He Wanted an AI Bride Swap? Surprise, I Swapped Husbands for Real! Chapter 02

The next morning, I showed up at the gym on time.

In two days, I’d be marrying Nathan at City Hall. I wanted to get myself into the best shape I could by then.

I’d just come off the machines, hands on my knees, catching my breath.

I looked up. Damian and Sienna were surrounded by photographers, shooting a sports brand ad.

That brand had originally come to me.

Two weeks ago, Damian had held me and said softly, “This shoot is too intense. Your body can’t handle it.”

He kissed my cheek. “Elara, I just want you to suffer less.”

Then he gave the deal to Sienna.

Now Sienna stood in front of the cameras in tight workout clothes, modeling for the brand that had wanted me.

She spotted me and raised her voice. “Elara, don’t push yourself so hard. Damian says you’re in poor health, so he makes sure you get extra nourishment every day. He’d be heartbroken if you lost all the weight he’s helped you put on.”

The chatter around us paused.

Sienna looped her arm through Damian’s, her fingertip tracing his cuff.

“Just focus on taking care of yourself. After all, it’s taken him this long to get your weight where it is now.”

Damian’s eyes landed on my sweat-soaked clothes. His brow furrowed.

“You can’t rush weight loss.” He reached for me. “You’ll wreck your health if you push yourself this hard. Don’t risk your health just because of the wedding.”

I stepped away from his hand.

“What makes you so sure I need you?”

Damian stopped.

“Elara Voss. What are you trying to prove now?”

Sienna tightened her grip on his arm. “Damian’s always protecting you and cleaning up your messes. If you leave him now, who else is going to look out for you like he does?”

Damian patted her hand. “Sienna’s just worried about you. Don’t twist everything into something ugly.”

Then he had his assistant bring a thermos and poured a bowl of hot soup himself.

“Made it for you this morning. Drink some after your workout. It’ll restore your energy without adding weight.”

I stared at the bowl. Didn’t reach for it.

“I don’t want it.”

Damian didn’t pull his hand back.

“Be good.”

Two words. My fingers curled tight.

When I’d been hospitalized with low blood sugar before, I’d been burning up and too weak to hold a spoon. He’d fed me one spoonful at a time, waiting for me to swallow before wiping the soup from the corner of my mouth.

He remembered when I got dizzy. What foods gave me stomachaches. And how to use the gentlest voice to make me do things I didn’t want to do.

“I said I don’t want it.”

The patience in his eyes thinned.

“Once you’ve lost weight and your condition stabilizes, I won’t have to keep an eye on you anymore. Would you really rather trust unqualified people online than me?”

He pushed the bowl closer.

“Be good.”

I took the bowl and sipped.

The moment it slid down my throat, my stomach seized.

Damian watched me swallow. His shoulders finally relaxed.

“Good girl.”

He turned back to watch Sienna’s shoot.

I covered my mouth and rushed to the far stall in the bathroom.

The door barely closed before everything came up.

My throat burned. My vision went black at the edges.

I gripped the wall, waited for the dizziness to pass, then pulled a sterile sample bottle from my bag.

My hands shook so hard a few drops splashed onto my skin.

The warmth reminded me of all those nights Damian held the bowl and coaxed me to drink.

I looked down, screwed the cap on, and covered the rest of the soup.

Then I texted my lawyer.

“Got the sample.”

*****