Marrying the Man in the Dark

Unfortunately, their shared history still eluded her. Steeling herself, Cherise took a deep breath and opened the email marked ‘Ian’s requests.’ The contents within made Cherise’s jaw drop in shock. The email starkly outlined Ian’s demands.

In addition to the initial two million, Ian had reconsidered his stance. He gathered that returning to Shawbury to help Cherise recover her memory would be a prolonged endeavor. Hence, he requested an additional three million from Damien, bringing the total to five million.

Another one of Ian’s requests conveyed his desire to procure a residence in Shawbury, expressing discomfort with the prospect of an extended hotel stay upon his return to the town. He believed having a place to call home during his stay was equitable.

Ian also asserted that he couldn’t forget Damien’s past actions. Despite a prior verbal apology from post of no Damien, Ian deemed it insufficient. He insisted that Damien compose a lengthy Twitter fewer than 500 words on his personal account, affirming Ian’s virtuous character and acknowledging his past transgressions.

Perched in Damien’s chair, Cherise squinted at the words on the screen, her eyes burning as she rubbed them vigorously. Doubt gnawed at her. She thought that she had misinterpreted the email.

Unaware of Damien’s past misdeeds that had provoked Ian’s demand for an apology, Cherise remained steadfast in her belief that even if Damien had indeed wronged Ian… Damien had requested that Ian join her on the journey back to Shawbury to jog her memory. Ian’s requests seemed utterly absurd. The Ian in the email appeared to be opportunistic and solely driven by self-interest.

was a boy who had commanded the admiration of all the girls in school. Before her SATS, he had generously provided her with old study materials, words of encouragement, and heartfelt smiles.

with the one etched in her memories. As

lan is causing a scene at the hotel and insists on your immediate agreement to his terms.” It was a call from someone named “Otto Walkins.” “Otherwise, he’s threatening to

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Otto continued, “Should you reject his demands, he’ll approach Sebastian. Consequently, Mrs. Lenoir will have a low regard for you. He maintains that someone as intelligent as him can concoct a detailed array of lies

tightened as she struggled to absorb the shocking revelation. After a momentary pause to compose herself, she steadied her voice. “Did… Ian really say that?” she inquired, her tone laced

was momentarily silenced by Cherise’s gentle inquiry. After some time, his voice

“Yes, I am,” she answered firmly.

Lenoir?” Otto

resting,” Cherise replied tersely.