chapter 6: My Handsome Stranger Husband

Verbena sat in the grand drawing room, dressed like she was about to attend a royal ball — a gown with too many frills, pearls in her hair, and a fan she dramatically waved every five seconds.

Theodore stood by the door, arms crossed, watching his wife play out her latest ridiculous scheme.

"Let's begin," she said, smoothing her skirt. "I am here to interview you, Sir… What was your name again?"

"Theodore Hellgrave," he said flatly.

"Ohhh," she nodded with exaggerated seriousness. "That's such a villain name."

"That's because I am a villain."

She gasped, clutching her fan like he'd just confessed to poisoning the royal tea. "And I married you?! Was it… a forced marriage to save my family's honor?"

"No."

"Was it because you caught me sneaking into your palace, thinking it was a bakery, and mistook my boldness for love?"

"No."

"Did we have a tragic enemies-to-lovers story where I slapped you under the rain and you kissed me to shut me up?"

Theodore's jaw clenched. "No. You married me because your father owed me money and offered you instead."

Verbena's fan snapped in half. "That's so unromantic!"

"Welcome to reality," Theodore said with a grin.

But Verbena was undeterred. "Fine! Since I've lost my memories, I have to re-learn our love story from scratch. Tell me, Theodore, how did I fall for you?"

Theodore leaned against the wall, eyes gleaming with dangerous amusement. "You were helplessly smitten the moment you saw me."

"That's a lie."

"You cried at our wedding because you were so overwhelmed by my beauty."

"I cried because my dress was too tight!"

"You proposed to me wearing a frog costume, saying you were the 'Frog Princess' and only my kiss could break the curse."

Verbena sputtered. "That NEVER happened!"

"Oh, but you've lost your memories, remember?"

Her face burned. "You're terrible!"

"And yet," he smirked, "you married me."

She huffed, turning her attention to a notebook she'd prepared — a Memory Recovery Investigation Log.

Case #1: Did we have a passionate, tragic Romance?

Clue: Husband is evil but weirdly hot.

Verdict: To be determined.

"Alright, let's move to the next question." She cleared her throat. "When did we first kiss?"

Theodore stepped closer, and for a moment, she forgot this was acting. His voice dropped low, his fingers tracing along the edge of her fan.

"Our first kiss was at our wedding, just after you threatened to stab me with a cake knife."

Her jaw dropped. "That sounds exactly like something I'd do."

"It was," Theodore confirmed. "You yelled something about 'never kissing the devil' and I said, 'Too bad, wife,' and kissed you anyway."

Verbena swallowed hard. "That's…horribly romantic in a messed-up way."

"You have strange taste," Theodore said, amused. "But that's not news."

She scribbled in her notebook.

Case #2: Did I fall for a dangerous man?

Clue: First kiss involved threats of violence.

Verdict: Probably yes.

Just as she was about to ask more, a maid arrived with tea. Verbena, ever the drama queen, held the cup delicately and sighed. "I must have been a tragic beauty in my past life."

"This is still your current life," Theodore reminded her.

"But with no memories, it's like I'm reborn! A new girl discovering love for the first time!"

Theodore pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you this dramatic every day, or is the amnesia amplifying it?"

"Let me be clear," she said, standing up and dramatically pointing at him. "Until I recover my memories, I will treat you like a handsome stranger I might fall in love with all over again!"

Theodore leaned in close, so close she could feel his breath. "Careful, Verbena. If you fall for me twice, I might never let you go."

Her heart thudded in her chest, and for a brief second, she forgot this was all fake.

But Verbena Phinx never backed down.

"Good!" she declared. "I will recover my memories AND investigate whether you are secretly a soft–hearted romantic hiding under your evil villain act."

"Good luck with that." Theodore smirked, heading toward the door. "You'll find nothing but trouble."

As he left, Verbena clutched her notebook to her chest, heart pounding.

This fake amnesia was supposed to be her ticket to freedom — an excuse to convince everyone she didn't belong in this cursed marriage.

But why did it feel like her villain husband was playing along a little too well?

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End of chapter 6

WARNING

This is the original version of the webnovel "villain husband, please sign the divorce papers" by the author "Hanagaki Ryuka". Please don't copyright or upload it in your name

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O1cON4UEjsjFPMZxqNSY425-fdHW19779uAKscbDsy8/edit?usp=drivesdk