“That is irrelevant.”
“And what if Emily refuses?”
Robert looked directly into her eyes.
“No one asked for your permission.”
Ethan, the man chosen for her, was the son of an enormously wealthy businessman.
He was courteous when he had to be, but there was always a chill around him, a distance he never tried to hide. During their rare meetings, he almost never looked at Emily at all. Instead, he spent most of the time speaking with Robert about stocks, properties, and future contracts.
One day, Emily accidentally overheard him talking to one of his friends.
“The important thing is that after the wedding, Robert signs the documents,” Ethan said. “Everything else means nothing to me.”
In that instant, Emily understood the truth. To Ethan, she was not a bride. She was merely one clause in a massive business arrangement.
At last, the wedding day arrived.
Robert himself escorted her down the aisle. The guests stole glances at her bandages, whispering behind their hands when they thought no one noticed.
Still, not a single person dared to ask a question.
A few hours later, the ceremony was over.
That evening, Emily and Ethan left for the enormous country estate Robert had given them as a wedding gift.
For the first time in Emily’s life, none of Robert’s bodyguards were near her.
When the bedroom door closed behind them, Ethan turned to her with complete indifference.
“I don’t care what you look like,” he said. “This marriage benefits both of us. Live however you want. Just don’t interfere in my affairs.”
Then he stepped out onto the balcony and left Emily alone.
Slowly, she moved toward the mirror.
Her heart was pounding so violently that her hands began to tremble.
With great care, she unwound the first layer of bandage.
Then the second.
Then the third.
After nearly ten minutes, the last strip of white fabric slipped from her face and fell softly to the floor.
Emily raised her head little by little and looked into the mirror.
And then…
Her knees nearly gave way from shock.
But not because she saw a deformity.
A beautiful young woman stared back at her from the glass, with perfectly smooth skin, expressive eyes, and delicate, harmonious features.
For a long time, Emily could only stare at her own reflection, unable to understand what was happening.
“This can’t be real…” she whispered.
All her life, Emily had been told the same thing.