Chapter 3

When I got home, my parents had already heard about the day's events. My father looked stern, and there was tension in the air.

"The Shermans have already apologized to us. Do what you think is best - we can't control you anymore," my father said gruffly. It seemed he had just finished venting his anger, and his attempt at concern came out more like a reprimand.

"Aria, do you really want to marry Ryan Sherman? I've heard he's quite ruthless in business. I don't want to see you suffer," my mother fretted.

I laughed bitterly to myself. Now they didn't want me to suffer? Then why did they make me marry Zack in the first place?

Ryan's face flashed through my mind again - his concern and protection for me was unforgettable. I made a firm decision.

Pushing down my thoughts, I gave my mother a bright smile. "I want to marry him."

My parents respected my decision. The next day, they discussed wedding arrangements with the Sherman family again.

This wedding was different from my previous arranged marriage. It was grand and lavish. Ryan's engagement gifts were so numerous that it took our staff seven or eight trips to bring them all in, showing how much he valued me.

I wore the wedding dress he had carefully chosen, put on the sparkling diamond ring, and exchanged vows of love with him on a romantic island beach.

"I'll only be good to you and love you for the rest of my life," he promised.

"Me too," I replied.

Many media outlets captured this blissful moment, widely promoting it online. Countless people envied our fairytale wedding and were moved by our happiness. I had to admit, marrying Ryan was indeed a great choice.

After the wedding, I thought he'd be the type to work late at the office every day for the company. But to my surprise, he made time to go on dates with me, making up for the fact that we didn't fall in love from the beginning. When he came home from work, he always brought me a bouquet of roses, carefully tending to them in our villa's greenhouse. Any food I mentioned wanting would be delivered the next day. Items I desired would appear in my room when I woke up. Contrary to rumors about his coldness, he was actually quite affectionate, showing me that marriage could be warm and loving.

My love for Ryan grew day by day, reaching the same intensity as his love for me. I was immersed in happiness, unable to extricate myself. From daily trivialities to major decisions we made together, he always respected me and put me first. I respected him equally and saw him as the center of my world.

To me, Ryan was like a beam of light, illuminating my once dark and confused life.

"Well, well, if it isn't my ex-wife? How'd you manage to snag my cousin? Look at you now, all decked out in jewels and finery," a unwelcome visitor suddenly appeared before me as I was enjoying afternoon tea in the villa, nearly making me sick up yesterday's meal.

"When I was married to you, I thought marriage was a tomb. But now I feel like it's a honeypot. I guess it's true that birds of a feather flock together. Once I left behind a low-class person like you, even the most ordinary life became blissful," I shot back coldly, not pulling any punches.

"I'll tear that smart mouth of yours one day! Who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty? You don't know, do you? He's so busy fawning over you that he doesn't have time to handle company business anymore. The chairman is quite displeased with him. I bet his assets will be gone before long thanks to you. Let's see how smug you are then!" Zack warned through gritted teeth, clearly riled up by my words.

But I didn't have time to refute him. Ryan had never mentioned company matters to me before. Whenever I asked, he always said everything was under control and told me not to worry. What a fool.

"Why are you here? Just looking to get insulted?" I eyed Zack warily. Since my marriage to Ryan, the two cousins hadn't interacted, and their relationship had deteriorated to the point of open hostility. His sudden appearance made me suspicious.

"Miss me that much? Want to rekindle our old flame now that you've seen me?" Zack smirked mockingly, giving me a contemptuous look before handing some documents to my assistant. "I'm just delivering something. You think I want to be here? Seeing you two makes me sick."

"Now that you've delivered it, please leave. You're not welcome here!" I coldly dismissed him, seeing his nasty attitude.

Zack turned to go, but suddenly seemed to remember something. He looked me up and down with a sneer. "You've been married to my cousin for almost three years now, right? My son is already two. I don't see any signs of a baby from you two. Don't tell me it's a sham marriage?"

My eyelashes fluttered in surprise. It was true that Ryan and I hadn't had children in our three years of marriage. Initially I had wanted a child, but Ryan wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea, so the matter was dropped.

"How is that any of your business? We're very happy together. As long as you stop showing up to ruin things, we'll be fine. By the way, I feel sorry for your son. Having parents like you two - I'm embarrassed for him," I glared at Zack contemptuously, not hiding my disdain.

"You-! I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you!" Zack stormed off, unable to get the better of me.

After he left, I pondered his question. The Sherman family had been pressuring Ryan to have a child - an heir. But his attitude was ambivalent, even completely uninterested. Could it be that he didn't want children? Or maybe he just didn't like kids?