Chapter 27: The Hidden Truths of Marriage

Chapter 27: The Hidden Truths of Marriage

The Harrison and Clarke families have been long-time acquaintances. Ethan's mother studied in France in her youth and was close friends with Emily's mother. However, aside from occasional business interactions, the two family heads didn't have much contact.

So when Ethan told his father he was marrying Emily, even the stoic Old Mr. Harrison was taken aback.

"The Clarke Family was supposed to be aligning with the Zhengs, wasn't it?" Old Mr. Harrison asked his son.

Ethan shook his head. "Emily doesn't want to marry into the Zheng family."

"Then do you think," Old Mr. Harrison smirked, "our family will be joining with the Clarke Family?"

"Dad," Ethan looked at his father, "I'm talking about my marriage to Emily. It's about me and her, not a business alliance."

Old Mr. Harrison's smile faded slightly as he scrutinized his son, as if struggling to comprehend how Ethan could separate his marriage from a business alliance.

Ethan's dark eyes remained unwavering as he faced his father.

"Alright, alright!" Old Mr. Harrison suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, but there was no real humor in it. "Just like William, just like William…"

Ethan's brow furrowed imperceptibly.

Old Mr. Harrison chuckled a few more times, shaking his head lightly. "If you want to marry her, then go ahead."

He looked at Ethan with a cold glint in his eyes. "But I must remind you, this is a crucial transition period for you to take over. One wrong move, and everything could be lost. Do you understand?"

Ethan showed no sign of hesitation. He simply nodded. "I understand."

"Good. I'll handle matters with the Clarke Family, but as for your grandfather, you'll need to deal with him yourself. Don't give any ill-intentioned people a chance to gossip…"

Old Mr. Harrison's prediction proved accurate. After Ethan announced his intention to marry Emily, he faced considerable pressure at home and sacrificed some interests—his uncle took advantage of the situation, gaining a larger share of the family fortune when Ethan officially took over.

There were also subtle warnings from insiders, hinting that the Clarke heiress might not be as she seemed.

"Why would she choose to marry you when her family's business is in trouble?"

"Out of all the bars, why did she end up drunk on the street you happened to pass by?"

"Let's face it, a girl from such a family, how genuine could she be…"

Ethan merely smiled faintly upon hearing these remarks.

"I have feelings," he said, pointing to his heart, "I can sense them."

When the matter was finally settled, Ethan made a special trip from China to Paris. After that night, he and Emily rarely saw each other. He wanted to spend more time with her before the wedding, worried that she might struggle to adjust afterward due to her young age and girlish nature.

Emily didn't know he was coming. The Clarke family seemed to have other guests that day. Voices of people chatting and laughing drifted to Ethan's ears from the front hall:

"Your eldest brother really raised a fine daughter! This match with the Harrison family is much better than with the Zhengs!"

"Indeed, our family has really gained from Emily's marriage."

"Emily, tell Aunt Three how you made the Harrison heir fall for you! So your silly sister can learn too!"

"Yeah, Emily, teach me too, haha…"

"Remember, Emily, marriage is just the beginning. You'll need to put in effort even after the wedding, understand?"

Emily's back was turned to the door. Ethan couldn't see her face but noticed the red tip of her ear peeking through her hair. She lightly tapped the person beside her and then stood up to follow her mother.

The summer evening in Paris was still sweltering, but Ethan felt as though he were trapped in an ice cave. The chill spread from his feet to his entire body, freezing his insides.

He had never felt such a cold heart even during confrontations with his father or navigating family politics.

It turned out all his efforts were in vain; he was met only with deception.

Ethan didn't go inside. He turned and took one last look at the Clarke residence. What they had said was indeed true. People from such a family could never, and should never, be truly sincere.

Ethan's heart crumbled, leaving him desolate, though he maintained his composure outwardly. The wedding proceeded as planned.

He would still marry her. Even knowing her heart wasn't in it, he couldn't bear the thought of her smiling at another man or lying beside him.

Whatever she wanted from him, he would give. But the initial trust he offered would no longer be there.

After the wedding, she became even more beautiful and charming, her gaze more dependent and intense than it had been that night in the car.

But he couldn't distinguish whether it was her genuine feelings or just her "efforts" to maintain the marriage.

He ceased to respond. He watched her growing discomfort and changing temperament, seeing her gradually being worn down.

For both of them, the marriage was nothing more than a tormenting prison.

Until the day she slipped in the bathroom…

William, upon hearing Ethan's words, showed a hint of surprise. He lowered his gaze and took a while before speaking slowly.

"Back then, given our circumstances and suddenly forming an alliance with your family, people would speculate it was driven by利益… I admit, I did have those thoughts."

Ethan's lips curled slightly but he remained silent.

"But Ethan," William looked at him directly, "do you really think this marriage wasn't Emily's choice?"

Ethan's smile was ambiguous. "Isn't her choice just an extension of yours?"

William scoffed lightly. "Not entirely my choice."

"I was willing to let my daughter marry the Zhengs because, at that time, we were evenly matched with them. For every benefit I received, they had to reciprocate. In such a situation, they wouldn't dare neglect my daughter. We could handle that family."

William looked at Ethan. "But your family is different. The Harrison family is prestigious but also a closed society. I had concerns about Emily truly marrying into your family..."

He paused, then abruptly changed the topic. "Actually, Emily didn't want the Zheng marriage. Her mother opposed it strongly. My wife even threatened divorce if I insisted. I was almost swayed when your family suddenly came forward."

"I thought Emily wouldn't agree. But then she came to me and said she wanted to marry you!"

Ethan's breath hitched, and his brow twitched slightly.

William smiled. "Later, when her mother asked her, she said she liked you and wanted to marry you. I even asked her what 'wanted to marry' meant. Did you two have a secret engagement? Her mother dismissed it, saying it didn't matter; what mattered was that Emily genuinely liked you..."

Ethan's grip on the pen in his hand loosened, and it fell from his fingers. His eyes flashed with a momentary daze.

William looked at the fallen pen for a moment, then at Ethan. He thought for a few seconds and continued, "What you mentioned earlier, things weren't as they seemed. You know my third brother and his wife. I didn't go downstairs that day, but Emily's mother was there. She heard their comments and didn't know what to say, so she just took Emily away. Later, she told me, and I went downstairs to scold those two for speaking badly about Emily..."

"By the way," William recalled, "Emily's mother was worried and secretly contacted Emily's close friend. We thought, if she wouldn't tell her parents the truth, she might tell a friend."

"Turns out Zhiying said Emily was secretly dating you. When I saw this was indeed the case, I decided..."

William didn't finish his sentence. He paused and looked at Ethan again.

"Ethan, don't you sense something? Sometimes, what you see isn't the whole truth."

**

Ethan sat with his legs crossed, staring out the car window motionlessly.

He had been holding his phone for a while but hadn't dialed yet.

In truth, he already knew the answer and didn't need further confirmation.

He unlocked his phone and opened Weibo.

Since Emily had blocked all his contact methods, he had registered a Weibo account.

Emily's latest post showed she had been invited to a fashion week in Italy this week.

In the photo, she wore a high-fashion yellow dress, a difficult color to pull off, but it made her even more radiant with her dark hair and fair skin.

Ethan stared at the photo for a few seconds, his eyes blinking slowly.

He exited Weibo and dialed a number.

"Miss Jessica? This is Ethan."

Jessica on the other end of the line sounded clearly surprised.

Ethan tightened his grip on the phone. "There's something I hope you can tell me."

"That night in Paris when Emily was drunk, I was the one who brought her to you. Do you remember?"

"After she sobered up, did she say anything to you? Can you tell me?"

There was a long pause before Jessica's clear voice came through.

Ethan listened, his face expressionless, but his dark eyes grew deeper, as if something was collapsing within them.

After hanging up, he gripped the phone tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He knew this phone call would hit him hard, no matter the result.

But he didn't expect it to be so intense.

The physical reaction was even stronger.

Thinking of Jessica and William's words, Ethan felt a suffocating sensation, as if his entire being was drained, collapsing weakly against the seat.

He had been wrong. Everything was his

mistake.

He had misjudged everything from the start.

The truth was staring him in the face. He was trapped in an elaborate trap, where every step he took led to an even deeper deception.