My true identity was the granddaughter of the richest man in the Avery Family. When I was with Darius, my grandfather opposed it.

He said our relationship wouldn't last, but I argued with him and made a bet with my grandfather, while I was with Darius, I wouldn't use a single penny from my family.

If I could buy a house and get married through my own efforts, my grandfather would accept our relationship.

Now it seemed my grandfather was right.

Darius wasn’t worth entrusting my life to.

My phone kept buzzing with notifications.

It was a post from Sofia on her social media, with a photo of a house I recognized—the one I’d been saving up for five years to buy.

[So happy to decorate the new house with him. We finally have a home.]

The photo showed Darius cleaning the house with a serious expression.

I unconsciously clenched my fists, determined to delete everything out of sight.

After learning about my breakup with Darius, my grandfather immediately arranged a blind date for me.

Although it was an arranged marriage, my grandfather had selected only the best candidates for me.

Until I walked out of the City Hall, I was still in a daze. Looking at the marriage certificate in my hand, I couldn't believe I had actually gotten married.

Looking at the person beside me, I hesitated to speak and he also looked at me as if he wanted to say something.

But just then, the phone rang at an inopportune moment.

It was work-related, so Barry Matthews hurriedly said goodbye to me and left.

During this time, my phone kept vibrating and I didn't have time to check it until I got home.

It was from my university classmates' group chat.

Someone had secretly taken a photo of me at the City Hall.

[Isn't that Shawna, the trendsetter girl on our campus? I heard she broke up with Darius. What's she doing at the City Hall?]

[I think they're just a couple playing around. That couple never broke up.]

[@Darius @Shawna, I'm waiting for your wedding invitation then.]

I wanted to clarify the rumors, but Darius beat me to it.

[We’ve already broken up. @Shawna, don’t think that going to the City Hall will get my attention. Breaking up is breaking up.]

While looking at the message on my phone, I let out a mocking laugh.

“How thick-skinned are you? Don't get carried away. What does it have to do with you that I'm going to the City Hall with my husband today?"

Darius looked at the photo of me standing at the entrance of the City Hall and clenched his fists tightly.

But the next moment, he calmed down.

[@Shawna so, you're getting married? Fine, bring him to the class reunion in three days so I can meet him. Don’t forget to bring the marriage certificate!]

Seeing that we were really about to start arguing in the group chat, the classmates realized that we had truly broken up.

They tried to smooth things over, but I just replied with a casual [Sure.]

Three days were agonizing for Darius, but they flew by for me.

Although Barry and I got married in a hurry, we still needed to handle the necessary matters.

The wedding house needed to be redecorated and I needed to move. 

Since finding out about our marriage, Grandpa had been so happy he could not stop smiling.

Three days flew by and Barry promised to accompany me.

However, there was an urgent matter at the company, so he would be a bit late.

By the time I arrived, almost everyone was already there.

When he saw that there was no one beside me, Darius’s face lit up with a smug smile.

Sofia, sitting beside him, spoke up at the right moment, “I told you so, Shawna must have been lying to you. Don't worry about it."

The entire private room was filled with my university classmates and we all got along well. 

As soon as I arrived, people greeted me, seemingly trying to divert the conversation away from a particular topic.

But Darius certainly wouldn't let them have their way, since his purpose that day was to see me regret it.

“Shawna, where’s the husband you mentioned? You said you’d bring him to meet us. Where is he?”

“Even if you regret it now, it's too late. There’s no longer a place for you by my side. I’m with Sofia now.”

After Darius said this, the scene he had imagined didn’t appear.

I just stared at Darius with a cold expression, calmly pulling out the marriage certificate from my bag.

Seeing this, Darius’s lips curled into a mocking smile, “This is obviously fake. You bought it at a convenience store for five dollars. Shawna, you're lying just to save your pride."

I furrowed my brows and flipped open the marriage certificate as I said, “A fake one wouldn't have a steel stamp, would it?"

The moment I opened the marriage certificate, Darius's face turned as dark as night.

He suddenly stood up, snatched the marriage certificate from my hands and tore it into pieces.

In front of everyone, Darius looked at me with a mocking expression.

“Shawna, stop pretending. Everyone knows you’re from the countryside, a poor person wearing nothing but cheap clothes. Who else would want to be with you besides me?”

“It's a shame you went to all this trouble to flatter me. If you just kneel down and apologize to Sofia, I'll consider our relationship."

Whispers could be heard all around.

“Could Shawna's marriage really be a sham?"

"I think it's fake. If it were true, why wouldn't her husband come?"

“I never would have thought it. Even though Shawna is the trendsetter, she's still just a love-struck fool."

These people weren't even trying to lower their voices; it was as if they were saying it just for me to hear.

I didn't pay much attention and just took out my phone to check where Barry was.

But my phone was suddenly snatched away and Sofia flipped through it without any regard for my privacy.

“Husband? Ms. Avery, I never expected you to be so determined. You actually saved his name as ‘husband.’ If you’re so confident, why don’t you make your husband come here?”

My face darkened as I glared at Sofia, speaking slowly and deliberately as I tried to grab the phone back, “Give me back my phone!”

Seeing my expression, Darius suppressed his panic and reached out to slap me across the face.

But the next moment, I found myself in a strong embrace.

Screams echoed around us.

Then a familiar voice rang out beside my ear, “I’m Shawna’s husband. What’s going on?”