Unknowingly Married to My Kidnapper

The night before my wedding, I was kidnapped and tortured for three days.

When I was finally rescued, my fianc had already married someone else.

In my despair, Vincent stayed by my side and married me.

For three years of marriage, I thought he was my salvation.

But on our anniversary, I overheard his conversation with friends.

"Vincent, are you really never going to tell Elara the truth?"

"Why would I? Isn't everything fine as it is? Sienna likes Elara's fianc, so I had to help Sienna get him. As for Elara, I'll treat her well."

"You're really something, Vincent! Three years ago, you had her kidnapped, made her infertile, and now she's still grateful to you!"

The cake in my hands fell to the floor.

So the person who ruined my life had been by my side all along...

"What was that sound? Is someone outside?"

Footsteps from inside the private room drew closer. I instinctively retreated several steps and hid behind a pillar.

The person who opened the door looked left and right but didn't notice the cake on the floor before retreating back inside.

The surroundings were noisy, yet all I could hear was my heart pounding violently in my chest.

My ears rang as Vincent's voice echoed endlessly in my mind.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

It was a message from Vincent.

[Sorry Elara, I'm still in a meeting. I'll have to come home late today.]

[Don't wait up for me, just get some rest. When things settle down, I'll take you on a trip to make up for it, okay?]

Vincent's tone was as gentle as always.

He was busy with work and often missed our anniversaries and Valentine's Day.

But he always compensated me afterward.

He complied with almost all my requests.

I had reflected more than once that fate had been somewhat merciful to me.

Although I experienced that terrible incident before my wedding, at least I met Vincent.

I met someone in this world who truly cared about me.

He picked up my broken pieces one by one, carefully protecting me, using tenderness and love to open my heart.

But only now did I realize how laughable everything I believed had been.

Before I could reply to Vincent's message, I caught sight of a familiar figure approaching from the corner of my eye.

Instinctively, I turned my head and let my long hair cover my face, but I could still see who it was.

Sienna, my own sister.

She got lost as a child and only returned home at eighteen, deeply cherished by our parents.

Three years ago, the night before my wedding, I was kidnapped and humiliated.

After being rescued, the first news I learned was that she had married my fianc, Ethan.

Those were the darkest days of my life.

Sienna knelt by my hospital bed, crying and begging me to forgive her.

Ethan held my hand, begging me to fulfill their love.

Mom and Dad frowned at me, blaming me for everything that happened.

Ethan and I grew up together. For over twenty years, I had dreamed of becoming his wife.

But in just three days, everything changed.

"Hey, Sienna's here! Beautiful as always."

The man's compliment snapped me back to attention.

I walked to the door again and listened carefully to what was happening inside.

Sienna laughed. "Still so smooth-tongued after just a few days."

"No wonder so many young women fall for you."

Sienna's tone sounded very familiar.

I couldn't help but think that in the three years we'd been married, I still knew nothing about Vincent's friends.

He always said his friends weren't easy to get along with.

That he worried I might remember the past.

I thought he was thinking of me.

But I forgotif Vincent truly loved me, how could he allow his friends to slander me?

My nails dug into my palms as I listened to the laughter inside the private room.

I caught Vincent's voice among them.

"Coming out this late, won't Ethan worry?"

"Don't worry, he's been busy with work lately. He hasn't even left the office yet."

"Vincent, I'm here because of something else..."

Through the gap, I saw Sienna sitting next to Vincent, her hand resting on his thigh.

Vincent had mild germaphobia. Even at home, he only let me handle his personal clothing.

But now, facing Sienna's intimacy, he showed no sign of displeasure.

"What is it? Whatever you ask, I'll agree to it."

"Ethan and I have been married for three years, but I still haven't gotten pregnant... He's been much colder to me lately. Vincent, I want a child. Can you give me one?"

Sienna's words nearly made me cry out.

But I covered my mouth and stared intently at Vincent's face.

Even at this moment, I still hoped he would refuse.

That he would maintain one last shred of decency for the sake of our three-year relationship.

But on Vincent's face, I saw shock and panic, but no anger or condemnation.

In that instant, I already understood Vincent's choice.

My heart, which had been raised high, fell back to its place. I turned and walked outside.

Like a soulless corpse.

What kept appearing in my mind were only scenes from three years ago.

Actually, I had forgotten most of the memories from those three days of captivity.

The doctor said my body had abandoned some memories for self-protection.

But what I dreamed of every night was only the scene of Vincent kicking open the iron door and rescuing me.

Behind him was the sunlight I hadn't seen in three days. Vincent in his suit walked toward me step by step, his eyes full of worry and heartache.

Then he knelt down and held me in his arms.

The last words I heard before losing consciousness were his trembling voice.

"It's okay now, Elara."

"It's okay now..."

Later, when Vincent proposed to me, videos of my abuse were all over the internet. Everyone avoided me.

Only he walked against the crowd and knelt before me.

He said, Elara, marry me. I will never let you suffer for the rest of your life.

He said, Elara, trust me. I'll take good care of you forever.

But in the end.

Ethan lied to me.

And so did he.

By the time I got home, it was already dawn.

Vincent still hadn't returned.

My unanswered messages had no follow-up.

I sat on the bed, staring blankly at the wedding photo hanging on the wall.

In the photo, I was skin and bones with vacant eyes, but Vincent looked at me as if I were a rare treasure.

These three years, Vincent had indeed taken good care of me.

He helped me, someone who only dared hide at home, to willingly go out and see people.

But what I thought was salvation was actually an even deeper abyss...

My phone vibrated again. Another message from Vincent.

[Elara, I'm sorry, I can't make it back tonight. When you wake up tomorrow, I promise I'll make it up to you.]

Before I could react, another message appeared.

From Sienna.

[Elara, I know you were outside just now. I saw you.]

[How does it feel watching your husband sitting with me, laughing and talking?]

[I could steal one person from you, and I can steal the last one too.]

[Elara, in the end, everything you have belongs to me.]

Along with Sienna's message came a photo.

A hotel's pure white bed. On the floor beside it was Vincent's jacket.

My heart suddenly seized with sharp pain.

Sienna hated me. I didn't know the reason before.

But now, I didn't want to know anymore.

I closed my eyes as tears slid down from the corners. I pulled at the corners of my mouth in a bitter smile.

Three years ago, Mom and Dad abandoned me because of my reputation.

I didn't cling to them and left.

Three years later, Vincent cheated with someone else.

I wouldn't cling to him either.

Things that don't belong to meI don't want them anymore.

I got up, took down the wedding photo from the wall, viciously cut it to pieces with scissors, then threw it in the trash can by the door.

I carefully took screenshots of all the messages Sienna sent me and saved them to my photo album.

Leaving was certain.

But I couldn't just leave like this.

Vincent didn't come home until noon the next day.

When he saw me, he immediately walked forward to hold me in his arms.

"Sorry, Elara. Yesterday was my fault."

Up close, I could even smell the strong perfume on him.

And the obvious kiss marks on his neck.

I turned away, avoiding Vincent's gesture, and said softly, "You smell like alcohol. Go take a shower."

Vincent paused, then laughed.

"Okay, okay, I'm bothering Elara. My fault."

"Here, this is your anniversary gift. See if you like it."

Vincent pulled out a box from his pocket containing a ruby ring.

Since we got married, he often gave me gifts.

I often told him he was wasteful.

But Vincent said giving his wife gifts was his duty as a husband.

Looking back now, perhaps it wasn't just duty, but also an element of atonement.

I forced a smile and accepted the gift.

"Thank you. I love it."

"No need to thank me."

"Oh, Elara, today... Mr. Hartwell is hosting a charity gala. Will you come with me?"

Vincent looked at me with some concern, worried that this would remind me of bad memories.

In my memory, Mom and Dad used to love me dearly.

Until the kidnapping three years ago, which made me see the truth.

What they loved was the praised Miss Hartwell.

Not the flawed Elara.

"Okay."

Hearing my answer, Vincent let out a long breath and patted my head.

"I knew it. My Elara is the strongest person."

While Vincent was showering, I secretly took his phone from the table.

Vincent told me his phone password on our first day of marriage.

But in these three years, I trusted him too much and never looked at it once.

I didn't know that for these three years, he had never stopped contacting Sienna.

I scrolled through their chat records page by page, not missing a single sentence, and photographed them all.

Due to time constraints, I didn't examine the meaning of each sentence. Just before the water stopped, I put the phone back.

Vincent noticed the missing wedding photo, but I brushed it off saying the photo accidentally fell.

He didn't ask further, only saying we'd take better photos together later.

I looked at Vincent's smile, but my heart couldn't help feeling sour.

Later?

How much time did we have left?

I hadn't attended such a gala in three years.

The moment I appeared on Vincent's arm, I felt many eyes on me.

Some pitying, some curious, some gossiping and mocking.

Vincent patted the back of my hand and said softly:

"Don't be afraid, Elara. I'm here."

I looked at his profile, wondering at that moment what he was thinking when he, as the mastermind, said such things.

"Elara, Vincent, you're finally here."

"Elara, I haven't seen you in so long."

Sienna walked over holding Ethan's hand.

Ethan looked at me with some embarrassment, but I only glanced at him once before looking away.

Sienna smiled.

"Since getting married, you rarely go out."

"Are you still worried about what happened three years ago?"

"After all, what happened wasn't your fault. You were the victim too. You don't need to be so cautious."

With seemingly innocent words, Sienna instantly tore through the protective membrane I had wrapped around myself.

Vincent's body stiffened for a moment.

Ethan tugged at Sienna's arm, signaling her to stop.

But Sienna continued softly:

"Or are you still bothered by the fact that Ethan and I got married three years ago?"

Sienna's words dropped like a bomb into the crowd.

"Is that the eldest Hartwell daughter from three years ago? How does she have the nerve to come to a gala?"

"Exactly! If I were her, I would've been crying at home!"

"I heard after that incident, not only did her fianc not want her, even her parents cut ties with her."

"I think in the end Mr. Sawyer married her. Tsk tsk, what a sucker."

"Mr. Sawyer is just too nice. Not only did he rescue her, but he was willing to take on this hot potato. Unbelievable."

The surrounding gossip came one sentence after another.

The smugness in Sienna's eyes grew more obvious, as if waiting to see me unable to accept this and cry in breakdown.

But she was destined not to see it.

I had broken down many times over this matter.

But I wasn't the one in the wrong.

The person who should break down, who should suffer, wasn't me either.

Why should all the mistakes, all the pain, be borne by me?

"I stopped caring a long time ago."

"Someone who can easily abandon his fiance will probably abandon his wife just as easily in the future."

"I should thank you for being generous enough to take on secondhand goods."

The moment my words fell, the noise instantly disappeared.

Sienna and the other two looked at me in shock.

After all, this was the first time I had said something so sharp.

From a distance came a cold snort.

"Married to a rich man, and now you've got the confidence to talk back. Elara, you're really heartless. Three years and you haven't come home to see us once."

Mom and Dad walked over shoulder to shoulder, standing beside Sienna.

Father frowned at me and said coldly:

"Is this how we taught you to speak to your sister?"

"Apologize to Sienna right now!"

Sienna raised her chin slightly to look at me, her eyes full of smugness.

Vincent blocked me, saying softly:

"Elara hasn't attended a gala in a long time. She just misspoke. I apologize on her behalf."

Vincent's action seemed kind.

But it firmly nailed me to the position of being in the wrong.

Frankly speaking, he never thought I was innocent.

Whether three years ago or now, it was all the same.

This farce ended with Vincent's apology.

He followed behind Mom and Dad with Ethan, chatting with guests about work.

I found it boring and got up to go to the restroom on the second floor.

But when I came out, Sienna blocked my way.

Half her face was hidden in darkness, unclear.

But I could hear the mockery and contempt in her tone.

"Elara, I didn't expect that after three years, you're still so pitiful."

"Mom and Dad didn't want you back then, and now even your husband doesn't stand by your side."

I pressed my lips together and said coldly:

"Sienna, I never offended you."

"So what? I'm going to take everything that belongs to you."

"Elara, everything you have belongs to me."

"Ethan is mine, and Vincent can only belong to me."

After dropping this final sentence, Sienna leaned against the railing.

A crisp sound rang out as her body flew out like a butterfly.

A second later, she fell heavily to the ground.

Amid screams, I locked eyes with Vincent downstairs...