The Marriage Without A License

Elias wrote me so many letters after his cancer diagnosis.
I hadnt opened a single one.
While sorting through old things, I fully intended to toss them all.
But Lilys voice broke my concentration.
Mom, what are you doing?
She looked at the stacks of neatly folded stationery in my hands and gave me a mysterious smile.
Tell me about them. I promise I wont make fun of you!
I didn't answer. Instead, I tossed them into the rusty metal burn barrel in the backyard without a second thought.
Then I struck a match and watched them burn completely, cleanly.
Just useless things.
Elias. Those answers I once desperately wanted.
Or maybe, your belated regret and love.
Let them scatter on the wind with this fire.
1
Lily stared into the barrel and then, out of the blue, said,
Mom, was the person who wrote these letters very much in love with you?
I gave a faint, wry smile.
She followed up quickly, And is he still alive?
Suddenly, I didnt know how to answer her questions.
Did Elias love me?
I looked down at the bright, consuming flame.
Did he love me, or did I love him?
Did it even matter anymore?
After all, he was dying.
But even if his life was cut short, it had been filled with a happy, picture-perfect family, with beloved, well-adjusted children.
I thought our story was finished, neatly closed.
But I never expected him to force his way back into my life like this.
He was always like thisself-important, assuming the entire world should step aside for him.
I took Lilys hand, and she glanced down, her eyes catching the shocking prominence of the scar on my wrist.
Mom, does this still hurt?
I froze, instinctively tightening my grip on her hand. I tried to pull my sleeve down to cover it.
The next second, Lilys eyes welled up with tears.
Mom, I know you used to get headaches every night and couldnt sleep.
And this scar.
She gently covered the raised tissue with both her small hands.
I looked it up online. It only gets this raised and thick if someone has cut it multiple times.
My emotions were caught in her current, my voice cracking.
Sweetheart, all that is in the past. Your mother has you now, and Im very happy.
She threw herself into my arms, tears streaming down her face.
Mom, you love me so much. But are you taking good care of yourself now?
I opened my mouth at her question, but the words wouldn't come.
After a few moments of silent crying, she slowly lifted her head, her eyes wet and searching.
Mom, can you tell me a story about your past?
I just want to know who my mother was.
I stroked her hair, silent for a moment, and sighed softly.
Then, my mind drifted, uncontrolled, back to a time long ago.
2
Ten years ago, at the Montgomery family estate in Boston, I had just finished celebrating my twenty-third birthday.
I was heading to my room to finally rest when my cousin, Taylor, blocked my path.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she gripped my arm hard.
Sloane, you have everything. Cant you just give Elias up to me?
My smile froze. The flush of champagne instantly faded.
Elias is my husband. Weve been married for three years.
What are you talking about?
Taylors tears finally spilled over.
Im pregnant.
She added in a low whisper, Its Eliass.
In that moment, my mind felt like it had been split in two by an axe.
A roaring sound filled my ears, and even breathing became a struggle.
I didnt hear the rest of her frantic, rambling explanation. A cold numbness began to spread from my chest.
I pushed Taylor away with trembling hands, only for her to stumble, falling backward.
Taylor!
A pair of strong arms caught her instantly.
I clearly saw her slightly protruding abdomen for the first time.
Elias held her tightly, his eyes wide with a mix of panic and overwhelming concern.
When he looked up, the only emotion he directed at me was raw fury.
I realized Taylor hadn't been lying.
Sloane, Im already with you. What more do you want?
The way he protected Taylor was exactly the same way he had protected me the year I was brought home from the hospital.
All traces of the evenings intoxication had vanished. I could even see the white knuckles of his hand as he tightly secured Taylor in his embrace.
I forced myself to speak, maintaining a composure I didnt feel.
Get rid of the baby. I can pretend none of this ever happened.
The words felt like someone had violently squeezed my heart.
After a long silence, Elias finally looked up, his expression hardening with a clear resolution.
Sloane, we only had a wedding ceremony. We never actually signed the marriage license.
In the eyes of the law, it doesn't count.
My throat felt clogged, and I spoke in a voice barely a rasp.
Taylor is Fathers private daughter. Your child with her is also destined to live in the shadows.
And this, in case you forgot, is the Montgomery estate.
To my surprise, Elias let out a bitter, cutting laugh.
He ignored my words, instead helping Taylor gently onto a nearby chair.
Sloane, I told you I would take care of you for life, and that wasnt a lie.
But Taylor is pregnant. I cant be an irresponsible man.
Finally, he looked directly into my eyes, his face calm.
I thought you would have understood the unwritten rules of our social circle by now.
Stop creating a scene, and just listen to me. Be a good girl.
In that moment, I felt like I had never known Elias Prescott at all.
After that night, I fought him every single day.
At first, Elias would use a soft voice to coax me.
Sloane, youre the one I love most. I thought you understood my heart. Please, just be reasonable
Gifts of all shapes and sizes began to appear, piled up in my room.
But I felt no happiness at all. I started trying to hurt myself.
The first time I cut my wrist, he rushed me to the hospital, terrified and heartbroken.
The doctor, after confirming the wounds were shallow, gave me a meaningful look and said:
Young people shouldnt make such a fuss over love and emotions.
Later, as Taylors pregnancy progressed, no matter how much I screamed that I was going to kill myself,
Elias never stepped foot in my room again.
The last time I cut my wrist was the day Taylor gave birth to twins.
We were both rushed to the hospital at the same time.
When I woke up, only my wrist, throbbing with pain beyond words, was there to comfort me.
Elias had stood vigil outside Taylors delivery room for over twenty hours.
My father even hosted a lavish celebration for the two new lives.
Everyone of note in the Boston social circle sent their blessings.
They had already decided that Taylor, the illegitimate daughter, had successfully claimed her place.
Elias held the twins, planting a kiss on Taylors forehead that overflowed with tenderness.
He looked like the perfect husband and father.
But when his eyes fell on the blood-soaked bandage on my wrist, his look of disgust was absolute.
Sloane Montgomery, do you look like a society wife right now?
3
Lily hugged me tight again.
Her small body was shaking uncontrollably.
Mom, did you adopt me because I look like the baby you lost?
She quickly lowered her head, adding in a whisper,
Its okay. I wont be sad.
I kissed her cheek.
I started to peel back the layers of pain that had once nearly crushed me.
Placing them in the sunlight, waiting for them to finally scar over.
Three years after Taylor gave birth to the twins, I became pregnant.
My mental state at the time was fragile.
But when Elias heard the news, he was ecstatic, as if he had found some kind of salvation.
Sloane, were having a baby. Feel this.
He took my hand, his large one guiding mine to rest gently over my lower abdomen.
I knew what this meant.
From that day on, he assigned me bodyguards, twenty-four hours a day.
And I stopped fighting.
I naively believed this child would be his reason to come back.
A clean break for us to start over.
I obediently rested, not even seeking out Taylors presence anymore.
One evening, Elias, breaking his long-standing rule, actually came into my room.
Sloane, the love between us isnt gone.
We just need to find the right arrangement for both of us.
He leaned over and placed a kiss on my forehead.
Just give me some time.
I nodded. Elias, lets get legally married. Now, will you?
He stiffened instantly.
Sloane, what are you talking about?
Suddenly, I became hysterical.
Did you never plan to truly spend your life with me, from the very start?
The day I got pregnant, you turned around and legally married her.
How long were you planning to keep lying to me?
I took a step back, my spine hitting the cold wall.
I thought you were different.
But when I saw with my own eyes that you took her overseas to choose a wedding ring, I finally understood.
My voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly enunciated.
You told me you were only doing this for the Montgomery legacy, and that I was your true wife, but you turned around and signed the papers with her.
After she gave birth to the first set of twins, I was foolish enough to think youd settle down and come back to me. Instead, the very next year, she was pregnant again.
While they basked in the worlds blessings, I was carving up my own wrists, one slice at a time.
His eyes grew colder, yet he still tried to soothe me with patience.
Sloane, I told you to give me time.
Why do you have to be so difficult?
I raised my hand to cut him off.
I thought you were different.
I even thought you would come back to me, settle down.
You felt sorry for her going through labor twice, but you still wanted a full house of children.
I looked down at my pregnant belly.
Even if this baby is born, it will never be truly loved.
Everyone had accepted their relationship.
Only I, like a desperate clown, was fighting for my life in the Montgomery house.
I backed up to the landing of the staircase, speaking with a calm despair.
My father only ever loved his unattainable ideal. After my mother died giving birth to me, he turned around and married my stepmother.
You want to be just like my father. You want to have your cake and eat it too.
His face drained of color.
Sloane Montgomery, the fact that Im here, trying to talk to you, proves I still care about you.
You better start acting like the legitimate daughter of this house. You should try to learn from Taylor and support me quietly from the shadows.
Over the years, my father had come to respect Elias's sharp mind and ambition.
From a virtual driver to his right-hand man, from a nobody to a rising star in the Boston elite.
He escorted Taylor to every high-end event.
And Taylor, having been refined through fire, was no longer the timid illegitimate daughter.
She even ran her own exclusive socialite coaching business.
She had leveraged nearly all of Bostons old-money connections and resources.
This was the path I had intended to pave for him.
But all I got in return was:
Sloane Montgomery, look at yourself. Do you even resemble the woman I fell for anymore?
I looked at my reflection in the mirror.
Dull hair, sunken eyes, a body so thin it was bloodless.
Meanwhile, Taylor, despite two pregnancies, still looked like a girl, from her face to her figure.
He allowed me to live without any dignity, yet he forbade me from doing anything that might hurt his image.
I was about to turn to walk down the stairs.
The next second, a force slammed into my back, and I tumbled down.

First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "332155" to read the entire book.