Married For the Show

RAINA

My husband loves them small.

The smaller you are, the bigger his desire.

I knew this because he'd told me several times in the two-month courtship we had.

I'm petite myself, just five feet two inches, so I thought he meant me. How stupid I was.

We've been married for a month and immediately after our wedding, that very day, he left for a business trip. No honeymoon. No wedding night. Just a kiss on my forehead and a promise to make me happy when he returned.

Tonight, he was coming back home.

And I couldn't wait.

I'd had my bath, waxed my legs and perfumed my skin. We had not yet consummated our wedding and as he'd promised, he was going to make me happy on his return. My heart was racing with excitement and nerves.

I was now brushing my hair, applying the crimson shade lipstick and adjusting my red lingerie over my body. I'd bought it specially for tonight. The silk felt cool against my skin, and I kept checking myself in the mirror. Everything had to be perfect.

I couldn't wait to spend my first real night with my loving husband after our wedding.

The house was quiet. Too quiet. The staff usually bustled around at this time, preparing dinner, cleaning, maintaining the massive mansion that was now my home. But tonight, silence.

I'd just stepped out of my bedroom into the passageway when I heard a gurgling sound.

I tilted my head, curious as to what was going on. The sound was coming from down the hall, from the direction of Castor's library.

Where were all the staff of the house, and why did it sound like something was choking to death?

My bare feet made no sound on the thick carpet as I walked down the hallway. The choking sound got louder. Maybe someone was sick? Maybe they needed help?

I tiptoed towards his office. As I got closer, the choking got louder, mixed with other sounds I couldn't identify.

The door was open. Wide open.

That's when I saw it.

A devastating scene that shattered my world into a million pieces.

My loving husband, who I hadn't seen for a whole month, was sitting majestically in his office chair. But he wasn't alone. Teddy, our house help, our 18-year-old manservant, was on his knees between Castor's legs, choking on his dick.

My chest tightened and my throat closed up.

Was this a dream?

Because I better wake up now!

My blood ran cold, and I had to dig my nails into my palm to wake up from the shock. The pain was sharp, real. This wasn't a dream.

Castor Rowland, my husband, was a politician. An assembly man for the state of Kansas. He was supposed to be an angel who'd walked into my life two months ago when my family was practically drowning in debt and offered to save us.

He was supposed to be a knight in shining armor who had proposed to me, professing his love for me and his desire to take care of me.

Touched by his kindness, I'd agreed to marry him quickly.

Castor had bought over and revived my mother's restaurant that was being taken away due to debt. He'd given us hope again.

He paid off my younger brother's tuition fees and settled our house mortgage. He'd done it all out of the kindness of his heart. Or so I thought. And when he told me he loved me and wanted to marry me, I'd instantly agreed, falling for his kindness and generosity.

Now, I couldn't believe my eyes.

Teddy, our tiny house help, who was almost the same size as me, was on his hands and knees while my husband, the one who had not once touched me in our month of marriage, was holding Teddy's head down as he moved his hips.

Shock was a serious understatement.

I was horrified. Destroyed. Everything I thought I knew was a lie.

"Castor..." I managed to call his name, hurt and disbelief making it hard for me to breathe. Tears were already streaming down my face, ruining the makeup I'd so carefully applied.

His head jerked up and he saw me in the doorway. But there was no shame in his eyes. No guilt. Nothing.

"Raina," he said, his body completely unashamed.

That's when something even more shocking happened. Teddy pulled back, gasping for air, and looked up at my husband with familiar eyes. Too familiar.

"Honey, can you tell her to excuse us?" Teddy said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Honey?

HONEY?

I was more than shocked now. I was drowning in disbelief.

"Give us a minute, Raina. I'll come to you when I'm done," Castor said coldly, like I was a servant who'd interrupted his meal.

My eyes widened. The tears kept falling.

It was no more Baby or Sweetheart like he'd called me during our courtship. It was now just Raina. He was addressing me like I was some stranger interrupting his good time.

"What's going on?" I demanded, my voice shaking. "What is this? Who are you?"

Castor sighed like I was being dramatic. He pulled Teddy up and let him sit on his lap, like a lapdog. Teddy curled into him, and my husband's arms went around the boy's waist. Possessive. Comfortable. Like they'd done this a thousand times.

"Teddy is my boy toy," Castor said simply. "One of the few things I use to satisfy myself. You shouldn't worry about it."

"Boy toy?" My voice cracked. "You're... you're into men? Into boys?"

"Young men," he corrected, like that made it better. "And yes. I thought that was obvious."

"Obvious? You married me! You said you loved me!"

He laughed. The sound was cruel and cold. "Love? Oh, Raina. You're even more naive than I thought."

I felt my legs shaking. "I didn't agree to this. I didn't agree to any of this when I married you!"

"You didn't need to agree," he said, running his hand through Teddy's hair while the boy smiled at me smugly. "Once your family took my money, that was consent enough. You're only compensation for all the money I spent."

The words hit me like physical blows. Compensation. That's all I was.

"I want a divorce," I whispered, then stronger, "I want a divorce!"

His face changed then. The lazy satisfaction disappeared, replaced by something dangerous. He stood up so fast that Teddy had to scramble off his lap.

"Divorce?" He walked toward me, and I backed up until I hit the wall. "Let me make something very clear, Raina. If you leave, I'll take your mother's restaurant. I'll collect the house and demand a refund for your brother's tuition. I'll destroy your family so completely they'll be begging on the streets."

"You can't do that!"

"Can't I? I have receipts for everything. Contracts. Your mother signed papers. So did you." He was so close now I could smell Teddy on him. It made me sick. "You will stay married to me for five years. You will let me win my election. You will smile and wave and be the perfect wife. After that, I'll let you go."

I was confused, broken, drowning in betrayal.

"Why?" I asked, my voice barely working. "Why did you marry me if you didn't love me? If you didn't even want me?"

He laughed again, stepping back. "I married you to clean up my mess and portray me as the perfect family man to the public. Traditional values. A sweet little wife. You're my prop, Raina. Nothing more. A very expensive prop, but a prop nonetheless."

My eyes widened as the truth crashed over me like a wave.

My marriage was fake.

It was all for show.