I Spiked His Drink, He Drank It Anyway Chapter 01
After marrying Stellan Hollister, I convinced myself he had a thing for quiet, delicate women.
So I spent every day pretending to be one.
It didn’t matter. He still treated me like a stranger.
Just as I was gearing up to try something bolder, I saw it.
Comments. Drifting right across my vision.
[Does this idiot side character seriously think acting like some aloof, fragile girl will make the male lead fall for her?]
[A fake is still a fake. She can play the part all she wants—she’ll never be the real thing. The male lead’s saving himself for the female lead.]
[He’d rather suffer through it than ever touch the side character.]
[She should stop embarrassing herself, sign the divorce papers, and step aside already.]
My hand jerked.
Without a word, I picked up the glass and headed for the bathroom to dump it.
Stellan reached over, took it from my hand, and drained it in one swallow.
“I was getting thirsty,” he said, his dark eyes fixed on me.
—
“Don’t…” I blurted.
Too late. The glass was already empty.
He looked at me with lazy amusement.
“What? Wasn’t I supposed to drink it?”
“I… it’s nothing.”
Heat rushed to my face.
“I’m going to take a shower.”
I turned and hurried into the bathroom.
The second I shut the door, another flood of comments filled my vision.
[She’s hopeless. Does she really think pretending nothing happened will fool him?]
[Give it five minutes. He’ll crack.]
[He already can’t stand her. Now that she drugged his water, he’s going to hate her even more.]
[She’s completely out of options. Just because she’s desperate to avoid a divorce doesn’t mean tricks like this will keep him.]
[He’ll divorce her sooner or later and marry the woman he’s always loved.]
[As for the side character, she’ll fall off the stage, end up in a permanent coma, and spend the rest of her life in a hospital bed.]
[That’s what you get for stealing someone’s happily ever after.]
I froze, a messy tangle of emotions rising in my chest.
Stellan and I had never crossed paths before our marriage.
The only reason we ended up together was that my grandmother and his grandfather had been each other’s first love.
Before my grandmother passed away, she arranged our marriage.
To be more accurate, it was Stellan’s grandfather who forced his hand.
I never thought he’d agree.
After my grandmother died, his grandfather suddenly fell seriously ill.
Stellan came to me and said he’d go through with a marriage of convenience for his grandfather’s sake.
He also made one thing crystal clear.
If we ever divorced, he’d make sure I walked away with a generous settlement.
Stellan was exactly my type.
Once we were married, I stopped being satisfied with pretending.
I wanted the fake marriage to become real.
I wanted to stay Mrs. Hollister for good.
The problem was—I wasn’t his type.
I’d heard he liked women who were calm, resilient, and effortlessly elegant.
So for the past year, I’d done everything I could to become that woman.
It didn’t work.
He remained distant.
Even after a year of marriage, he’d never touched me.
I’d spent all this time wondering what I’d been doing wrong.
Now I finally had my answer.
He was already in love with someone else.
The comments kept rolling.
[Five minutes. The drug’s kicking in.]
[Dream on. The only woman on his mind is the female lead.]
[He’d rather stand under freezing water than lay a finger on you.]
Hot water streamed over my body.
Yet an icy chill settled deep in my chest.
If I was never going to be the woman he loved, maybe it was time to let go.
I might never have his heart. But at least after the divorce, I’d still have the settlement.
Twenty minutes later, a knock sounded at the door.
Stellan’s voice came from the other side of the door.
“Tamsin? You almost done in there?”