Marrying the Man in the Dark

“It all stems from the replacement wedding you and Damien had,” Sebastian revealed, his words laced. with calculated precision.
“During that event, his own sister viciously attacked your biological mother, plunging a knife into her chest.”
Sebastian clearly came prepared, and as he uttered these words, he flung a substantial stack of documents onto the table.
“Furthermore, your biological mother has been grappling with a heart condition for numerous years.”
“The severity of the stab wound sealed her fate, leaving no chance of survival. In your fury, you parted ways with Damien.”
“Subsequently, you found solace with me, even bearing my child and bringing new life into this world. Yet, Damien intervened
once again, reclaiming you as his own.”
“I pursued you to this city, and upon our reunion, Danien administered a drug to you, resulting in the loss of your memories and
effectively ensnaring you Eke a caged bird.” Sebastian revealed, his eyes reflecting the anguish of his words.
“Cherise, even if you cannot recall our shared moments now, I hold onto the hope that one day, you will recollect the memories
we cherished together.”
“No... it can’t be true!”
Cherise recoiled instinctively; her gaze averted from the second batch of documents Sebastian hurled her way.
Fear gripped her...
Fear that his words held truth...
Instinctively, she sought Damien’s reassurance, her voice quivering like a frail kite on the verge o collapse. “He’s lying, isn’t he?”
Damien strode towards her with purpose, his lips tight with resolve, yearning to enfold her in his an
But as he moved to embrace her, Cherise defily sidestepped, evading his reach.
Stepping back, she maintained a cautious distance from Damien and Sebastian, her voice trembling as she pleaded, “Stay back,
both of you. Don’t come any closer,”
Raising her gaze with a mix of hope and uncertainty, she turned to Damien, seeking confirmation. “He’s been deceiving me,
hasn’t he? How could our relationship... how could our marriage be based on such deception and transaction? And your sister...

shes a good person...”
In a murmured soliloquy, she grappled with the overwhelming revelations. Finally, she lifted her gaze to meet Damien’s, her voice
trembling with uncertainty. “Tell me... none of this is real, is it?”
He understood that the temptation to reassure her, to refute Sebastian’s claims outright, was strong.
Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to deceive her at this moment.
The repercussions of such falschoods would only deepen her anguish when confronted with the truth later on.
Taking a steadying breath, he chose honesty over expedience. “Some of what he said holds truth, while some are distortions.”
“The contractual marriage is indeed factual.”
“The incident involving my sister stabbing your mother is regrettably true.”
“Our separation for five years is undeniable.”
“However, your involvement with him is categorically false.”
The world crumbled around her.
Cherise felt as though her entire world had shattered.
Since the onset of her amnesia, Damien had been her anchor, her steadfast guide for so long.
In her eyes, Damien had always been her sky-steady, dependable, and immutable.
She had placed unwavering trust in his words, believing in the sincerity of his actions.
She had always believed that the bond between her and Damien was built on love, just as he had professed.
Whether it was her pursuit or his, she had always viewed their relationship through the lens of love.
But she had never anticipated that her marriage with Damien would unravel in such a manner.
Not only was their marriage fraught with such revelations, but a deep-seated enmity existed between her and Damien?

She recoiled instinctively, her gaze fixed upon Damien with a.mixture of disbelief and betrayal. “You”
Silent tears traced a path down her cheeks, the anguish of realization etched upon her features. “So, from the beginning, you
were deceiving me, weren’t you?”
Deceiving her into believing they were in love, fabricating the notion that they had always been Together, and concealing the
existence of any obstacles between them.
“I didn’t lie to you.”