Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

"Just call me if you need anything. I’ll be waiting for you outside."

After Elliot Sheridan left, he closed the door for her.

Georgia Thorne didn’t actually need to use the restroom; she was just looking for an excuse to get away from the man outside for a while.

She paced back and forth in the bathroom, studying her reflection in the mirror before patting her cheeks firmly. In that moment, she truly wished it was all a dream.

’How did I get involved with Selena’s uncle? He looks so intimidating, and he’s so much older.’

But she couldn’t wake up from this dream, which meant everything was real.

She wanted to think things through alone, but the more she thought, the more confused she became.

’Wait, what about Justin Sullivan!’

’If I’m married to Elliot Sheridan, does that mean I’ve stopped liking Justin Sullivan?’

"Georgia, are you okay?" Elliot Sheridan’s voice came from the other side of the door.

Startled, Georgia took a step back. "Don’t come in!" she said in a panic.

Another ten minutes or so passed before Georgia emerged from the restroom, her face grim.

Elliot Sheridan sat on the sofa with a laptop on his lap, his head bowed in concentration.

Georgia walked over and stood in front of him, holding out her hand. "Do I have a phone?"

"Your phone was broken. Use mine for now. I’ll have Owen Sawyer buy you a new one." Elliot took his phone from his pocket and handed it to her.

Georgia took his phone and switched it on. The screen lit up with a photo of the two of them, and her eyebrows immediately knitted together. "I don’t know your passcode!"

"Your birthday."

She entered her birthday, and the screen changed again. This time, it was a photo of her by herself.

It looked like a candid photo, taken while she was asleep. Her eyes were closed, and she looked like she was sleeping peacefully.

’When were all these pictures taken? I have no memory of them at all.’

She wasn’t interested in any of the other data on Elliot’s phone. She went straight to his contacts and saw an entry labeled "Wife." ’That can’t be me, can it?!’

She glanced at the number, then backed out and opened his photo album.

Elliot Sheridan didn’t like taking pictures of himself, but his photo album contained hundreds, even thousands, of photos.

And every single photo was of Georgia Thorne.

There were pictures of them traveling together in Elysia, pictures of them in crowded places, pictures of them kissing under the moonlight, and...

Undeniably, she was the star of every photo. And whenever a male counterpart appeared, it was always Elliot Sheridan.

There were even selfies she’d taken on his phone right after waking up. In them, she’d not only captured herself but had also candidly snapped Elliot in the shot.

’What on earth happened in the past? It looked like I was really happy and in love with this man.’

Georgia was engrossed in the photos. At some point, the man who had been working sat down beside her, wrapping an arm intimately around her shoulders. "This one, the kiss, was from last year when we were in Akashima for New Year’s. We’d gotten into a small argument, and you flew to Akashima in a fit of pique. I chased after you to find you. Remember?"

"This one was at the ski resort. I was thinking, ’If we’re really going to break up, I need to leave some part of me with you,’ so I tried to teach you how to ski. But you’re not exactly a natural athlete. The moment I let go, you’d fall. Afterward, we went to the hot springs instead. You were very... enthusiastic with me at the resort there. Remember?"

"This one... our first trip after we got married. We were at the Gladiarium. You said that looking down from up high, it was as if you could see ancient Aethelburg..."

With every photo they looked at, Elliot Sheridan could recount in detail what had happened. "When we went to the registrar’s office to get married, remember how you were acting so furtive, as if we were doing something illegal? You were so nervous you couldn’t even write your own name straight. I had to hold your hand to help you finish."

But Georgia remembered none of it.

’It seemed my marriage to Elliot Sheridan was filled with happiness.’

’But I can’t help but wonder... with a personality like his, did I really marry him willingly?’

The further she scrolled, the older the photos became. Then she saw one of herself in a wedding dress and snatched the phone from Elliot’s hand. "Is this our wedding photo?"

Elliot Sheridan stared at the bewitching woman in the photo and grimly spat out a single word, "No!"

"Then who is this wedding photo with?" Georgia asked, curiously studying the picture of herself in an ornate, traditional gown and headdress. She had the graceful air of a woman from a bygone era.

"It’s not a wedding photo!" The sight of that photo clearly irritated him.

"Really? Then why am I wearing this?" Georgia swiped to the next couple of photos. In addition to that outfit, there was another one of her in a white wedding dress.

"It was for a photoshoot!"

Georgia was speechless.

’Am I the kind of person who likes wedding-themed photoshoots?’

Georgia rested in the hospital for two days. The whole time, Elliot brought his work from the office to the hospital. He was constantly busy, staring at his laptop all day without a glance at the world outside.

Georgia sat up in bed, reading a mystery novel, her gaze drifting over to Elliot from time to time.

Sharon Ennis had made two servings of ginseng soup at home: one for Aidan Sheridan, and one for Georgia Thorne.

She had her husband take Aidan’s portion to him and came to Georgia’s room herself.

Over the past two days, Georgia had started calling Sharon "Mom."

"Mom, you’re here!"

Sharon Ennis came in carrying a thermos. "Stay seated, don’t move. I made you some ginseng soup today. Drink up, it’s good for you."

"Thanks, Mom!"

When Sharon arrived, Elliot closed his laptop. He took a call and stood up. "Mom, can you stay with Georgia for a little while? I have to step out."

"Alright, go ahead."

Sharon poured her a small bowl. "Nothing to thank me for. You and Aidan are just the same in my eyes."

Georgia took a sip of the soup. It was delicious and savory. "Who’s Aidan?" she asked.

"Aidan is Elliot’s younger brother. Hasn’t Elliot mentioned him?"

Georgia shook her head, her gaze drifting toward the door Elliot had exited. ’He has a brother?’ she thought.

"He’s my adopted son. You’ve met him before."

Georgia had no recollection whatsoever. Sharon’s words only served to plant the idea in her mind.

"Mom, can I ask you a question? How did Elliot and I get together in the first place?"

The question had been tormenting her for two straight days, but whenever she asked Elliot, he would avoid the subject.

Sharon settled into a chair. "I honestly don’t know the answer to that. When Elliot brought you home, you two had apparently been married for a long time. His father and I were completely shocked!"

Georgia gave a dry laugh. Elliot had mentioned something about them eloping, hadn’t he?

Elliot was only gone for a few minutes. When he came back, he had a phone for Georgia.

Georgia’s phone had been in for repairs the last few days, so it had been off.

The moment she turned it on, the phone was flooded with countless text messages.

And every single message was from the same person: Justin Sullivan.

The thought of Justin Sullivan stirred a complex, indescribable emotion in her heart.

’I’m supposed to like him, but seeing these concerned messages now, I don’t feel any happiness. On the contrary, I just feel an overwhelming sense of guilt toward him.’

She wasn’t even sure what she had to feel guilty for.

Just as she was thinking this, a call came in from a contact labeled "Teacher Shepherd."

’Teacher Shepherd... is that Teacher Evan Shelby?’

"Hello, Teacher Shepherd."

"Georgia, are you free next weekend? There’s something I was hoping you could help me with!"

"What is it?"

"Didn’t Jean tell you? The head of an orphanage wants me to come teach the kids how to paint, and I’m a bit short-staffed, so I asked Jean to see if you’d be willing to help out."

Georgia had no idea what he was talking about. As she was fumbling for a response, Elliot took the phone from her hand. "I’m sorry, she’s currently hospitalized. I don’t think she’ll be able to make it."

Evan Shelby was taken aback by the man’s voice on the line. "Who is this? What’s wrong with Georgia?"

"I’m Georgia Thorne’s husband." Elliot introduced himself to Evan Shelby, glancing down at Georgia, who was staring up at him. "She was in a car accident two days ago and needs to be hospitalized for observation... No, there are no serious problems for now. Right. Okay, we’ll do that. Georgia and I will come see you another day."

Elliot curtly ended the call with Evan. Instead of handing the phone back to Georgia, he started scrolling through her messages.

Besides the junk texts, nearly all the messages were from a single person.

When he saw the name Justin Sullivan, Elliot’s face darkened. "When did you get in contact with Justin Sullivan?"

’And I didn’t even know about it!’

Georgia shook her head. "I don’t know."

Georgia had lost her memory. She truly didn’t know a thing.

He scrolled through her call log. The most recent calls were one she’d made to him, and another with Justin Sullivan.

"You were on the phone right before your car accident. Were you talking to Justin Sullivan?"

"Was I? Let me see!" Georgia sat up straight and glanced at the phone number on the screen. It looked like it.

"I don’t remember!"

Elliot was speechless.

A simple "I don’t remember" wiped the slate clean.

Even if Elliot wanted to press the issue, he wouldn’t be able to get any answers.

Seeing his dark expression and thinking of Justin Sullivan, Georgia thought of a very important question. Kneeling on the edge of the bed, she gently tugged his sleeve. "Can I ask you something?"

Elliot could hardly control his anger, but when he looked down and saw Georgia’s innocent expression, he suppressed his rage. "Go ahead."

"Logically speaking, I should be in love with Justin Sullivan. So why did I end up marrying you? Were you and Jean rivals for my affection?" This was the one thing Georgia couldn’t wrap her head around.

’I don’t think of myself as a fickle person. And I had a secret crush on Justin Sullivan for so long... How could I suddenly end up with someone else? What happened?’

’Was it because Justin Sullivan left without saying goodbye all those years ago? Did I get together with Elliot out of spite?!’