Our Secret Marriage Was Supposed to Be Fake

Before marrying Silas, Joyce had only met him three times. A marriage of convenience, a secret agreement, for a term of three years. She's fresh off a heartbreak — the man she chased for years told her they "weren't a good match." Silas has his own baggage: rumor says he's still hung up on a white moonlight who happens to look just like Joyce. So that's all she is. A substitute. ** In the second year of their marriage, on Joyce's birthday, she drank too much and, in front of everyone, tugged on his tie, pinning him underneath her: "You look... a lot like my husband." The Thorne family's second master, known for being rational and unfeeling, was flustered by her that night. He leaned in close to her ear and coaxed in a low voice, "Be good." The next day Joyce woke up to find her lips were swollen. This… Who did this! When she went to question him, she discovered Silas's lip was bitten. He stared at her and said slowly, "You crossed the line first." ** The scandal leaked. At a party, her ex-boyfriend stepped in: "She's mine. Who dares talk?" Then Silas walked in. The room went silent. "Yours? Since when?" "Joyce, tell me. Whose are you?" So much for the secret marriage. So much for being a substitute. This was supposed to be fake… wasn't it?