Ms. Escape: Marrying to Run, Fighting to Rise Novel

Chapter 37 Legally Married Finished Curtis wore a robe , his hair messy - clearly only just woken up . " It's Monday ," he said . " City Hall's open . Let's go take care of the paperwork . " Adriana was surprised . So soon ? Wasn't it supposed to be Friday ? " Um ... okay , " Adriana nodded . " We still have time . Are you sure you don't want to think it over ? " Curtis looked down at her . His face showed little emotion , but his eyes held a deeper meaning . " Being my wife - even just on paper - isn't going to be easy . " " I understand ," Adriana nodded . " I'll try my best .

If I mess up , please tell me , Mr. Lincoln . I'll fix it . " Curtis looked at her , like he wanted to say more but didn't . He turned to go downstairs , then stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back at Adriana . " You're here to be my wife , not housekeeper . There's no ' doing well ' or ' doing poorly . ' Just be yourself . " Adriana froze for a moment . She couldn't quite figure Curtis out . Thinking it over , she realized she'd never understood him from the start . Logically , if Curtis wanted someone obedient and easy to control , he had plenty of options .

There were plenty of orphans out there . So why did he choose her , especially when she'd been involved with Matthew for four years ? Wasn't that risky ? Did he really choose her because her face reminded him of his first love ? He called it a contract marriage , but Curtis had been unusually lenient with her . Sometimes , it almost made her believe ... maybe he could be a good husband . She shook her head , amused at her own thoughts . No matter how many questions she had , she wasn't going to ask Curtis anymore . She needed this " job ." City Hall .

1/3 Chapter 37 Legally Married On the way there , neither of them said a word . Finished " You still have time to back out ," Curtis said before they went in to complete the procedure . He was giving her one last chance to change her mind . Adriana looked up at him . " The contract ends when your grandpa ... passes away , right ? " She just wanted to be sure , to know when she'd finally be free . " Yeah . " Curtis nodded . Adriana smiled at him .

" Then I don't have any other questions ." Curtis froze for a second at her smile , then came back to his senses and reached out to take her hand as they walked in . Adriana's fingers stiffened a bit . Being held so intimately ... it was a first for her . During her four years with Matthew , he had never held her hand in public . Even at home , he'd only ever grab her wrist ... To Adriana , holding hands was something intimate . Maybe Curtis is just doing it for show , to make it look real to the City Hall staff . That's what she told herself anyway . Curtis's hand was big and warm .

Somehow , being held like that made her feel safe . Looking at Curtis's back , Adriana suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity . But ... she and Curtis had only met a few times . The whole process went smoothly , and soon , they had their marriage certificate in hand . Adriana had never imagined she would get married one day - she always knew Matthew would never marry her . But life could be full of surprises . Here she was , legally married , and to one of Harborton's most powerful figures at that . She couldn't help but smile at the thought .

When Curtis saw her smiling , his eyes softened too . " I'll keep this ," he said , gently taking the certificate from her hand . 2/3 8:41 Sat , Jan 3 Chapter 37 Legally Married 96 Finished Adriana looked up at him and nodded . " Mr. - I mean , Curtis , aren't you working today ? " Curtis naturally took her hand again and led her out . " Not today . I'm taking you shopping ." Adriana was stunned , staring at their joined hands . Yes ... even a contract marriage has to look real , right ? " Shopping ? " she asked once they got in the car .

" Even if it's just a contract marriage , Grandpa sees it as a real one . If I don't buy you anything after we're married , he'll be upset ," Curtis explained . Adriana quickly replied , " If he asks , I'll just tell him you already bought me something . " Curtis didn't say anything . Thinking she might've said the wrong thing , Adriana went quiet too . If the boss wanted to shop , she'd just go along with it . Traffic was heavy on the way to the mall . When another car suddenly cut in , the driver slammed on the brakes .

Curtis reflexively pulled Adriana into his arms and asked in a low voice , " You okay ? " Protected in his embrace , Adriana could clearly hear his heart beating . Her ears turned red , and she quickly moved away , shaking her head . The braking didn't startle me ... being held by him did . She glanced at Curtis nervously . There it was again , that strange sense of familiarity . But she couldn't quite put her finger on it . " Curtis , did we ever meet before that night at the club ? " The question slipped out before she could stop it . 108 B AdminJ