Cruel Lies (Lies 4)

“I’m sorry, but your marriage isn’t valid,” he says, handing me back my phone.

“What do you mean it isn’t valid?”

I take my phone and stare down at the document that I know is legal.

“It isn’t valid.”

“How? I mean, what part isn’t valid? Do we need to legally marry in this country? Is there some type of ceremony we need to do?”

He shakes his head. “I can’t tell you any more other than you need to leave until you fix the problem. Return once you are truly married.”

He walks to the door and opens it.

“But…” Phoenix stutters, just as confused as I am.

I take Phoenix’s hand and drag her out the door. I look back one more time at the man who has an intense glint in his eyes. I don’t know what just happened, but I’m going to figure it out.

“Liesel, we have a problem…” I stop talking and let go of Phoenix’s hand when I round the house and don’t find Liesel or Maxwell.

“Liesel?” I shout louder, hoping they just found a more comfortable place to sit and wait for us, but that’s not Liesel’s style. She would be pacing impatiently just outside the door or looking for a way to break in.

“Where is she?”

A chill creeps down my spine as a thought crosses my mind—a clue to where she might have gone.

Phoenix steps up to my side and rubs my arms in a comforting manner.

“Do you think Maxwell took her?” she asks.

I examine the scene, looking for any sign of a struggle, any sign that Maxwell could have hurt her, but I know better.

“No.”

Phoenix narrows her eyes and pulls her brows together as she stares up at me.

“She went to get married so she can enter,” I say.

13

Liesel

I found a small white church in the center of the small town. I’ve talked with the priest, and he’s agreed to marry us. Now, I just have to wait for Maxwell to get back with the paperwork.

I sit in the very last pew, staring up at the stained glass window at the end of the small chapel. The light twinkles as it hits the glass and then flickers into my eyes, making me squint. This doesn’t seem real—it feels like a dream, or in reality, a nightmare.

I never wanted to get married. Definitely not to a man who might be more devil than angel. A man I can’t imagine kissing, let alone fucking.

We just need to get the paperwork done. That’s all this is. A contract that we can eventually annul.

But it won’t change the fact that for a short time, I’ll be married to Maxwell. I’ll promise my life and love to him.

I hear the door open behind me. My eyes water, but I quickly blink them away.

I never imagined myself married. Never thought of myself as a wife or mother. Never wanted the big white dress and lasting love. So marrying a man I don’t love just so I can find a treasure shouldn’t feel like I’m giving anything up.

But why is my throat tightening, my neck sweating, and my hands clamming up? Why does it feel like I’m losing something I never knew I wanted?

“Ready?” Maxwell asks as he towers over me.