Chapter 4

Lea stood in one of the dressing rooms inside the venue where her wedding ceremony was taking place. Her face looked anxious. For a long time, she had been pacing back and forth endlessly, to the point where Naila, watching her younger sister's antics, was starting to get annoyed.

"Lea, can you stay still for a second? You're going to ruin your makeup," Naila scolded.

Yet Lea completely ignored her. She kept walking back and forth, biting her lower lip in sheer nervousness.

Seeing that, Naila finally stood up and grabbed Lea by both shoulders to force the girl to stop moving. Lea huffed in annoyance as her sister glared at her.

"Kak... I need to go to the restroom. Just for a minute, okay?" she pleaded, trying to slip past Naila.

Before she could take a step, Naila held her back.

"There's no time. Your vows are starting in just a few minutes. Hold it in."

Naila then guided Lea in front of the mirror and began fixing the makeup on her sister's face.

"But what if I pee on the altar? It's so embarrassing!" Lea whined with a pitiful expression.

"No! I know this is just an excuse so the wedding gets delayed," Naila answered firmly.

Lea stomped her foot in frustration. Her gaze shifted to her own reflection in the mirror.

"I'm this pretty and sexy... why do I have to end up with an old husband?" she muttered softly.

Naila just shook her head slowly. She had seen her sister's dramas far too many times. The girl was a coward, but she always acted over-the-top whenever she panicked.

"Are you guys done?"

That voice made both of them turn around.

Ken had just walked into the room. Seeing his sister's gloomy face, he immediately went over to Lea.

Without a word, Ken pulled the petite figure into a tight embrace. He pressed several affectionate kisses to the crown of Lea's head. Truthfully, he still wasn't ready to let his youngest sister go to another man. Yet he was powerless to argue against their mother's decision.

In the end, he could only accept it all.

Ken slowly pulled back from the hug.

"Mom sent me to get you. Your groom is already waiting at the altar. The vows are about to begin."

Lea let out a long breath to calm her nerves. She reached for a glass of water on the nightstand and downed it in a single gulp.

Afterward, she hooked her arm through Ken's.

"Let's go..."

They stepped out of the dressing room and walked toward the hall where the vows were to be held.

"Where's Father, Kak?" Lea asked midway down the hallway.

"He's already waiting for you at the altar."

Hearing the word altar made Lea's heart beat even faster. Her palms began to sweat, and her steps felt heavier with every inch.

"What's wrong?" Ken asked when he noticed his sister suddenly stopping in her tracks.

Lea looked at her brother with a pathetic expression.

"I'm nervous, Kak. What if... I just don't get married?"

Just as she tried to turn around, Naila grabbed her arm roughly.

"Don't do anything stupid! Do you want to humiliate Mom?"

Lea had no choice but to resign herself to her fate.

As she entered the hall, her steps abruptly halted.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the man standing tall at the altar.

The man wore a black tailored suit that fit his sturdy frame to perfection. He was handsome, with a strong jawline and an aura of authority that made it impossible for anyone to look away.

Lea forgot to even blink.

"Wow... so handsome," she muttered unconsciously.

Naila just shook her head with an amused smile at her sister's spontaneous remark. Then, she handed Lea over to Adi.

"Let's go, Sweetheart," Adi said softly while holding his daughter's hand.

Lea nodded quickly. Now, she was practically marching enthusiastically toward the altar.

Her sudden change of attitude made Adi frown in confusion.

Hadn't Lea been crying, throwing tantrums, and even begging to cancel this wedding just yesterday?

Then why did the girl look so eager now?

Adi's reverie broke when the master of ceremonies invited them to step forward.

He walked forward again, holding Lea's hand until they stopped right in front of Alex.

However, the smile that had graced Lea's face slowly faded when the man stared at her with a cold, flat gaze, as if her presence meant nothing at all.

Lea could only swallow hard.

Slowly, Adi took his daughter's hand from his own grip and handed it over to Alex.

"I'm entrusting Lea to you. Cherish her and never hurt her. If one day you no longer want her, bring her back to me the right way. I will welcome her back with open arms."

Adi's voice trembled. His eyes began to water.

Seeing her father cry, Lea's defenses instantly crumbled. Her own tears began to flow uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, Alex only gave a slow nod in response.

After handing over his daughter, Adi stepped down from the altar.

Now Alex and Lea stood side by side, facing the officiant.

Solemnly, they recited their vows one by one until the officiant finally pronounced them husband and wife.

Now came the moment the guests had been waiting for.

The officiant invited the newlyweds to share a kiss as a sign of affection and the official bond of their marriage.

Lea immediately lowered her head. Her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it might jump out of her chest. This was the first time she had stood this close to a man who was now legally her husband.

On the other side, Alex just stared at Lea with a blank face.

Cheers from the guests began to fill the room.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Their voices rang out in unison, making Lea's cheeks burn with shyness.

Alex slowly lifted Lea's chin with his fingers so the girl would look at him.

Their eyes met.

For a moment, Lea was frozen. The man in front of her truly looked near-flawless. His jawline was sharp, his gaze was intense, and his striking looks made it easy for anyone to be captivated.

While Lea was still drowning in her nervousness, Alex wore a faint smirk at the corner of his lips.

He leaned in slowly.

Lea instinctively squeezed her eyes shut. Her breath hitched, and her hands gripped her wedding dress tightly.

For a split second, Alex was captivated looking at Lea's face from such close proximity. The girl's skin looked flawless, her eyelashes were long, and her innocent features radiated a purity that was hard to ignore.

Yet Sophie's image suddenly flooded his mind.

Guilt struck his chest once more.

The urge to push Lea away and run off to find Sophie was so strong, but he held it back.

Instead, Alex leaned his mouth close to Lea's ear.

"It looks like you don't know yet that I'm already married," he whispered softly.

Lea's body stiffened.

"Welcome to the household of Alex Wang... the household of a man who has two wives."

Thud.

Those words hit Lea like a bolt from the blue.

Before she could even process the statement, Alex pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

The cheering of the guests, which had been boisterous, turned into disappointed murmurs. They had expected the groom to kiss the bride's lips, not just her forehead.

Meanwhile, Lea stood frozen.

Her mind went blank.

What did the man just say?

Already married?

If so... did her parents know all along?

Was his first wife dead?

Or...

Before Lea could assemble all the questions flooding her head, Alex whispered again.

"After this, you're going to meet my first wife."

That statement made Lea's entire body feel weak.

Alex then wrapped a polite arm around Lea's waist and led her in bowing to show respect to all the invited guests.

Lea forced a smile, even though her heart was shattering into tiny pieces.

Her eyes instinctively searched for her parents.

Their eyes met.

Adi could only lower his head.

While Dona tried to smile, though her expression was riddled with guilt.

On the other side, Ken and Naila both couldn't bear to look into Lea's eyes for too long.

Their younger sister's mournful gaze filled their hearts with regret.

They should have told Lea from the start.

They shouldn't have let Lea find out everything right on her wedding day.

Ken even clenched his fists.

There was a massive urge to take Lea away from that place.

Yet it was all too late.

The vows had been spoken.

Now Lea was legally Mrs. Alex Wang.

After the procession ended, Alex and Lea approached the extended family, who were chatting with the guests.

Dina immediately welcomed them with a beaming face.

"You're finally my daughter-in-law, too, Lea. Mama is so happy to have a daughter-in-law as pretty as you."

Dina pulled Lea into a warm embrace.

Lea returned the hug with a body that was still stiff. She forced a thin smile to grace her face despite her chest being filled with countless questions.

Not long after, Alex glanced at his watch.

"Ma, I need to use the restroom for a moment."

Without waiting for an answer, he immediately left the crowd.

Lea tracked the man's retreating figure with suspicious eyes.

For some reason, she felt like Alex wasn't really going to the restroom.

An intuition pushed her to find out the truth.

Lea then turned toward her family.

"Mom... Mom... everyone... Lea needs to go to the restroom for a minute too. I really can't hold it," she said with an awkward smile.

Without waiting for anyone's response, Lea quickly stepped away from the hall.

However, the girl's destination wasn't the restroom.

She wanted to see for herself...

Whether the man who had just married her truly already had a wife.

Lea quickened her pace down the corridors of the wedding venue. Every now and then she glanced left and right, hoping to catch a glimpse of Alex.

For some reason, her gut told her the man hadn't really gone to the restroom.

She kept walking until she reached the back of the building. The atmosphere there was much quieter compared to the reception hall. Only the sound of the wind blowing softly through the trees could be heard.

Lea cast her gaze in all directions.

Her steps abruptly halted.

Behind a small garden, she saw the silhouette of a man she knew all too well.

Alex.

The man was hugging a woman.

Lea's heart seemed to stop beating.

With a bated breath, she hurriedly hid behind a pillar. Slowly, she strained her ears to listen.

"Honey, why are you out here? I've been looking everywhere for you," Alex said as he released his embrace from Sophie.

"I just wanted to get some fresh air," Sophie answered softly. "If I stayed inside, I'd definitely be jealous watching you marry your second wife. I couldn't bear to watch you kiss her in front of everyone. That's why I chose to come out."

Alex gently stroked Sophie's cheek before pressing a kiss to the woman's lips.

"I didn't kiss her at all," he whispered. "I only kissed her forehead."

Sophie smiled in relief.

Alex pulled his wife into a tight hug once more.

"Don't worry, Honey. I will never love her. The only person I love is you."

Those words echoed clearly in Lea's ears.

Unconsciously, her fingers clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her own palms.

"That's how it should be, right?" Sophie said with a satisfied smile.

Hearing that sentence, Lea's breath caught.

A woman... whose womb was borrowed?

"Be patient, okay, Honey?" Alex continued. "Just wait until she gives birth to our child. After that, I'll divorce her."

Alex's embrace around Sophie tightened.

Meanwhile, behind the pillar, Lea could only manage a bitter smile.

Her tears welled up, but she held them back with all her might.

"So... I was married off just to have my womb rented?" she muttered softly.

Her hand slowly touched her chest, which felt so painfully tight.

The pain was even sharper than when she had caught her ex-boyfriend cheating.

Because this time...

The one who betrayed her wasn't just her husband.

It was her own parents, too.

Lea wiped away the tears that almost fell.

Then, a thin smile curved at the corner of her lips.

Yet that smile didn't hold an ounce of happiness.

That smile was laced with pure determination.

"You think I'm some stupid woman you can toy with however you like?" she muttered quietly.

Lea's gaze turned cold.

"You're dead wrong."

"If you want to play... fine."

"I'll play along."

"And trust me..."

"I can be far crueller than you can ever imagine."

Without looking back at Alex and Sophie, Lea turned and left the spot.

She re-entered the wedding hall with a calm face, as if nothing had happened at all.

Her eyes immediately searched for Dona.

The moment she saw her mother chatting with a few guests, Lea approached her and gently took her hand.

"Mom... come with Lea for a second."

Dona smiled, then followed her daughter into an empty room.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Lea let go of her hand.

She stared at Dona for a long moment.

"How do you feel right now, Mom?" she asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Dona frowned in confusion.

"Are you happy?"

"Of course. Today you finally got married. Mom is so happy."

Lea let out a short laugh.

Yet that laugh sounded so bitter.

"Why didn't you be honest with Lea?"

Dona's smile slowly faded.

"How could you have the heart to marry Lea off to a man who already has a wife?"

Tears finally fell, dampening Lea's cheeks.

Dona immediately cupped her daughter's face.

"Mom didn't mean to hurt you, Sweetheart."

"Mom just wanted to give you the best."

"Mom didn't want you to run into another scumbag who only makes you cry."

Lea closed her eyes.

She wanted to be angry.

She wanted to scream.

She even wanted to hate the woman standing before her.

Yet she couldn't.

After all...

That woman was her mother.

The woman who had risked her life to bring her into this world.

In the end, Lea could only let out a long sigh.

She chose to accept the reality that had already unfolded.

Dona pulled her daughter into a hug once more.

"Try to win your husband's heart."

"Mom is sure you can make him love you."

"Make him crazy about you."

"Mom believes you can do it."

Lea returned the hug with a thin smile.

Yet that smile didn't reach her eyes at

all.

Deep inside her heart, a new resolve had been born.

You're the ones who raised the battle flag first.

Then don't blame me if this second wife retaliates in a way you could never possibly imagine.