She was facing the mirror now, lost in thought. Today is her wedding day with Elijah. It's not a grand affair—no wedding gown, not in a church, no venue for the wedding reception, and most importantly, no guests except for their respective families.

She requested that her parents not let her and Elijah get married in a church; she preferred to get married just at the judge's office and without anyone knowing that they were getting married. It's because it's unavoidable for people not to pry into why she and Elijah were getting married, and in people's minds, it's like they're making up their own story about why they're getting married, so it's better to just keep quiet. After all, the reason they're getting married is because of a mistake, but she couldn't help but cry before that day because she never thought that her brother's friend would do such a thing to her, but she couldn't do anything about it now because everything had already happened and now she would be tied to the guy.

There was a knock on the door, so she stood up and opened it. It was her mother. Her mother looked her up and down.

"Why aren't you dressed yet? We'll be leaving in a few hours."

"I'll just wear a dress, so it's okay to do it later."

"You haven't even started putting on your makeup, and your hair isn't styled either. I thought you had it under control, so I didn't hire a stylist for you."

She smiled faintly before returning to her vanity mirror. Her mother entered and stopped behind her while they faced each other in the mirror.

"Are you mad at me, your dad, and your brother?" She shook her head. "I know it's too early for you to get married. I wanted you to be 25 years old when you got married, but it seems like not everything is according to what I want, and besides, I don't control what happens to you."

Her mother took the comb. She was the one who fixed her hair, just tying it up and dropping a few strands in front of her face. She also did her makeup because it's just light makeup anyway; there's no need to beautify much because their wedding is simple.

"There, my only daughter is really beautiful." Her mother smiled. "But what I want is that even if your marriage with Elijah is just an arranged one, you'll still serve him as his wife, Charlotte."

How could she do that if she doesn't know how? She's busy with school, and he's busy with his company, so how? Maybe the only special thing she could contribute is not being rude and speaking to Elijah politely, even if she doesn't want to see him every time she comes home. Once their wedding is over today, they'll go straight to Elijah's house. There's also a simple feast there, and that's where she'll live; even her belongings are in the car, packed in a suitcase.

"Char, let's go. We might be late going to the municipal hall; the mayor has a lot to do; he just squeezed us into his schedule, but..." Her mother looked at her clothes. "Change your clothes first and wear sandals; I'll go out to check on your dad." She nodded.

After her mother left, she faced the mirror again. In a few hours, her surname would be Walton, but she wouldn't use it until she finished college. She looked at her bed, and there lay the white dress she would wear. She took it and put it on, but before leaving the room, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

02 San Antonio Road...

After a few hours, their car stopped at a municipal hall. She also noticed that there were cars parked on the side; it seemed like Elijah's family was already there. They got off and walked inside. She noticed the employees there were busy as they passed by because they were heading to a room where the judge's office was, but before she could enter, her mother pulled her back.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why, Mom?"

Her mother took something from her bag—a white, thin cloth.

"Wear this. This will be your veil."

"Do I need that, Mom?"

"Yes, you do. Turn around and bend down a bit."

She turned around, and her mother started placing the veil on her head. She was prepared because she also brought hairpins. Then she faced her and placed the other part of the veil on her face.

"Let's go."

Her mother and father went inside first before she was pulled by her mother. But when they entered, she felt like sinking into the tiles of the municipal hall because everyone's eyes were on her. Good thing her mother gave her a veil, so it's not too embarrassing.

"The bride is already here. We should start," said the judge.

She couldn't see Elijah much because of her veil, but she couldn't hide the fact that her brother's friend was very handsome; although he looked strict and stern when not smiling, the bruise on the side of his lips and eyes was barely visible. She also noticed that they were wearing the same design of attire; he was in a barong, while she was in an ancient-looking dress.

She placed her hand when they faced Judge Kevin, based on what she saw on the wooden plate above the table.

Two hours passed before the judge finished the wedding ceremony, before they reached the part, "You may now kiss the bride."

She just looked at the judge when he said that; she didn't want to face Elijah. But Elijah himself faced her and slowly raised her veil. She couldn't look into his eyes, so she just looked at his neck.

Her lips met Elijah's on the corner of her lips, but his lips moved as if smiling or grinning. Even when he moved away, his expression remained serious. Maybe it was just her imagination.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Walton." The judge laid out a paper. "Sign above your printed name, so your marriage today will be valid."

Elijah signed first, then her. When they looked back, their families were smiling broadly, both Elijah's and hers, except for her dad and brother. When Elijah's family learned what he did, her mother pleaded with them not to hurt him because he had already received serious punches from her dad, so her mother said they should just talk calmly until they got married today. Elijah's parents were nice when she met them, but Elijah's stern face seems to have inherited it from his father, too serious as if, at first glance, he didn't like you for his son.

Her mother approached her. "Congratulations, my child." She hugged her, and with a big smile, my mother looked at Elijah. "Congrats, Elijah."

"Thank you, Aunt."

"Now that you are already married, I will assume that you take care of my daughter," her dad said from behind Elijah.

Elijah smiled slightly and bowed. "You can count on me to take care of your daughter, Aunt."

"Good to know, so let's go. I'm hungry."

She was about to walk away, but someone held her hand. She looked to see who it was; it was Elijah.

"Why?"

"You'll ride with me."

She looked at his face; it seemed like he was forcing himself to let her ride with him.

"No, I'll just ride with Mom in their car."

His grip on her hand tightened, and he spoke firmly. "I'll go ahead of your family because once you try to get in their car, they'll push you to ride in mine, using the excuse that you're already married."

She blinked. "Okay, let's go." She took her hand from his grasp before starting to walk, leaving Elijah behind. But before she could even step out of the town hall, she was surprised to feel someone holding her hand again. She quickly glanced, only to see Elijah without a smile on his lips.

They exited together, and she was sure she saw her mother smiling as she noticed them holding hands, but her brother and father didn't seem pleased. She raised her hand, and her mother nodded in acknowledgment.

Elijah even opened the car door for her and closed it before moving to the other side of the car and getting in the driver's seat.

They traveled for a long time, and she didn't realize Elijah's house was this far from the town hall. She also felt hungry because she only had coffee before leaving the house.

They were the last ones to enter Elijah's house compound, but she didn't expect it to be this big, like a white house. An entire barangay could live there.

She didn't notice when the car stopped. She was surprised when the door opened, and Elijah was already out. She stepped out while still looking at the front of his house.

"Let's go inside." He walked, but she was surprised that he didn't even offer her assistance, especially since the path was rocky before reaching the flat area.

Because her sandals had heels, she walked slowly. She almost stumbled when she accidentally stepped on a rock. Just one step more, and she would be okay. When she did, she smiled broadly, but when she looked up, she lost it when she saw Elijah staring at her and gesturing for her to hurry up. It seemed he realized she couldn't be left alone outside, and Elijah was the first one inside.

Elijah entered first, while she followed behind. But when Elijah stopped, she bumped into his solid back.

She winced because the bump was slightly stronger.

"What are you doing?" He was already looking at her.

She avoided his gaze. "Are you following me?" She didn't know what to say. "Tsk, you are free to go wherever you want here. I'm not your food."

She rolled her eyes before walking away from him. It's up to Elijah; she just needed to find something to eat because she was hungry, but she stopped when she realized. Does their relationship mean they're like cats and dogs that don't get along? One is nice, but the other is grumpy. Of course, she's the nice one, and Elijah is the grumpy one. She just shrugged. They won't see each other every hour anyway, so it's probably okay.

Everyone was busy because they were hungry; even her family was already at a table, eating. While she was just about to scoop her food, there was no one standing beside the food, so she had to manage herself. She took a long time choosing her dishes because, while everyone was busy, she tasted them one by one, so if she didn't like it, she wouldn't take it and put it on her plate.

She saw a golden brown color, probably a fish filet, so she took one and ate it, but she almost choked when someone suddenly held her shoulder.

"Just choose what you'll eat; it's been a few minutes, and what are you doing? Are you tasting each one?"

While chewing and finishing what was in her mouth before swallowing, she looked at Elijah. "I'm just tasting which ones aren't delicious."

"That's not good, Charlotte."

It's true, what she was doing wasn't good, but the food she would take would be wasted if she didn't like it anyway, so she just made sure.

"Only our family is here, no one else."

"Even so, show some manners."

She frowned. Elijah's true nature seems to be coming out. He was about to speak, but she threw a whole fish filet in his mouth as if trying to make him speak.

"Oops, don't talk when your mouth is full. Show some manners too, Elijah." He frowned as he slowly chewed what he had eaten. She left Elijah there because she was going to eat.

Charlotte sat at the table, leaving two seats between her and the guests. Being the only one on her side, she indulged freely in the food she took, while Elijah sat next to her.

"Eat properly, Charlotte."

She paused, glancing at her plate. Everything was neatly arranged, but she had a small appetite and wasn't particularly hungry.

"I'm eating fine, Elijah."

He pointed to a drop of sauce on the tablecloth. "Is that fine? No, Charlotte. If you're going to eat, do it properly."

Raising an eyebrow, she looked at the small stain on the fabric. His attention to detail was impressive; despite her plate being covered, he still noticed.

She pulled her plate closer, ensuring no food fell, and continued eating.

"We both agreed that no one would know we're married, right?" She nodded, still chewing. "That night was before our wedding."

She stopped eating. "This is the first time we've talked alone. I'm sorry for that night, Charlotte. I don't know what came over me."

She could never forget what he did, especially when he punched her in the stomach. Elijah was a different person that night, and the memory haunted her.

"We got married because of that, Elijah. We don't love each other. Your actions bound us together without love. You can do what you want, and so will I. Let's continue living separate lives as if we're not married. After all, we're only married because of your mistakes."

She resumed eating, and Elijah remained silent until she finished. Leaning back in her chair, she removed the hairpin from her hair.

"Charlotte, you and Elijah, go to the center. Dance—a romantic dance," her mother said as she approached their table.

"A romantic dance, how?" she asked.

Her mother smiled. "Like this, dear. Elijah, come here first." Elijah stood up and followed her mom's instructions. "Place your hand, Charlotte, on your spouse's shoulder while he holds your waist, then just sway slowly. We have a gift for you while you dance."

"Is that necessary? Why not just give us the gift without dancing, Mom?" she suggested.

Her mother's eyes widened slightly. "That's not possible, dear. Even if you only had a civil wedding, you still have a celebration, like dancing in the middle. You didn't even cut the cake to feed each other. Are you not going to dance?"

She bowed her head slightly and closed her eyes. It seemed her mother forgot that their marriage was forced because of what happened, yet insisting on these things felt like guilt-tripping.

"No, Mom. It's a waste of time."

Her mother's enthusiasm faded, so she avoided her gaze. She was surprised when Elijah pulled her toward the center of the living room. As she furrowed her brow, she looked at Elijah, who had a serious expression.

"What are you doing?"

"Dancing."

"But I don't want to. Why did you bring me here?"

He glanced at her mom, who was smiling while looking at them, and other family members stood beside her to watch.

Elijah placed both her hands on his shoulders, while his hands were around her waist. Music filled the room. She didn't move, and neither did Elijah.

"Sway, you two!" her mom shouted.

She secretly grimaced, but she felt Elijah slowly starting to move, so she followed. Her family gathered around, and as they swayed slowly, some of them pinned money to their clothes. She glanced at the money pinned near her shoulder, all in denominations.

It was something she often saw in wealthy families, so it felt normal to her since she could handle it, but it was different this time. Those were gifts because she was now Elijah's wife.

Elijah paused and looked at her. "If you want to hurt me, just punch or slap me."

"Huh?"

He bent down, so she followed his gaze downward. She was surprised to realize she had stepped on Elijah's shoe; nearly half of her shoe's sole was on top of his. It didn't have heels, but the whole shoe was heavy, so it was painful.

"Sorry, I didn't notice."

He just smirked before refocusing on their dance.

Her mother approached, pinning money to their clothes. After her mother finished, she suddenly held their backs tightly, forcing them closer, almost as if they were about to embrace each other.

"Mom!"

She looked at both Elijah and her. "Come on, this is a one-time thing; be sweet."

She closed her eyes at her mom's playfulness.

"Okay, Mom," Elijah replied.

She furrowed her brow at Elijah's response, but she was even more surprised when he pulled her closer.

"Just pretend, Charlotte."

They continued to dance slowly, with Elijah holding her tightly, her hands still on top, while Elijah's hands were clasped around her waist at the back.

"Move; you look like a stick," he teased.

She reluctantly followed his movements. With the heavy cloth draped over her, it felt like a burden.

When the two songs ended and the money-pinning was done, they sat down. While removing the money pinned to her, she counted secretly, and her eyes widened slightly, seeing that the cloak placed on her was worth one hundred thousand pesos, aside from the others pinned around her waist, which were made like a skirt.

"Here, put this aside."

Elijah suddenly placed the money on the table in front of her. It was thick. Their families were generous.

She shifted her attention to the sweet dessert prepared by one of the helpers. It was creme caramel, so she gave Elijah the money-covered cloak.

"For you to have a purpose, remove these one by one from the plastic."

"What? In front of our family?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"Yes, you could've done it later and quietly. Not now, Charlotte."

With the wealth they had, he didn't mind the money. Elijah could take care of it; she could set it aside for the future. She took the money again and placed it on the other seat.

She'd eat the creme caramel first; she rarely had a chance to eat it, only during big occasions at her parents' house. She noticed her brother looking at them; he smiled at her, but when he looked at Elijah, the smile disappeared. She then looked at Elijah, who was also staring at her brother.

ElijahAs Elijah sat quietly, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the side of his stomach. He looked over at Charlotte, who was staring blankly at his abdomen.

"What are you doing, and why are you moving around so much?" he asked.

Charlotte held up the money she was trying to count.

"I told you to focus on that later. Why are you so restless?"

"I have nothing else to do, so I started counting the money, and I've finished eating."

"Aren't you ashamed of what you're doing? You look like you're counting money."

Charlotte stopped what she was doing and turned to face him, wearing a serious expression on her face. "I'm starting this now because I have classes tomorrow," she explained.

"But you had time the other day," he pointed out.

"I have somewhere to go that day," Charlotte replied.

He raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

"Just to see a friend," Charlotte reassured him.

"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes," Charlotte replied, ignoring his doubts and continuing to separate the money.

As time passed, both Elijah's and Charlotte's families were ready to leave. It was getting late, so they needed to go home.

They were now standing in front of the door, ready to leave.

"We're leaving now; be happy together," his mother said. She looked at Charlotte and continued, "And you, Charlotte, take care of your husband, look after him, and cook for him."

He looked at Charlotte's face and noticed that she slightly frowned. He sighed at her reaction, but his mother didn't seem to notice.

"Take care on the way home, Mom."

"Alright, then we'll leave you." She smiled at both of them before getting into the car. Charlotte's family waved at them before leaving.

They remained at the door, looking outside.

"What are we going to do?" Charlotte asked.

He walked back into the house. "Get dressed, and if you want, clean up all the mess inside. You can also wash the dishes."

"Huh? Isn't this supposed to be catering?"

"No."

He glanced back and noticed Charlotte staring at the table and the dishes there. He raised an eyebrow as she walked towards them.

“Go upstairs and get changed. There’s a maid who will clean up,” he said.

Charlotte appeared hesitant. “Should I? What if I change my mind and ask you to do the laundry on the tablecloth?”

Without a second thought, he immediately walked towards the stairs, passing by Charlotte.

Their house had three bedrooms on the second floor, one for him and the other two were empty.

He entered one of the rooms and Charlotte followed him.

“Is this my room?” she asked.

“No, this is our room,” he replied.

Her eyes widened as she looked around the room.

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

"I'd rather sleep in the other room. Anyway, we don't like each other," she said.

He looked at her and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to stay here?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Okay, follow me," he said and led her to the other room.

"This room is for you. Do you like it?" he asked.

She peeked inside the room and noticed that it was empty. "Why is it empty?" she asked.

"No one uses it, so there's nothing in it, not even a cabinet," he explained.

"What about the other room?" she asked.

"Didn't you hear? Only one room is furnished, so the third room remains empty as well," he said, avoiding eye contact.

She rolled her eyes and walked inside the room, standing in the middle.

"Come on, let's go to our room, and you can change there," he said.

“I think I'll sleep here," she said.

He frowned. "Didn't you see? We entered here first. Use your eyes sometimes so you don't ask too many questions."

"Are questions not allowed now?"

"Yes, especially since you know the answers. Just follow me."

When they entered his room, he took off his barong and ended up wearing just a T-shirt. Charlotte looked around for her suitcase.

"Where's my suitcase?" she asked.

"Suitcase?"

"Yes, all my clothes are in there."

"No one brought a suitcase down here."

Her eyes widened before she left the room in a hurry. After a few minutes, she returned.

"My brother didn't bring my suitcase down from the car."

He looked at his cabinet. "If you want, you can use my clothes first."

"No, I'll just stay like this. I won't change anymore."

He shook his head. "No, you're sweating, and your clothes have absorbed the smoke. I don't want you to sleep on my bed wearing that."

"You're so picky."

"You're not the one who does the laundry, so don't be picky."

Annoyed, she slammed what she was holding on the small table beside the bed. "Where are the clothes you're talking about? Now!"

"Are you raising your voice at me?"

"It's obvious. Why are you still asking? If you don't want me to get dirty, then I'll sleep in the other room, even if it's just on the floor!"

"Can you? Go ahead; nothing's stopping you."

She clenched her fists before turning away from him and leaving the room. She closed the door loudly, causing him to squint.

He thought to himself that she was stubborn. He stepped out of the room to follow her to the other side, but she was nowhere to be found. He went downstairs and searched there.

"Cara, where's your madam?" he asked.

"Your wife?" Cara replied.

"Yes. Did you see her downstairs?"

"She's in the kitchen."

"Alright. Thanks."

He went to the kitchen and saw Charlotte rummaging through pots. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She dropped the lid of the pot she was holding, making a loud noise. "Charlotte!" he called out.

She took some rice and the leftover dish from earlier, sat down, and started eating.

"Can you hear me?"

She just continued eating without looking at him. Irritated, he left the kitchen and went back to his room, locking the door behind him. He thought to himself that Charlotte was headstrong as well, sticking to her decision. He wondered how long she could endure sleeping on the cold floor. He took a shower, then sat in front of the table to read some papers. He grabbed his eyeglasses before starting.