Although it was phrased as a question, Matthew sounded more commanding than anything else. Dolores nodded and, from the way he looked at her, Matthew seemed to want to talk to her about something. And coincidentally, she wanted to talk to him too.
Randolph shot Dolores a warning look. “Mind your boundaries.” He did not want Dolores to offend Matthew before they even got married.
Seeing Matthew’s apathetic look, it looked to Randolph that Matthew was dissatisfied with Dolores. Yet, the arrangement was still good for the Flores family. Marrying into such an influential family would help with the family business. Randolph would do anything he could to prevent her from messing up the marriage.
Dolores pretended she didn’t notice her father’s look of disdain and followed Matthew and Abbott outside. She knew all too well what Randolph was planning. What gave him the confidence to assume she was going to help him join the Nelson family? Did he think that she was going to stay in such a marriage just because she was his daughter? He’d never even spoke to her since he cheated on her mother. Was he assuming that Dolores would forgive and forget the life he’d condemned her family to for those eight years?
As she was lost in her thoughts, she bumped into something hard. She snapped back into the present and looked up to see the flawless face of Matthew Nelson staring down at her. As she expected, Matthew had no problem standing, meaning she now had something on him. Dolores’ scalp went numb from Matthew’s stare and she calmly met his eyes while bracing herself for his anger.
“You’re pretending to be paralyzed, aren’t you?”
Matthew narrowed his eyes and his anger and unease were clear on his face as he spoke in a hushed but fierce tone. “Why did you insist to marry me even though I’m a cripple? What do you want from me? Money? To live the life of the rich and famous?”
Dolores had to force herself to ignore the rush of cold coursing through her veins as Matthew stared at her. It was as if her heart were grasped by an invisible hand, even making her breathing difficult.
“The marriage was arranged by our mothers when I was two. Could I have possibly known anything about money and the benefit of becoming a rich lady at that age? This is purely the wish of our mothers that I wish to uphold.” Dolores paused to collect her thoughts and soften her tone. “When I was two, you were ten and eight years my elder. If anything, I should’ve despised you for being so much older than me, but I didn’t.”
Matthew sneered. Not only was Dolores good at talking, but she also had a silver tongue! She was bold enough to call him old. There was electricity in the air between them. They stared into each other’s eyes and neither of them was willing to back off. Dolores’s hands, which hung at her sides, were clenched into fists. Her reason for marrying into the Nelson family was only so Randolph would return her mother’s dowry, not to become the enemy of the man before her.
Not wanting to make things worse, she swallowed her pride and softened her voice. “Mr. Nelson, I know you don’t want to marry me, and I understand that—”
She deliberately stopped to glance at Matthew’s expression. Although the fluctuation of his expression was minuscule, Dolores still managed to notice it.
“Mr. Nelson, let’s make a deal,” Dolores continued.
She didn’t want to join the Nelson family, she only wanted to come back home and reclaim her and her mother’s things.
Matthew sneered, amused at the ridiculousness of Dolores’ offer. What sort of deal did she think she could make him?
Dolores swallowed and ignored the sweat drenching her back from her nerves. Matthew was tall and she had to lift her chin to look at him.
“I know the reason you’re pretending to be paralyzed is to convince the Flores family to call off the marriage. However, I too have my reservations toward the marriage.”
Dolores sparked Matthew’s interest and he asked, “What do you want?” Since it was a deal, there must be conditions.
“One month. After one month of marriage, I’ll divorce you and you can do as you wish.”
One month was enough. After getting back her mother’s dowry, she would divorce him.
Matthew frowned. “That’s the deal you want to make with me?”
“Yes. As it was our mothers’ wish, we have to marry each other no matter what we think about each other. We must show respect toward them, both in your mother’s memory, and acknowledge the sacrifices my mother made for me. However, it was only promised that we would marry each other, they never said that we had to stay married. It’s not counted as breaking the promise if we don’t match in terms of personality and principles and divorce each other.”
“If we agree to this deal, then you don’t have to spend a lifetime with someone you don’t like. It won’t do you harm, only good—” Noticing Matthew was pondering her proposal, Dolores went on. “I suppose you may have found someone you’re fond of and that’s why you’ve tried everything to make the Flores family break the promise?”
Matthew’s face tightened and his jaw clenched. “I didn’t expect you to be that smart…”
What Dolores said was true and he wanted to give Helen a better life. He was moved by her innocence and endurance when he was in great need.
Matthew fixed his gaze onto Dolores’ face, noting the anxiousness behind her composure, and retorted. “And what about you? What will you get out of this one month of marriage?” He knew that she wasn’t only thinking of him.
Dolores’ heart plummeted. She couldn’t tell him the truth about wanting to get her mother’s dowry but she also didn’t want to lie either. If she tried to come up with a different reason, there was a chance he would see right through her lie.
“My mother cares about the marriage greatly and has poor health, therefore I don’t want to disappoint her.”
Dolores avoided eye contact when she spoke, not wanting to give away her lie. Her mother didn’t want her to marry Matthew Nelson at all.
Matthew pulled Dolores out of her thoughts and replied in a seemingly threatening voice as if he had read her mind. “Oh really?”
Dolores’ stomach lurched. His eyes seemed to penetrate her mind. While she was trying to keep her composure and figuring what to do, Matthew’s phone rang. Matthew glimpsed at her and took out his phone. Upon seeing the name on the screen, his face softened and his eyes lit up. He turned away from Dolores to answer the call but turned back as if he remembered something.
“Since the marriage will only last a month, there’s no need to organize a wedding ceremony.” Dolores didn’t have a choice and nodded in agreement. “Sure.”
*****
On the twelfth of August, Abbott arrived at the rental house to fetch Dolores. There was no ceremony or wedding banquet, only a marriage certificate. Dolores didn’t feel much from the whole ordeal
because, to her, it was only a deal to accommodate their needs. If the marriage hadn’t been arranged by their mothers when they were children, they probably would never have crossed paths at all.
The car stopped in front of a villa. The stone building that had occupied a large area of the land looked majestic under the sunlight.
“Please head inside,” Abbott said, gesturing for Dolores to go ahead of him.
He was neither keen nor kind toward her. He was behaving nice enough and Dolores assumed he must’ve known that the marriage between her and Matthew was only to fulfill the promise. She wasn’t the real woman of the Nelson family.
Although the villa was huge, there was only a servant of the Nelson family. Abbott didn’t give Dolores any introductions and left as soon as she was inside. Dolores found it a bit hard to adapt to the surroundings.
“This is Mr. Nelson’s residence. I’m the servant that takes care of his daily life, you can call me Coral.” Coral led Dolores to a room and continued her explanation. “Do let me know if there’s anything you need.”
One month wasn’t a long time and Dolores brought her daily toiletries. Although she most likely wouldn’t need anything, Dolores nodded anyway.
Coral opened the door to a room and paused. She turned to Dolores and chewed her lip as if she were contemplating saying anything.
At last, Coral sighed. “Mr. Nelson might not come back tonight because it’s Miss White’s birthday today.”
Although there wasn’t a wedding, Dolores was still Matthew’s wife. No matter the reason, today was their first day of marriage, and he was staying with another woman instead.
Coral felt sorry for Dolores, knowing how the woman felt by being given the cold shoulder by her husband after she just joined the family. Would the future bring even worse situations?