Alexander's POV

My veins popped out of my temple as I held on to the lady's hand like my life depended on it.

I was on my way home when I noticed a feminine figure hanging onto a rod. I wondered what she was doing there for such an hour but before I could get out of my car, she crossed over the road.

‘Suicide?’ The only thought that came to mind as I quickly plopped out of my car headed towards the lady.

Her actions were the last of things I want to see anyone do. A sense of urgency rushed through my veins as I quickly caught hold of her hand before she jumped out of reach.

Today was one of the times I was thankful for hitting the gym often as my muscles enabled me to lift the lady up until she was back on the road.

“Why-why did you save me?” She questioned the moment I let go of her hand.

My brows pulled together in confusion,”Excuse me? You think I was going to let you kill yourself? What were you even thinking trying to kill yourself by the highway?”

Her eyes glistened with tears before her lips turned downward, making her face wear a frown.

“Well, what do you do when you've lost hope in living? What do you do when you get tired of trying? What do you do when-when the one you love betrays you?” She sobbed profusely as she finished.

It was unusual for me but I felt so concerned about this lady. Her beautiful face looked like it should only wear a smile and seeing her in such a sensitive state made me worried.

I pulled the lady into a warm embrace, her warm body trembled in my arms but she didn't stop crying, “Hey, don't cry. It's okay, I understand.”

Well, technically that was a lie. I had no idea what it felt like to be betrayed or to be tired of living. As a matter of fact, the only thing that frustrated me was my mother's consistent disturbance to get married soon and that was not enough reason for me to want to kill myself.

We stood in each other's arms for some minutes, the only sounds audible enough to hear were her sobbing and cricket sounds. The streetlight standing beside did well to provide a little light in the midst of the darkness.

Seconds ticked into minutes and the lady slowly stopped crying.

She broke the embrace while trying to wipe her tears so I offered her a handkerchief, “Thank you, I really needed that.”

A smile spread across my lips seeing that she was now calm, “I'm glad I was able to help. Well, wanna talk about why you were trying to do that?” I pointed towards the stream beside us.

She stared at me as if trying to see if she could trust me with her problems before looking away, “I just caught my husband cheating on me with my step sister.”

My jaws dropped, “I'm so sorry about that. How long was your relationship with him?”

She crossed her arms as she turned her back on me, “Two years. We had a beautiful marriage for two years and he just decided to-”

I rested a palm on her shoulder, “It's fine. I get it. Did he hurt you so bad that you wanted to end your own life? For a man who isn't even worth it?”

She spun around, “Isn't that enough reason? My dad who were supposed to be there for me died and left me with a stepmother who doesn’t give two fucks about my existence. The only person I considered family has just been taken away from me and you think I should still have a reason to live?”

I sighed softly as I tried to gather my thoughts, “I know it's difficult but I don't think it should be the end of your world. You're a beautiful woman who would sweep anyone off their feet with your smile. You can always have anyone you want if it's about your lover. As for your parents, sometimes we can't control how life works, it happens for the best.”

Her eyes flared up in anger upon my statement which was quite different from what I was expecting.

“If beauty could help me this whole time, why couldn't I pay my father's accumulated debts with my smile? Hell, life would be fucking easy if all I had to do was go around and smile. I mean I'm stranded right now so why don't I just smile at you and have you help me?”

Her question made me smirk, “Go for it.”

Her lips turned upwards and they curved into the most beautiful smile I've seen from a woman different from my mother. Her eyes still sparkled with the sorrow drowning her inside but her cheeks stood prominent, complimenting her pretty set of dentition.

The crazy urge to cup her face surged in my heart so I pocketed my hands in my pocket to bow the pressure.

“How bout I help you get a place to stay?”

She gasped softly, “Really? I'd be so grateful! Thank you so much!”

Guilt welled up in my belly as I stared at the excited lady because I was only taking advantage of her situation even though I did find her attractive.

“On one condition”

Her profile twisted in disappointment,“Oh. What do I have to do?”

I drove my hands into my hair, “Get married to me.”

Martha's POV

I had two options; to walk out on Alexander or accept his proposal.

Neither of those options would help my situation but considering I was a stranded woman, I was bound to choose the latter.

Alexander offered to provide shelter as long as I was his wife and this was why I accepted his offer.

He also made it clear that it was just a contract marriage so it relieved me of wifely duties. Even though it was a fake marriage, Alexander still treated me like the ideal wife.

He initially acted affectionately towards me only when his mother was around but as days passed by, he started acting like that even when we were alone.

I took it as him being just a nice man after all, he was utterly kind towards me the night we met. But deep down, I feared that he might actually be in love with me.

But then again, why would he breach his own contract? The contract stated that we were to act like couples and nothing more.

My phone's vibration snapped me out of my thoughts as I regained consciousness of my surroundings.

I brushed my hands over the texture of the orange gown in my hand, this was Alexander's recent gift. He made it a habit to get me new clothes at least twice a week and this was only one of his gestures towards me.

The others fell along the lines of assisting me in the kitchen, getting me jewelry and taking me out for ice cream. His marrying me offered luxury but none of it could mend the shattered pieces of heart.

Call me dramatic but I can't seem to get over the fact that I was betrayed like that. The thought of giving my all to Caleb only for him to hurt me like that still broke me.

A soft sigh escaped my lips, this is the sole reason that I never let Alexander's actions get to me. I saw it all as nothing but the benefits of being his fake wife.

I rose up from the bed, headed for the dressing room. I changed from my blue shorts and top to the sequined orange dress I came in with.

The dress had a slit that ran up to my thighs with a fluffy top that stopped at my shoulders. My figure was accentuated perfectly by this gown.

My curly blonde was styled into a ponytail with a small hump in front. Makeup wasn't my thing but I did well to apply a little mascara, eyeliner and some lipstick.

My reflection in the mirror was nothing short of gorgeous. A small smile spread across my lips, I was ready for our usual dinner night.

As I walked out of our room, I heard voices from downstairs.

It seemed we had a visitor but why would anyone pay a visit at nine in the night?

Judging from the pitch of the tone I was hearing, I could tell it was a female but it wasn't a familiar voice.

‘Who’s Alexander entertaining?’ The thought increased the curiosity in my mind.

While walking down the stairs, I tried to think of who could have visited by this time but I couldn't place my mind on any of his family members.

The moment I stepped down from the last staircase, my eyes widened in surprise. The scene before me left me in gasps.

Alexander was hugging a strange lady and she pecked him. Her hands curled around Alexander's waist as they broke the embrace after which she giggled softly.

I felt a familiar sense of rage rush through my veins, “What’s going on?” I questioned with a voice that reverberated through the room.

Alexander spun around with a surprised look, “Oh, Martha. You're ready…”

Just before I could speak, the lady beside him dashed towards me, “Alexander, who's she?”

Alexander smiled, “She’s my wife.”

The brown eyed lady suddenly glared daggers at me upon hearing that, she spun around to face Alexander.

“Your wife? How can you be married when you're engaged to me?!”

Were my ears working fine or did I just hear the most crazy question?

Alexander engaged? Why was he now in a contract marriage with me?

Martha’s POV

“What’s your name?” I crossed my arms over my chests and stepped in front of them, the frown on the corner of my lips evident. And though, the question was directed to the lady, my eyes were trained on Alexander, disappointment and disbelief bubbling through my expression as he stared silently at me.

Really? He was not even going to say anything to his defense? He has a wife and a freaking fiancée!

“It’s Tracy Hopkins to you. Memorize it because you’ll be hearing it more often.” Tracy said with a smirk and ran her hands through Alexander’s hair, twirling the strands as though they were hers to own, then she giggled and brought her pink lips to his neck, planting her lips there briefly.

My eyes squinted in disbelief at her bold actions and I opened my mouth to give her a piece of my mind but quickly stopped when I saw the reaction of Alexander’s face. My heart sank in realization. He looked…okay with it? Why wasn’t he flinching away from her?

If anything, he looked like he was having a good time.

A wave of pain and anger surged through me but I threw my face to the side and sucked on my bottom lips as I reminded myself that I shouldn’t cross the line. I shouldn’t make a big deal out of it and give him the wrong idea. After all, this was solely based on a contract. I wasn’t his real wife—neither was our marriage. None of it ever was real.

But why was I feeling more trapped than ever? Have I perhaps grown too attached to his comfort and presence?

“Tracy,” Alexander cleared his throat, drawing our attention as he massaged a palm into his forehead before speaking any further, “Meet Martha James.”

“And Martha…” I swallowed hard and refused to meet his gaze, my hands clenching and unclenching behind me. How could I face him when I couldn’t even figure out what was going on?

“I’m his fiancée.” Forcing a sweet smile, Tracy stood up from the couch and walked up to me, her eyes flashed a quick irritated look as she outstretched her hands for a handshake. I cocked an eyebrow and stared at the outstretched hands with a frown. The sweet smiles and quirky mood…I knew she was faking it, but why?

Either way, I wasn’t going to accept it.

“Aw, I see you’re not a fan of handshakes. That’s okay…” She mumbled, her tone filled with sadness and hurt—faked one, to be precise. I turned to the side and locked eyes with Alexander. He didn’t say anything but his expressions did. His jaws were clenched, so were the muscles across his arms. He looked like he wanted to say something but he was trying so hard to hold back.

That only infuriated me more as I prepared myself to let my hands do the talking when suddenly, Tracy blocked my view and pulled me into a hug. The action was very surprising…quick, and I just stood there, wide eyed and frozen to the ground, unsure of what to do. Meanwhile, Alexander had his phone to his ears and turned to the side to answer the caller on the line, giving Tracy the perfect opportunity to show her true colors.

“Listen here, Mariam…” She started.

Of course, she wasn’t going to be as friendly as she poised to be. She just had to make everything more insufferable as it already was.

I gritted through my teeth, “It’s Martha.”

“Don’t care,” She chuckled and lowered her voice into a softer tone, making it look like we were actually having a nice conversation. Furious, I tried to pull away but she only tightened the hug and dug a finger into my wrist, the smile on her lips only widening as she made it clear that it was a warning.

A stinging pin shot through my skin, urging me to recoil as I hissed in pain and glared back at her, hard. Who did she think she was? Threatening me and trying to assault me in my own house! Well…not my house per say, but as long as I was Alexander’s, I had almost the same rights as he did!

“Alexander and I are going to get married soon.” She dropped a bombshell that made me freeze in my tracks. What did she just say?

I narrowed my eyes at her, searching for a joke in them, but found none. She was…serious. “So, I suggest you go back to wherever you came from before things get ugly. He will never look at you the way he looks at me, so don’ t even bother about trying to seduce him…. he’s mine. Always will be.” Her words sliced through my heart; each statement felt like a stab to the chest as it only brought back an oddly familiar memory into my senses. I was suddenly reminded of Caleb and Simone, and how she kicked me out from my very own relationship with an unremorseful Caleb besides her.

Was Alexander going to do the same to me?

It shouldn’t hurt, but it did. My breath slowly picked up its pace as it became heavy and ragged with brewing emotions while I glared into her smiling eyes. Satisfied with my reaction, she pulled away and clasped her hands with another fake smile.

“Alright! Looks like we’ve officially met each other here!” She chuckled and tucked some strands of hair behind her ears.

Why did Alexander have a fiancée? Why didn’t he ever bring her up? Why didn’t he even tell me she was just crazy?

Does he really have feelings for her?

Something stirred within the corner of my vision, pulling me out of the train of overwhelming thoughts. My breath hitched a bit as I turned back and watched Alexander slowly peel his eyes from his watch and move away from Tracy’s reach. His brows rose up just a little as he searched my face for something—a reaction that meant he was concerned.

Don’t, Martha. Don’t let him think you’ve already fallen for him...

Oblivious to what just happened, he walked up to me with a small smile and held my hands, then he leaned over to my hearing and whispered. “I’ll explain everything when we get back…right now, let’s focus on the dinner tonight. Our dinner.”

I threw him a brief glare and cocked my head to the side to look at Tracy. She seemed distracted, hugging Alexander’s suit and inhaling the strong masculine cologne emanating from it.

With a scoff, I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. That was a whole level of creepiness, but who was I to judge again? Looked like I was suddenly interrupting something I shouldn’t have in the first place.

“Is she coming?” I nodded towards her direction. “Your fiancée.” I emphasized on the title, making my anger known. I needed to talk to him privately, without any fiancées shoving their nails down my skin.

My eyes moved to the tension building up at his throat, almost like his words got caught there. He averted his eyes when he noticed I was watching him and looked towards Tracy’s briefly. Why was he finding it so hard to tell me the truth? To tell me what’s going on…?

Blowing his cheeks, he released a hand and ran his fingers through his hair. The same one she’d put her manicured fingers through moments ago.

“Martha…”

“It’s fine,” I feigned a sweet smile and shook my head while withdrawing my hands from his. “I won’t interfere…I’ll just wait for you two in the car.” I pressed my lips into a thin line and held my hand up at him when he opened his mouth to press further. Nothing he was going to say at the moment was going to make the situation any less embarrassing.

“Ugh, she’s coming? I thought this was our dinner, Alex! You were actually serious about her? We’re engaged! You’ve a lot of explaining to do!” Tracy whined, making sure that it was loud enough for me to hear.

The pain in my chest only throbbed more as I walked away from him, half-expecting him to stop me, pull me to the side and explain himself. At least that was the least he could do right now. But he didn’t. I was sure he didn’t even spare a look at my direction the moment I turned my back at them.

Tracy had her arms wrapped around him, engulfing him into a warm embrace. An embrace that shouldn’t be too intimate as she had her chest visibly pressing into his.

With a sharp intake of air, my hands reached out to touch something familiarly hot trickling down my cheeks. I let out a bitter laugh when I realized what it was and quickly wiped off the trail, hoping it didn’t leave any smudged evidence on my makeup.

If he could have a plus one, I was going to have one as well!