3
From that day on, she moved out of the dorm. We barely spoke again.
I didn’t let it bother me much. Some people whispered that I was immoral, others pointed the finger at Chloe.
I still didn’t understand. She had said his pursuit was a burden. She had said she didn’t want him. So why was she so angry when I
took him?
But angry or not, she had insulted me; and that was something I couldn’t tolerate.
Occasionally, I’d hear about her and her new boyfriend. People said they were a perfect match. There was even a fan page online
shipping the two of them.
Meanwhile, Nicolai and I started seeing more of each other. He wasn’t expressive, but he was always polite, his actions restrained
Chapter 1
and deliberate. He quickly became a hot topic on the campus forums.
I became the girl by his side, and the rumors grew like weeds.
But I didn’t care.
I knew exactly what I wanted from the very beginning.
20.09
On our wedding day, Nicolai was so busy he almost missed the ceremony, arriving at the last minute in a perfectly tailored suit. He stood before me like a precision instrument, freshly calibrated and flawless.
The wedding was magnificent. A third of the names on the guest list were complete strangers to me. I smiled gracefully for every camera, a picture of elegance, with not a single hair out of place.
I have no idea how he convinced his parents to let him marry me. There was no merger of family fortunes, no matching of social status. But his parents were incredibly cultured people. There was none of the disdain I had expected. They gave us their genuine blessing.
“We hope you will support each other in the future and build a beautiful life and marriage together.”
After the wedding, my life was blissfully comfortable.
Nicolai was truly, obscenely rich.
How rich? His companies spanned the globe, he traveled by private jet, and he signed contracts worth hundreds of millions.
Marrying him was the smartest decision I ever made.
say
He didn’t understand romance, and he didn’t understand me. He never wrote me love letters, never called late at night to
he missed me. Even on Valentine’s Day, he just had his assistant send flowers. He was the classic “old–school husband“-calm, discipl- ined, and utterly unromantic.
Perhaps he’d spent all his passion and excitement on Chloe. Being with him was like being married to a money–making machine.
“Your husband’s away again? What’s the point of having all that money if he’s never home? You must be so lonely.”
>
Isabelle was my childhood best friend, though we’d seen less of each other since my marriage. The moment she arrived, she star- ted lamenting my situation, thinking my husband didn’t spend enough time with me.
I just shrugged and took her for a ride on the private jet.
How could I be lonely? The world is a vast and beautiful place, and I had my husband’s relentless work ethic to thank for the oppor- tunity to see it. Anywhere I wanted to go, I could enjoy the most luxurious treatment imaginable.
Lonely?
Hardly.
