: Secret Marriage

I'm secretly married to an A-list young actor.

He's a celebrity, and I'm a public school teacher.

Our secret marriage has its ups and downs, but it's never dull.

Until one day, a photo of him in a passionate kiss shot to the top of the trending topics.

He said, "That's my wife. It's legal."

1

"Honey, I'm heading out."

Ronan Thorne sat on the edge of the bed, looking at me pitifully.

Like a little puppy about to be abandoned.

I reached out and patted his head. "Go on, hurry up. I'll be right here waiting for you."

Ronan Thorne looked a little disappointed. "Honey, you didn't call me the right thing."

We'd been married for three years, and I'd long since gotten used to his clinginess, which I once found so awkward.

"Darling husband, you should get to work. Don't worry about me."

Ronan Thorne was very pleased with my performance, left a kiss, and departed.

I slept a little longer before getting out of bed.

This is the third year of my secret marriage to Ronan Thorne.

That's right, we're secretly married.

Ours was a childhood betrothal; we're childhood sweethearts.

The year we were supposed to get married, Ronan Thorne starred in a web series that became a minor hit.

His agent, Cole Young, grabbed my hand and begged me to agree to a secret marriage.

"I've been managing Ronan for three years, and he's only just now started to get popular. If news broke that he got married so young, everything would be ruined."

Cole Young spoke with such sincerity, as if Ronan Thorne were his own son.

Under Ronan Thorne's mournful gaze, I agreed.

After breakfast, my mom called. "Mom, what's up?"

"Your grandmother isn't feeling well. When you have a moment, could you take her to the hospital?"

I agreed and drove home.

I took my grandma to the hospital. While she was getting her check-up, my mom couldn't help but nag, "You're not getting any younger, you know. You really should be thinking about marriage."

That's right. Our marriage was so secret that not even my own mother knew.

"Mom, I've got it under control," I said, dodging the subject as usual.

My mom had tried to persuade me many times, but she knew it was pointless to say more, so she dropped it.

Grandma's test results came back fine. After taking them home, I left.

On the way, I got a call from Ronan Thorne. "Honey, what are you up to?"

"I just took Grandma to the hospital for a check-up. How about you? Is the shoot going smoothly?"

Ronan Thorne sighed, unable to hide his disappointment. "It's going smoothly. But without my wife here, I'm so lonely."

"Cole Young said there have been a lot of paparazzi following you lately. We need to be careful."

I parked the car and got into the elevator, still on the phone.

Ronan Thorne was silent for a moment. "Honey, what if we just go public?"

"What about your career?" I asked as I walked through the door, kicked off my shoes, and flopped onto the sofa.

Ronan Thorne had never agreed with the idea of a secret marriage. He believed that even if we went public, his career would be fine.

But Cole Young, as his agent, refused to allow it, just to be on the safe side.

"Honey, just wait a few more years for me. Once my career is stable, I promise I'll let the whole world know you're my Mrs. Thorne."

I'd always believed in Ronan Thorne's promises.

After hanging up, I got a call from my assistant teacher, Dottie. "Ms. Sterling, Cody's mom said Cody got hurt. Do you know anything about it?"

After graduating, I became a kindergarten teacher at a school in the city. This is my fourth year on the job, and Dottie is my assistant teacher.

"I know. I'll explain it to his mom."

I hung up with Dottie and called Cody's mom to explain the situation.

Cody's mom was understanding and just hoped Cody could get more rest when he came back to school next week.

I agreed to everything and told her to make sure he rested well.

After hanging up, I lay on the sofa.

The house was huge, and the silence was terrifying.

'Although I had gradually grown accustomed to our life of secret marriage, I sometimes envied those who could walk hand-in-hand in the sunlight.'

I turned on the TV, and a show starring Ronan Thorne was playing.

Cole Young always said he was a natural-born actor. Even without professional training, on camera he became the character.

'Watching him shine so brightly on screen made me feel like my sacrifices had been worth it, in a way.'

The next day, I opened my eyes to a message from Ronan Thorne: "Honey, you have to believe me. There's nothing going on between me and Crystal Song."

I didn't reply. Instead, I opened Streamer.

The number one trending topic was [Ronan Thorne and Crystal Song's Relationship Exposed].

: Clarification

2

"The photos are actually pretty good, they just didn't get a good angle of your nose bridge."

I zoomed in on the photos the paparazzi had taken.

Even though they were blurry, Ronan Thorne still looked incredibly handsome.

It wasn't long after I sent the message that a video call from Ronan Thorne came in.

"Chloe, are you mad?" Ronan Thorne's head drooped, a wounded expression on his face.

'Honestly, he was such a pitiful sight it could melt anyone's heart.'

I sat down on the balcony to soak up some sun. "I'm not mad."

"You're definitely mad." Ronan Thorne was off in his own little world again. "There's really nothing going on between me and Crystal Song. The hotel was arranged by the production team. She's the second female lead, so we're all staying in the same hotel."

I patiently listened to his explanation in silence.

When Ronan Thorne saw I wasn't reacting, he stopped short. "Chloe Sterling, are you even listening to me?!"

Normally, I love getting a rise out of him.

Ronan Thorne is especially cute when he's mad.

But when he gets genuinely angry, I always soften up and coax him, because a truly angry Ronan can be a real handful.

"I heard you. I believe there's nothing going on between you and Crystal Song. You're filming right now, so the production team probably hopes for some gossip to stir up some buzz."

The moment he heard that, Ronan Thorne got fired up. "That just makes me even madder. I told Cole Young to post a clarification on Streamer, and he refused. Don't worry, Chloe. I'll just post it from my own account later."

"It's fine. Cole Young is just trying to keep your popularity up."

To be honest, back when he first got famous, I used to get a little worked up over these scandals.

But over time, I realized there was no point in getting angry over pointless gossip.

Because there's an endless supply of it, and you'll never run out of things to be angry about.

Ronan Thorne's expression suddenly grew serious. "Chloe Sterling, I'm a married man. I don't need to use these kinds of tactics to get attention."

Growing up, Ronan Thorne always gave in to me. I'd rarely ever seen him speak to me so seriously.

His reaction made me re-evaluate the situation.

This wasn't the first time rumors had spread about Crystal Song and Ronan Thorne. It had happened before, back when they were on the red carpet.

Ronan Thorne had said that Crystal Song deliberately sought out opportunities to get close to him, which was how those seemingly intimate photos were taken.

Back then, Ronan Thorne had just hit it big, while Crystal Song was still an unknown rookie.

Ever since that incident, Ronan Thorne has never liked Crystal Song.

"So... what should we do? I'll leave it up to you."

Almost instantly, Ronan Thorne showed me how he was going to handle it.

The Streamer account "ThisIsRonanThorne" posted an update: "Miss Crystal Song and I are colleagues in the entertainment industry. The hotel was arranged by the production team."

Colleagues in the entertainment industry.

Those five words made my whole afternoon. Ronan Thorne wouldn't even grant Crystal Song the status of a friend.

It was a brutal public slap in the face.

Even if Crystal Song was furious, she had no choice but to respond publicly: "I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding. Ronan Thorne is a wonderful senior in the industry, and I hope to learn a lot from him through this collaboration."

I had just finished reading her Streamer post when a message from Jen Penn popped up: "Why is this Crystal Song such a clout-chaser? There's no way our Ronan Thorne would ever like her!"

Jen Penn is a good friend I made after I started working. Coincidentally, she's been a die-hard fan of Ronan Thorne for years, which means she absolutely despises Crystal Song.

We became good friends after she found out that I was a fan of Ronan Thorne, too.

"It's good that he cleared it up, but the rate at which Crystal Song starts these rumors is insane," I couldn't help but complain to her.

'After all, it's incredibly annoying that Crystal Song is constantly trying to get her hooks into my husband.'

This scandal was resolved quickly, but it also strengthened Ronan Thorne's determination to go public with our relationship.

He took advantage of a break from filming to invite Cole Young over to our house. "Cole Young, I don't care what you say. I'm going public with my relationship with Chloe as soon as possible."

: Going Public

3

Ronan Thorne had always wanted to go public with our relationship. Whenever he brought it up, Cole Young would come to me.

He'd try to persuade me with both logic and emotional appeals, bringing up Ronan Thorne's career and the potential impact on my life.

Unlike Ronan Thorne, I couldn't just throw caution to the wind. I was usually the one who ended up talking him down.

This time, Cole Young once again turned to me. "Chloe, what are your thoughts?"

I knew what Cole Young was getting at. He was hoping to use me to talk Ronan Thorne out of it.

But this time, I didn't want to change his mind.

We'd been secretly married for three years; we couldn't keep living in the shadows forever.

"If we go public, will it affect your work that much?"

Hearing me starting to give in, Ronan Thorne's eyes immediately lit up. "It won't, Chloe. I've built up a large fanbase over the years, and I've earned some recognition in the industry. Even if we go public, my work won't be affected that much."

Cole Young, standing nearby, grew anxious. "Chloe, don't listen to him. There's bound to be some impact, one way or another."

"I don't care."

Ronan Thorne immediately shot back, "I don't care about the fame that comes from that kind of persona. Chloe, do you believe that I can earn recognition on my own merit?"

I did believe in Ronan Thorne, but over the years, I'd heard plenty of stories about the entertainment industry from both him and Cole Young.

Earning recognition on talent alone was no easy feat.

"You can go public if you want, but you have to do one thing first."

Seeing that my resolve to keep our marriage a secret was wavering, Cole Young came up with another plan.

Ronan Thorne turned to him. "What is it?"

The "one thing" Cole Young mentioned was for Ronan to participate in a reality competition show for actors. He wanted Ronan to truly earn recognition for his acting.

"Fine, I'll do it." Ronan Thorne agreed without a second thought.

It wouldn't be easy for Ronan Thorne, who started as an idol, to win acclaim for his acting, but he wasn't afraid of the scrutiny.

'For me.'

I took his hand, deeply moved. "I'll always support you."

The show Cole Young had found required the contestants to live in a dormitory. I helped Ronan Thorne pack his bags and saw him to the door.

"When I get back, we can finally go public."

I nodded. No matter what happened, I would always believe in him.

After Ronan Thorne left, I went back to work.

"Wow, can you believe Ronan Thorne is going on that show, *I Am an Actor*?"

I had just gotten to the classroom when I heard Dottie chatting with the teacher's aide. "Morning," I said.

"Ms. Sterling!" Dottie spotted me and hurried over. "Are you a fan of Ronan Thorne?"

Feigning composure, I put my bag on the desk. "Of course."

"If you like Ronan Thorne, then we're destined to be good friends!"

'I'm not one for gossip, but here was yet another Ronan Thorne fan right in front of me.'

"I can't believe he's actually going on that show. The haters are going to come out in full force. I have to be ready to defend him online." Dottie looked like she was preparing for war.

I turned on my computer and started working.

'I hope Ronan Thorne can win them over with his talent,' I thought.

「A week later.」

The first episode of the show aired, and I tuned in on my computer.

Sure enough, just as Dottie had predicted, the moment Ronan Thorne appeared on screen, the live comments were flooded with hate.

*When did the bar for being an actor get so low?*

*Starring in a few dramas makes you an actor now?*

*Seriously, does he have anything besides a pretty face? Any actual talent?*

The comments were so nasty I couldn't ignore them. I couldn't stop myself from posting a reply to fire back.

However, the criticism didn't last long. After his scene aired, the comments were filled with voices of support.

Just as Ronan Thorne had said, he was winning them over with his talent.

By the time the tenth episode of the show aired, Ronan Thorne was back.

And he brought something back with him: an acting contract.

I took the contract and flipped it open. "Is this for a role?"

"Mhm." Ronan Thorne wrapped his arms around me. "I told you I could earn their respect on my own. Chloe, we can go public now."