My Coworker Asked About My Secret Husband, I Said Strangers Chapter 01
After overhearing Brandon argue with his grandfather, I started keeping my distance.
The first time he ever raised his voice at the old man was to defend his ex.
He said it casually, like it didn’t matter.
“If you hadn’t forced me to marry her back then, Elena and I would have a kid calling me dad by now.”
I started avoiding him. I stopped seeking him out. When we were out in public, I made sure to keep my distance.
One day, a coworker saw me getting out of his passenger seat and asked in a nosy tone what we were to each other.
I forced a tight smile.
“Mr. Cole is my cousin.”
Brandon’s expression stiffened. His face went dark.
***
I’d forgotten something at home, so I went back to get it. That was when I heard voices coming from the study.
I froze as I caught Brandon and his grandfather talking.
Harold Cole’s face was livid.
“Brandon, did you help that woman again?”
He jabbed a finger toward Brandon.
“You and Madison have been married for two years, and there’s still no child. It’s because you still have her in your heart, isn’t it?”
Brandon’s voice was cool. “She has a name, Grandpa.”
Harold let out a cold laugh.
“What? Elena Vance? If she had any sense, she wouldn’t have asked you for this favor.”
“What do you think happens if Madison finds out? Elena is trouble. She’s not a good person.”
That seemed to get under Brandon’s skin. His brow furrowed slightly.
“I just sent her resume through the internal referral system, Grandpa.”
Harold scoffed. “Just an internal referral? Word has already reached me.”
“If she were a decent person, she’d know you’re married and keep her distance. Instead, she shamelessly inserts herself where she doesn’t belong, trying to break up someone else’s family.”
“Three years you’ve been married to Madison, and still no children.”
Brandon’s voice turned colder, though his face stayed calm.
“If you hadn’t forced me to marry her back then, Elena would be my wife. Our kid would probably be calling me dad by now.”
My eyes stung. They made my chest tighten.
Harold grabbed a glass from the desk and slammed it down hard.
“Enough! How can you even say that?”
Brandon gave a cold laugh.
“If you really wanted to repay them, you should have found them years ago, instead of forcing me to marry her!”
Harold’s face went red with rage. “You’re completely out of line. You love Elena that much? You’d say something like that for her?”
This was the first time I’d seen Brandon and his grandfather fight. The first time I’d ever seen Harold lose his temper like this.
Brandon always looked so casual, almost lazy, but he’d always respected his elders.
Now he was going against his grandfather just to protect Elena.
I walked to the shoe rack by the entrance, picked up the file I’d forgotten, and left.
“If you hadn’t forced me to marry her back then, Elena would be my wife.”
Those words echoed in my ears. I’d heard them loud and clear. They made my heart clench.
For a moment, I actually thought he’d married me because he cared about me, romantically. After two years together, he’d just erased everything with that one sentence.
He married me to repay a debt. A life-saving debt my grandfather had paid to his family.