Chapter 2The Contract Husband’s Secret Obsession

I sent an email to the person I'd never met.

"Does your promise from back then still stand? I'll come find you abroad in ten days."

"What are you being so secretive about? Who are you emailing?" Dominic's voice cut through the silence from behind me, making me jump and snap my laptop shut.

He didn't probe further, just impatiently waved his hand. "Don't dawdle. Come out with me."

The car stopped in front of a high-end bridal boutique.

He sat down, flipping through catalogs leisurely for almost half an hour, finally pointing to two wedding dresses. "Hey, which one do you think looks better?"

Staring at those two gorgeous white gowns, my heart fluttered with a ridiculous hope.

Eight years of marriage, and all we had was a marriage certificate.

No wedding photos, no ceremony. He once said that weddings were the most hypocritical form of performative nonsense. Was he, now...?

Before that ridiculous hope could even fully form in my mind, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Sera has such a great figure, she'd look stunning in anything. It's so hard to choose."

My heart instantly sank. So, he didn't hate performative nonsense.

He just hated performing it for me.

I dug my nails into my palms, just barely keeping my emotions in check.

He glanced at me sideways, his tone mocking. "Stop looking like a wronged woman. If I hadn't married you, she'd have had my name years ago. Now I can only compensate her with a bridal photoshoot. What else do you have to be unhappy about?"

Just then, his phone rang.

His assistant must have said something urgent because Dominic's face instantly darkened.

He shot up from his seat. "Send me the link! Get everyone in PR to the conference room, immediately!"

He hung up, staring at his phone screen, his eyes chillingly grim.

#Rising Starlet Seraphina Thorne Secretly Meets Acclaimed Director, Spends Three Hours Together At Hotel#

Below, there were several blurry, intimate photos of Seraphina.

He cursed under his breath, grabbed his car keys, and stormed out.

I followed him to the garage.

Before I could even buckle up, the car lurched forward.

My forehead slammed hard against the window, and my vision swam.

As soon as we arrived at the company, Seraphina burst into tears, throwing herself into his arms. "Dominic, I'm ruined! Those photos..."

Dominic patted her back, his voice a gentle murmur I'd never heard directed at me.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here. The sky won't fall."

During the emergency meeting, the head of PR nervously proposed a plan.

"Mr. Hayes, the only way now is to find someone with a similar build to Miss Thorne, and have them claim the person in the photos is themselves."

The moment he finished speaking, everyone's eyes simultaneously landed on me.

Dominic's eyes lit up. For the first time, he took my hand and led me into his office. "Amy, you and Sera are half-sisters, you look six parts alike. For Sera's acting career, would you make this sacrifice for her?"

I felt a chilling numbness spread through me, staring at him in disbelief.

He knew, he knew that Seraphina and her mother were the ones who drove my mother to her grave! I shook my head frantically, trying to run out, but he grabbed me from behind.

"Just a few photos to cover it up! It won't kill you! I won't shortchange you once it's done."

I struggled, shaking my head even harder, but he ignored me, roughly throwing me onto the sofa. He leaned over me, pinning my legs with his knee, one hand tearing at my clothes, the other holding his phone.

Eight years of marriage, and this was the first time he'd been this close to me, our breaths mingling.

But it was to force me to take degrading photos, to cover for my enemy.

Tears streamed down my face, disappearing into my hair.

After he got the photos he wanted, he looked down at me, sprawled like a broken doll.

"Be obedient. The position of Mrs. Hayes will always be yours." A cold laugh echoed in my heart. Mrs. Hayes? I didn't want that position anymore. And you, Dominic, I didn't want you either.