He Wanted an AI Bride Swap? Surprise, I Swapped Husbands for Real! Chapter 03

The next morning, I practiced in the dance studio, sweat sliding down my temples.

Whispers came from the side.

“She’s all over trending and she’s still dancing?”

“She’s lost her looks. Is she still trying to sell weight-loss products?”

I pulled out my phone. Dead screen.

I’d forgotten to charge it. My lawyer was supposed to update me on the test results today, and I’d planned to stop by the law office first to get the details.

The moment I stepped out of the studio, reporters swarmed me.

“Ms. Voss, you’re this heavy now. Why do you still call yourself a beauty influencer?”

“Your products don’t work. Have you been lying to your fans the whole time?”

Microphones shoved into my face. Flashes blinded me.

Sienna walked out of the crowd and held her phone up to me.

The first trending post was the clip of my wedding dress zipper bursting.

“I don’t even know how this got up there.” She scrolled through the screen.

“But the brand called Damian. And Damian said the signature on the contract is yours.”

I stared at the video. Remembered the contract.

He’d picked the product. He’d contacted the brand.

He’d handed me the contract and said one thing. “Leave the rest to me.”

I hadn’t even looked at the details.

“Elara, you’re not really going to make Damian pay for this, are you?”

The words had barely landed when people broke through the crowd.

Rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables rained down on me, egg yolk running through my hair as the stench filled my nostrils.

I staggered. My knees slammed into the ground.

Shouts and camera shutters everywhere. Too chaotic to hear one full sentence.

When Damian arrived with bodyguards, I instinctively reached for him.

He didn’t come to me.

My hand hung in the air. Blood dripped from my fingers down the back of my hand.

Sienna got pushed aside, face pale. She immediately threw herself into Damian’s arms.

“Damian, I’m scared.”

Damian wrapped her waist and shielded her toward the exit.

“Let’s get out first. Too many people here. Don’t stand in front of the cameras.”

The bodyguards escorted them out. Someone hit me from behind. I lost balance. The back of my head cracked against the table corner. My ears rang.

“She’s bleeding!”

Damian’s step faltered.

Sienna grabbed his shirt, crying harder. “Damian, I’m really scared.”

He glanced back at me. Less than a second. Then he walked away with her.

I stared at his back. My vision went black.

When I opened my eyes, Damian was sitting by the hospital bed.

He leaned over and tucked the blanket around me.

“Anywhere else hurt? Dizzy?”

Before I could speak, he took my wrist and placed an agreement in front of me.

“The online backlash has gotten out of hand. Starting today, the company will take over your account, and Sienna will manage it for you.”

I stared at the agreement. My fingertips went cold.

“I built that account from nothing.”

Impatience flickered in his eyes. He pressed it down.

“In your current condition, you can’t keep working as a beauty influencer. If things continue like this, all the resources the Cross family has invested in you will go to waste.”

He reached to touch my face. His voice softened.

“Elara, get some rest. Let Sienna stand in for you at the wedding tomorrow. Once it’s over, I’ll take you to see the northern lights you love so much.”

I turned my head away from his hand.

“I’m not going.”

Damian’s expression darkened.

The door burst open. My parents rushed in.

“Elara! The internet says you’re scamming people! How are you going to support us now?”

My father clapped Damian on the shoulder. “The last seven-figure payment was barely enough to keep people quiet at the wedding. The Cross family needs to hand over another seven-figure sum to put this whole mess behind us.”

Damian ignored them. He pushed the pen toward me and leaned close, voice low.

“Sign it. Otherwise, if your parents cause trouble again, I may not be able to shield you.”

I looked at his certainty. My last bit of hope died.

“Damian. Congratulations on the wedding in advance.”

I threw off the blanket and got out of bed, holding the wall as I walked out.

Damian’s face changed. He got up to chase me, but my parents held him back.

“Mr. Cross, you still owe us that seven-figure payment!”

The arguing faded behind me.

I didn’t look back.