Chapter 1

• Cassie’s Pov
• “This better be your final marriage or you will have me to deal with!” My stepmom, Rhoda, whispered in my ear. One of the registry officials passed by us and Rhoda gave him a forced smile.
• “Please, Mom,” I whispered with tears in my eyes, fiddling with my fingers.
• “I am not your mother and don’t you dare let those damn tears fall or I will end you!!! She said with gritted teeth, standing really close to me. “Your miserable late father left us with so much debt and someone has to pay for it! It’s definitely not my daughter so you better wipe those tears off the corner of your eyes and don’t ruin this for me.”
• Knowing my stepmom was one whose words never failed to come to pass, I brought a finger to my face and wiped the tears that lingered at the corner of my eyes. I had no makeup on so I had nothing to lose. I paired my natural face with a well-known knee-length dress. My fourth time getting married in the same dress.
• “But I’m innocent. Why should I be punished for my father’s sins?” I whispered, trying so hard not to break into tears. Life was hell with the first three men I was betrothed to. I didn’t want to go through that anymore. “Lauretta is his daughter too.”
• Rhoda scoffed. “You don’t understand, do you?”
• “My daughter, Lauretta, is going to marry a billionaire who will push this family forward. That’s even more work than what you are bound to do. I know I promised your father I was going to take care of you. That is why I am sharing the responsibilities. You clear the debt and Lauretta will bring the riches.”
• “I will clear the debt but not this way. If only you let me finish school, I would have gotten a j….” Hardly had I completed my words when Rhoda’s hand landed really hard across my face.
• Tears instantly rolled down my cheeks.
• “You ungrateful bitch!!! Never dare question my decision.” She glared at me.
• I brought my hand to my face as I sobbed quietly.
• Rhoda was about to say something, probably to scold me even more when her eyes dashed towards the large entrance, making her force a smile. “Here comes your husband. Wipe those false tears off your face.”
• I obeyed, wiping the tears off my face with the back of my palm. I looked at the entrance and got even more confused. I saw three men. An older man in an average suit attire and beside him was a bit younger man in a wheelchair who was in a baggy suit and behind the man in the wheelchair was a regular dude in casual clothes, pushing the wheelchair.
• “Who am I getting married to?” I asked my stepmom with a heavy heart. The registry had a strict rule as to the dressing of married couples so I knew it couldn’t be the man in casual clothes pushing the wheelchair.
• “Who else?” Rhoda glared at me. “For a woman with no future and nothing to offer, you should be glad that someone had agreed to make you a wife.”
• Fresh tears welled up in my eyes all over again. My lips quivered as I tried to speak my mind. “Please Mom, don’t do this to me.”
• Rhoda chuckled, “He can’t be that bad. The least you can do is to take responsibility for your actions. You’ve been married to three men. The relationship never lasted due to your silly behaviour so they were not able to pay the debt. I don’t think this family is rich either but that’s not my business, as long as the debt becomes theirs. They are probably in need of a nanny for their cripple son so be on your best behavior and be prepared to stay with them for the rest of your life.”
• Before I could say anything, the man in an average suit approached us. “Rhoda Tess?” He directed at my stepmother.
• She forced a smile “Yes, I recognize you from the picture.”
• “Nice to meet you.” He stretched out his hand to my stepmom who stylishly stared at him in disgust.
• “Oh, I can’t. Doctor’s orders. Sorry!” She lied.
• “That’s fine.” The man dropped his hand, not taking offense to how rude my mom was.
• “Just so we are clear, once your daughter gets married to my son, my family becomes responsible for the debt on the condition that your daughter gives us an heir in a year and continues to care for my son.”
• My eyes went wide. “An heir???”
• Rhoda slightly pushed me to the side just to stop my so-called father-in-law from seeing the reaction on my face. “Of course!” She said with a cheerful smile. “The deal is on. She will give you as many heirs as you want.”
• “Can you please give us a second and we will join you shortly?” Rhoda said.
• The old man nodded, then strolled in with his son in a wheelchair behind him. My stepmom glanced at them all in disgust, then she turned to me.
• “A baby? Even the previous men that I had been married to didn’t request that!” In as much as my head was a mess, that was the first thing that left my lips.
• “So what now? You wanna quit not regarding my efforts? You are just as ungrateful as your father.”
• Tears welled up in my eyes once more. I’m sure Dad in his grave would be filled with regrets about getting married to someone like Rhoda. It’s just a shame that I have to be the one suffering the consequences.
• “Your father-in-law is cocky as hell. He has the guts to refer to a child as an heir. Doesn’t he know that the the title ‘heir’ is reserved for the rich and mighty? Whatever!” She scoffs and then points at me. “I don’t care what they say. You are going to give them what they want.”
• My lips moved to say something but Rhoda shunned me by throwing me nasty glares.
• She gestured for me to go into the registry and I obeyed, taking slow steps, with Rhoda walking behind me.
• Cassie, 25, never have I been in love, experienced a true love’s kiss, had an orgasm but here I was, about to sign the certificate for my fourth marriage.
• We were five in the small room. Myself, the registrar, my husband, whose name I learned was Shawn, his father, Donald, and my Stepmom who served as witnesses.
• Everything happened so fast and soon enough, Shawn and I were pronounced man and wife. Rhoda’s clap and cheers were the loudest. Tears tickled in my eyes. I had never seen her this happy for me.
• Once the certificate was issued, Donald approached Rhoda and me, holding a brown envelope which he handed to her. She was sceptical at first but she accepted it.
• “That’s the contract. We will pay 40% of the debt this week and will pay the rest subsequently once she births my grandchild. Should She back out of this marriage then your family would repay all of the loan in 5 folds.” Donald said and I instantly felt sick to the pit of my stomach.
• “That’s fine, you are not going to regret this.” Rhoda smiled. She took out the papers from the envelope, reached for a pen in her purse and signed me away without reading the contents.
• She handed the papers to Donald, then leaned close to me, whispering in my ear. “I hope I never see you again. Enjoy your lifetime with a cripple.”
• Heavy tears welled up in my eyes.