Desperate Bride

Chapter 1 In our village, there lived a murderous lunatic who was hideous beyond words. Yet, the same man managed to marry 38 beautiful wives.

Every woman who accepted his hand in marriage died a brutal death on their wedding night. Even then, villagers were still desperate to marry their daughters off to him.

One New Year’s Eve, I returned home to celebrate the holiday. Despite my protests, my parents forcibly tied me up and married me off to the madman.

“Chevonne, congratulations!” As soon as I stepped into the village, Mrs. Whitman greeted me with a wide grin on her face.

My confusion was sprawled all over my face. “What are you congratulating me for, Mrs. Whitman?”

She covered her mouth and chuckled. Before walking off, she left behind only one cryptic sentence: “Oh, what a lucky girl you are!”

Bewildered, I lugged my suitcase home. Along the way, every villager who passed by gazed at me with eyes of envy.

When I arrived home, I found my parents hanging up banners and signs all over the house.

“Mom, Dad, what’s the occasion? Why is the house decorated like this?”

My mother turned at the sound of my voice. Her lips were pulled into a huge smile. “It’s your wedding day, silly!”

I frowned. “Mom, what are you talking about? My wedding with Malcolm is scheduled for Independence Day next year.”

My dad chuckled and explained, “Your mom isn’t talking about your marriage with Malcolm Shaw. She’s talking about your marriage to Ernest from our village.”

His voice rang in my ears as he announced, “Ernest has chosen you as his wife!”

I stared at my parents in disbelief. In a low voice, I questioned sternly, “I have a boyfriend! How could I possibly marry Ernest Lyman?”

My mom immediately dropped her tasks at hand and scolded, “Malcolm just has a degree and earns a bit of money—that’s all. How could he even compare with Ernest? You’re so clueless!”

I was dumbfounded.

Malcolm and I had been sweethearts since college. Our love had always been strong.

Through his own hard work, Malcolm built a company from scratch. He started with nothing and was now the CEO of a publicly listed enterprise. He was no doubt a successful man praised by people all around him.

Ernest Lyman, on the other hand, was an ugly, ill-tempered lunatic. He even had a record of being locked up in a mental institution—repeatedly—for murdering his wives.

And yet, my mother thought Ernest was better than Malcolm!

My eyes were as wide as saucers as I stared at her. “Mom, Ernest Lyman is a monstrous lunatic! He’s been married 38 times now, and every single one of those 38 women did not live till dawn.”

I continued, “Even Sophie died at his hands! Yet here you are now, marrying me off to him. You’re sending me straight to my grave, too!”

When my older sister Sophie was still around, she was the popular girl in town. Not only did she have the looks, but she was also a capable woman. She had countless suitors, all of them outstanding men, yet she was determined to marry Ernest.

That very night, she died in his bed. Her corpse was left in a gruesome state. She was tortured beyond recognition. Engraved into my memory was the look of terror in her wide, lifeless eyes.

And yet, everyone still fought to marry their daughters to Ernest.

At that time, I was convinced that they were all insane. I never imagined my own parents would turn out just like them!

My mom paused for a moment, then replied indifferently, “That’s all in the past now. Your sister and the others failed to live up to his expectations. They failed to serve Ernest as he deserved, so they have no one but themselves to blame.

“But you’re different. You will undoubtedly live a fulfilling life with him.”

My father nodded in agreement. “Chevonne, you are the apple of our eye. We have cherished and protected you for over 20 years. You know we would never put you in harm’s way. So please, listen up and get yourself ready.

“You will marry Ernest and consummate the marriage tonight!”

My parents had always doted on me. Although we were from a rural village, I had never lacked anything growing up. In my heart, my parents were the people who loved me the most in the world.

Chapter 2 My parents were eager to marry me off to Ernest that day. Suddenly, they felt so unfamiliar to me, like strangers.

After gathering my thoughts, I spoke firmly, “Malcolm and I have been together for years, and we even had a wedding date set. How could I marry someone else for no reason?

“Besides, Ernest Lyman is a lunatic who kills without batting an eye. If you insist on marrying me off to him, I am leaving this home forever.”

With that, I picked up my suitcase, ready to leave.

When I turned around, I bumped right into my best friend, Sasha Langley.

“All the stars are in your favor, Chevonne! You’re actually going to marry Ernest.”

Sasha’s eyes gleamed with envy as she stepped through the door. It was as though marrying Ernest was the greatest blessing in the world.

I couldn’t be more shocked. “Do you really think that, too, Sasha? Ernest Lyman is a homicidal maniac! He’s married 38 times, and not a single one of his wives survived their wedding night. If I were to marry him today, you might only have my corpse to speak to tomorrow!”

Sasha frowned, clearly displeased. “Those women were unlucky. It had nothing to do with Ernest.”

With a heavy sigh, she continued regretfully, “I’ve remained chaste all these years, hoping that one day I could be his wife. But alas, I guess I wasn’t lucky enough.”

Seeing her lovestruck expression, I had even more questions. “What’s so great about Ernest? Why is everyone so obsessed with marrying him?”

Sasha gave me a long, serious look. “Chevonne, you’ll understand how amazing Ernest is once you marry him tonight. If it weren’t for our friendship, I wouldn’t even bother explaining this to you. After all, you did steal Ernest from me—you’re my love rival.

“Ernest has finally been released from the psychiatric hospital. I hope you’ll cherish this opportunity and won’t waste such a stroke of great fortune.”

At this point, I was at a complete loss for words. It only felt like everyone had lost their marbles.

“You can marry him if you want. I’m not marrying him anyway!”

That said, I started striding off.

Seeing this, my mom panicked and grabbed me. “We must spoil you too much! You are getting married today, no matter what!”

Without consideration for much else, my parents locked me in my room.

I pounded on the door in fury, but my mother’s voice was shrill on the other side. “Chevonne, we are only doing this for your own good. This year alone, hundreds of families offered Ernest their daughters’ hand in marriage. Out of all of them, he chose you. Do you know how lucky you are?”

My father added in a somber tone, “Exactly. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many would die for. The whole village is envious of you. Why are you being so stubborn and unreasonable?”

They then left without another word, ignoring my frustration and protests. I supposed they were headed off to make arrangements for the wedding.

Regardless of what I said or did, they only recited their wishes for me to “enjoy my good fortune”.

I just didn’t understand. What kind of fortune was there in marrying a psychotic killer like Ernest?

Before long, the sound of celebratory music echoed outside the house. It signaled the arrival of the wedding procession.

It was supposed to be a joyful noise, but it only filled me with dread. Once the procession took me, I might very well become the 39th bride to die at Ernest’s hands!

The more I thought of it, the more terrified I became. In desperation, I turned to look out the window.

My room was on the second floor of a house we built ourselves. Right now, everyone was gathered at the front door for the procession. This left the backyard below my window extremely quiet.

Chapter 3 I bundled my bed sheets and clothes together into a makeshift rope. After securing myself in it, I carefully climbed down.

I snuck off when no one was paying attention and ran out of the village as fast as I could. Without stopping, I hailed a taxi and headed straight to Malcolm’s place.

Seeing me, Malcolm was visibly stunned. “Chevonne? Why have you come to mine? You didn’t even reply to any of my messages.”

Panting heavily, I explained, “My parents confiscated my phone and locked me in my room.”

Malcolm led me inside. He poured me a glass of water and listened attentively as I recounted everything. When he heard that my parents were forcing me to marry that lunatic, an unparalleled graveness loomed over his head.

His hometown was in the neighboring village. Even though he had settled in the city after his career success, he had still heard of Ernest.

Seeing the concern on his face, I firmly reassured him, “Don’t worry, Malcolm. My heart belongs only to you. Our wedding will proceed as planned. I won’t let anything change our relationship.”

Hearing this, he let out a deep sigh of relief. Touched, he said, “Alright. Now that you say that, I feel at ease.”

Perhaps because my nerves had finally relaxed, exhaustion overwhelmed me after I finished my glass of water. In no time, I drifted into a deep slumber.

When I opened my eyes again, the rumbling of an engine was what filled my ears. I looked up and realized I was lying in the backseat of Malcolm’s car.

I sat up in confusion and asked, “Malcolm, where are we going?”

Without a change in expression, he replied, “See for yourself.”

I focused on the scene outside the window, and my heart dropped.

The car had stopped in front of Ernest’s house!

I was completely stunned. Seeing my parents approach, I panicked.

I turned to Malcolm, my voice trembling with agony as I asked, “Why, Malcolm? Didn’t I tell you my heart belongs only to you? Why are you sending me straight into another man’s arms?”

Upon hearing this, Malcolm frowned slightly.

He began in a low, measured tone, “Chevonne, this is Ernest Lyman we’re talking about! Marrying him is a dream come true for countless women out there. It’s because I love you that I can’t bear to see you give up such a great opportunity for me.”

Being young and successful, Malcolm had always been confident in himself—both in life and in his career. He often claimed he was second to no one.

But as he spoke of Ernest now, there was an unprecedented insecurity on his face. It was something I had never seen in him.

Before I could question further, my parents opened the car door and reached in to drag me out.

Terror gripped my heart, and I immediately bolted out the other side. I broke into a sprint with all my strength.

Seeing this, Malcolm ran out after me. He effortlessly caught up with me, seizing my arm and stopping me in my tracks.

Desperate, I had no choice but to plead, “Malcolm Shaw, we’ve been together for so many years. We’ve even set our wedding date. You can’t do this to me!”

He looked straight into my eyes, his expression heavy but his voice unwavering. “Chevonne, from the moment Ernest set his eyes on you, I am no longer worthy of you. Your wedding is already set. How could you possibly run away?”

Amid our grappling, my parents caught up. They took hold of me and started dragging me toward Ernest’s house.

By then, the entire village had gathered there for the wedding feast. Seeing me, they all murmured enviously about how lucky I was.

As I desperately fought against my fate, my mother spoke coldly, “There’s no need for a ceremony. Just throw her onto the bed and wait for Ernest to consummate the marriage!”

After tying me to Ernest’s bed, my parents turned to leave.