Chapter 15 He's Holding Another Woman

When Dominic Hawthorne heard the staff member's words, he replied bluntly, "We came here precisely to choose an inauspicious day." The staff member gave a strange look, glanced at me, then said nothing more and processed our registration immediately. Holding the red marriage certificate, I walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau with Dominic. Suddenly, the man turned and said in an unusually cold tone, "Lydia Fairchild, since you went to such great lengths to marry me, I naturally won't disappoint you." He bit down hard on the word "disappoint." Though it was the height of summer, goosebumps rose all over my body. I was about to explain when Dominic's driver approached from a distance, holding a bottle of water and a small pill case. At a single glance from Dominic, the driver handed the water and the case to me. I took the case, initially puzzled by the medical name—until I saw the small print beneath. My heart tightened. It read: 24-hour emergency contraceptive. I didn't say a word. I obediently swallowed the pill. Dominic watched me take it and sneered, "From now on, I'll make sure you take your pills every time. Don't even think about getting pregnant with another man's child and trying to pin it on me!" With that, he tossed me a key and got into the car, driving off without a backward glance. I stood there, watching the car disappear from view, my heart filled with bitterness. I thought of my most important wedding day—how I had attended it under my sister's name. Now that I was truly married to Dominic, he treated me like an enemy. I squatted in the corner of the flower bed by the gate, biting my lip, motionless for a long while. Then I got up and went back to work. Life had to go on. —— That night, I didn't return to the marital home. Instead, I went back to Gina's place. Gina happened to be home. Seeing my low spirits, she pulled me aside and asked what was wrong. After persistent questioning, I finally told her the truth. She listened, then rested her chin on one hand and murmured, "Your grandmother—was she really doing this for your good, or was she just screwing you over?" "She was doing it for my good," I replied firmly. I believed that even if no one else cared for me, she truly did. She thought Dominic was a good match, so she wanted me to marry him. Gina nodded, put an arm around my shoulder, and said, "Alright, after all, today is your wedding night. Come on, sis, let me treat you to something good." Though I hated to spend money, I couldn't resist her. In the end, we picked a mid-tier hotpot restaurant. Few people ate hotpot during the scorching summer, and when we entered, there were only a few customers inside. We ate hotpot and drank beer. After several rounds of drinks, my mood didn't feel so heavy anymore. Then we went to sing karaoke. We played until well past midnight. The weather wasn't hot, so we decided to walk home. But just a few hundred meters out of the KTV, I spotted a black car parked by the roadside ahead. I recognized it instantly—it was Dominic's car. If his car was here, he must be nearby. I looked around, and soon saw Dominic carrying a woman in a princess hold out of a nearby bar. I didn't need to see her face to know it was Leona… Her face was flushed; she must have drunk quite a bit. The sight sobered me instantly. My feet felt like lead, frozen in place. How bitterly ironic—on the very first day I saw my husband after getting married, he was holding another woman. Just as I was about to do nothing, Gina suddenly rushed forward, shoved Dominic hard, and shouted, "Dominic Hawthorne, do you have any shame? Ignoring your wife to carry another woman?"