marriage official, he had taken Celeste there instead.

By the time I arrived at the county clerk’s office, soaked from head to toe, Adrian and Celeste had actually gotten married.

Their marriage was already official.

A reporter spotted me and immediately came over.

“Ms. Monroe, what are you doing here?”

“Did you come to congratulate Mr. Vale and Ms. Grant on their marriage?”

I looked up and met Adrian’s eyes from across the room.

There was no guilt in them.

No concern.

Only a clear warning.

He was telling me not to lose control.

Not to tell the reporters the truth about us.

I understood.

So I turned to the camera and smiled.

“Yes.”

“I wish them a happy marriage.”

Adrian, we wouldn’t have to hide our office romance anymore.

Because I was done with you.

…

The reporter burst out laughing.

Then she pointed at the veil on my head.

“Ms. Monroe, if you failed to come between them, you could just admit it.”

“Showing up in a veil to offer your congratulations is a little ridiculous, don’t you think?”

My hand flew to the top of my head.

Only then did I remember.

Today was supposed to be the day Adrian and I made our marriage official.

I had worn the veil because I wanted to look pretty in the photos.

My eyes instantly reddened.

I was still trying to figure out how to explain when Adrian strode toward me.

My heart tightened.

For a second, I thought he had come to defend me.

He didn’t even look at me.

Instead, he grabbed the veil and yanked it off my head.

Several strands of hair came with it.

Pain shot across my scalp.

“She isn’t here to interfere with anything,” Adrian said.

“I asked Ms. Monroe to bring a veil for Celeste.”

“The weather is terrible, and it was hard to get a cab. She walked all the way here. I guess she put it on her head because it was easier to carry that way.”

Then he placed my veil directly on Celeste’s head.

“There. It’s with its rightful owner now.”

He looked at the reporter.

“Any other questions, Ms. Reed?”

Ms. Reed fell silent.

The other reporters immediately crowded around Adrian and Celeste.

Cameras and microphones turned toward them again.

I was pushed to the edge of the crowd and nearly lost my balance.

From a distance, I watched Adrian hold Celeste’s hand.

They looked sweet.

Happy.

Like a real newlywed couple.

They were married now.

So what did that make me?

His secret fiancée?

The other woman?

His mistress?

Someone he could never acknowledge in public?

I couldn’t think of a better word for it.

So I turned to leave.

But the storm outside was getting worse.

Broken branches whipped through the pouring rain.

I didn’t have a car, and walking home alone would be dangerous.

Worse, my phone was still in Adrian’s car.

I could only huddle in a corner and wait.

After the reporters finally left, I found Adrian in the parking lot.

He looked surprised to see me.

“Why are you still here?”

“Don’t worry. Celeste and I are filing for divorce tomorrow.”

“As soon as the divorce waiting period is over, I’ll marry you.”

“Now go. The reporters might still be nearby. It’ll be a problem if they photograph us together.”

I didn’t move.

I simply held out my hand.

“My phone is still in your car.”

Adrian frowned in irritation.

He opened the door, grabbed my phone, and shoved it into my hand.

“Couldn’t you have come to the office tomorrow to get it?”

“Why did you have to get it now?”

“Here. Take it and go.”

“And stop standing in front of the car door.”

I closed my fingers around the phone and turned away without a word.

But my chest still ached.

After a few steps, I stopped.

Then I turned back to him.

“I can’t get a cab.”

“It’s too dangerous to walk home alone.”

“Can you take me?”

Adrian paused and glanced at the storm outside.

Even he knew it wasn’t safe.

He was just about to wave me back toward the car when Celeste leaned out from the passenger seat.

“Adrian, aren’t we leaving?”

“My shoes are soaked.”

“I need to get home and change. They’re so uncomfortable.”

Adrian answered her, then looked back at me.

“I need to take Celeste home first.”

“She’s not very strong. Staying in wet shoes could make her sick.”

“You can call a cab yourself.”

Then he shut the door and drove away.

I looked down at my clothes.

Water was still dripping from them.

I gave a bitter little laugh.

Just then, my phone rang in my pocket.

I answered.

“Tessa, the offer in Westbridge is excellent.”

“I know you stayed in Baycrest because of Adrian.”

“But he’s always been against office romances, and now he’s married.”

“Are you really going to keep staying there for him?”

I fell silent.

He was married.

What was I still hoping for?

“I’ll go to Westbridge.”

The person on the other end immediately brightened.

“That’s great.”

“When do you think you can officially start?”

“I’ll resign from my current job tomorrow.”

“Once everything is settled here, I’ll let you know.”