Chapter 1

With just a month left until our wedding, Olivia and I found ourselves trapped in endless arguments.

The reason for every dispute was always the same—she wanted to have a child with her mentor's son.

"It's just IVF, I won't have any physical relationship with him," Olivia explained. "Professor Wilson is critically ill, and his greatest wish is to see Adam happy with a child of his own. He has no one else to turn to, so he asked me."

I had long since moved past the initial shock and anger upon hearing this absurd request. Now, all I felt was helplessness.

"We're getting married in a month, and you want to have a child with someone else. Don't you find that ridiculous?" I couldn't hold back my tears any longer, letting them silently roll down my cheeks.

Olivia was stunned. This was the first time she had ever seen me cry.

Just as she was about to say something, her phone chimed. She glanced at it, and when she looked back at me, all the complex emotions in her eyes had vanished.

"I need to leave for a while. Take some time to calm down," she said.

As I watched her walk away, it suddenly dawned on me that in all the years we'd been together, I had always been the one watching her back.

In college, Olivia was known as the ice queen, the most sought-after girl on campus. No matter how many guys pursued her, she rejected them all. She even publicly declared that she wasn't interested in dating during college.

Her cold and distant demeanor deterred many suitors, but I persisted relentlessly. Eventually, I won her over and became her boyfriend.

Even after years together, she remained aloof, but I never gave up. I was always like a warm sun, trying to melt her icy exterior. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine she would disregard my feelings so completely and make such a request.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Adam with a screenshot attached.

The screenshot showed a conversation between Olivia and Adam.

Adam: [Olivia, Dad's not going to make it. Can we go ahead with the IVF without telling James? Please!]

Olivia's reply was: [Okay, I'm on my way.]

I felt as if I'd been struck by lightning.

Now I understood why Olivia had left in such a hurry.

I couldn't describe how I felt at that moment. All my emotions seemed to be compressed inside my chest, making it hard to breathe. I wanted to scream, to cry uncontrollably, but I had no strength left. I couldn't release any of it.

I looked up at the mirror in front of me and barely recognized myself.

I used to be different. Everyone who knew me said I was sunny and spirited. But now, the worry between my brows was as dark as an indelible ink stain. How could anyone see my former self in this reflection?

For the sake of loving Olivia, I had become unrecognizable. It hadn't earned me her companionship or understanding, but instead led to her planning to have a child with another man just before our wedding.

A reckless thought crossed my mind. If she held our relationship and marriage in such low regard, why bother with any of it?

With this in mind, I took a deep breath, picked up my phone, and typed out a social media post. After blocking Olivia, I hit send.

"Getting married in a month. Looking for a new bride. Any takers?"

Perhaps thinking I was joking, most people just left playful comments under the post. No one took it seriously. Just as I was feeling dejected, a call came in.

Sophia Thompson!

Seeing those three words, I froze for a moment.

Sophia and I were childhood friends. In school, she was the beauty queen, and I was the heartthrob. Ironically, we were sworn enemies, constantly bickering from kindergarten all the way through high school. It only stopped when we went to different colleges in different cities.

Later in college, I fell for Olivia at first sight and spent almost every holiday pursuing her instead of going home.

After graduation, I settled in Bay City for Olivia and never saw Sophia again. Our only contact was when I recently posted about finally marrying the woman I loved, and she unexpectedly commented, "Can you not get married?"

I thought she was just stirring up trouble and ignored her. I never expected her to be the first one to contact me now.

When I answered the phone, I had already prepared myself for her mockery. But as soon as the call connected, she got straight to the point without asking anything, "If you're looking for a new bride, how about me?"

Her words were followed by dead silence.

I wasn't sure of her intentions, but I knew she was indeed the most suitable candidate for a sudden change of bride. We were from similar backgrounds and knew each other well.

After a long silence, I finally spoke, "Alright. What are your conditions?"

"Nothing much. Since we're getting married, just change my contact name in your phone from 'Pain in the Ass' to 'Wife'."

The simplicity of her request surprised me. I double-checked, "That's it?"

"Oh, and I want everything other married couples have."

This request caught me off guard even more. I had thought she might be agreeing because her family was pressuring her to get married.

All these years, I had been chasing after Olivia. Seeing that she had no intention of getting married, I didn't push it either. Having won over this aloof beauty, I didn't dare ask for too much.

But in recent years, my grandfather's health had been declining, and he had been waiting for me to get married. So I had no choice but to propose to Olivia. Now, with the wedding date approaching, she had come up with this absurd request.

I gripped my phone tightly, "I never intended for this to be a fake marriage. If we're getting married, it's for real."

She chuckled lightly on the other end, "In that case, I'll come to Bay City to pick you up now. Shall we discuss when to get the marriage license and have the wedding?"

I was silent for a moment, "Give me two weeks to sort things out properly."

She didn't ask what things, but we both knew. She meant Olivia.

Since this was going to be a real marriage, naturally, everything from the past had to be cut off completely. So Sophia didn't say anything more.

After hanging up, the first thing I did was change her contact name.

Looking at the phone number now labeled "Wife," I couldn't help but smile sardonically.

Olivia, since you're secretly going to have a child with someone else, fine. I'll secretly change brides.

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