Mathilda’s POVSeptember 28, 2017What is the greatest regret you’ve ever faced?If someone asked me, my greatest regret would be marrying Fredric.Yes, this is the saddest marriage in the world.All those stories about cruel husbands and wives trapped in forced marriages arranged by grandmothers only exist in movies.In reality? It happened to me.If I could cancel the wedding that took place a month ago, things wouldn’t be this bad.“What are you doing in my bed? Get out of there!”I turned to my right, where a tall man with an old birthmark on his left chest was glaring at me. That man is my husband — Fredric Liam Smith.What could I do when he acted like that? Of course, I immediately got out of his way.There was no affection, no kisses, no trace of happiness. The only time he ever showed me a kind gesture was when we were in front of his grandmother, Rosa.Rosa is the only person in this family who truly loves me. Her care and warmth never go unnoticed, and I owe her so much.“M

Mathilda’s POVI’d rather stay home than go out for lunch today.Being around Fredric could only make things worse. He’s never looked at me kindly before. Besides, he already said I should change my appearance to look like one of those modern supermodels.How sad.I admire Fredric. He’s my first love. Since I was a child until now—at twenty-three—we’ve met many times. And yet, he’s always been cold, never even saying hello.But that’s normal. Who would greet a weird, nerdy girl like me? Covered in pimples, painfully skinny, and with this messy curly hair that makes me look completely unattractive.“How are you, Mathilda? Everything going well?” asked Mrs. Rosa, pulling me out of my daydream. I smiled and answered, “Yes, everything’s fine.”“Working as a cashier isn’t too hard. Unless you become a director of a big company—then you’ll get headaches,” Fredric commented suddenly, joining the conversation. I don’t know why he hates me so much.As far as I can remember, I’ve always been po

Fredric’s POVI have no idea what made my grandmother ask me to accompany this girl. God, my car has never carried a stranger like Mathilda before.What if her frizzy red hair messes up the back seat? Is her backside even clean enough to sit in my luxury car?I’m so irritated.Thankfully, Paula is sweet and understanding. I really didn’t make a mistake choosing her as my girlfriend.We’ve been together for about three months now, and I’m convinced she’ll be my future wife. Ah, that sounds almost like a joke—but it’s true. I love her deeply.Paula is the first woman who’s ever made me consider taking things seriously. Up until now, women and beauty were nothing more than a game to me—fleeting distractions I couldn’t care less about.But Paula was different. She managed to open my heart to real affection, to make me understand what a relationship truly means. Her beauty and her kind heart are beyond doubt.Unfortunately, Grandma doesn’t seem to approve of her. Every time I mention how c

FREDRIC'S POVDamn it.I want to be mad at my grandmother—how could she even think about pairing me with Mathilda?I hate to admit it, but it makes me want to run away from home.I would’ve done it already if I weren’t such a miserable grandson. Mathilda must be thrilled to hear about my grandmother’s plan; I’m sure the two of them are talking about me right now.She’s gone too far this time. Mathilda clearly took advantage of my grandmother’s closeness with her family to pull this off. I’m not going to just sit quietly. I need to talk to Paula.I’ve never felt this angry—not even when my father abandoned me. This… this is so much worse. And as if the universe wanted to mock me, the day decided to get even worse. Just as I was about to hit Paula’s number on my phone, my grandmother and Mathilda came walking toward the car.“Sweetheart, I packed your dinner. You haven’t eaten yet,” Grandma said with her usual warmth.She didn’t even look the slightest bit guilty after pairing me up wit

MATHILDA'S POVA loud knock on the door jolted me awake at two in the morning. My heart instantly raced with fear-what if something had happened to my father? News that comes in the middle of the night is never good news."Yes, I'm coming," I called softly, clutching the edge of my pajama top to steady my trembling hands. My pulse thudded painfully in my chest as I whispered a silent prayer. Please, God, let this not be about my father.When the door opened, the last person I expected to see was standing there. Fredric. His cold, unreadable face filled the doorway as he stepped inside without hesitation-just as he had barged into my room at seven last night."Mathilda," he said flatly, "I want to marry you. Forget everything I said before-we should get married."A flash of lightning lit up the room, followed by a low rumble of thunder, as if nature itself wanted to dramatize the moment. Fredric's icy eyes locked on mine. What was he thinking? Why would he want to marry me now, after e