At 28, after a failed marriage, I decided to find a partner just to have a child. My requirements were simple: someone tall, with good eyesight, and decent communication skills. On the day of the blind date, the man wore a black hoodie and a baseball cap. His exquisitely handsome face far exceeded my expectations. Thinking something was off, I was already secretly planning to reject him. Then he spoke, his voice calm and low: "The person I like went abroad. My family is pressuring me to have a kid." "I'm a local, only child, have a house and a car, stable job, and my parents have their own pensions." "If you can accept it, I can hand over part of my salary for household expenses, and I'll cover all the child's costs." "If you want to separate later, I'm okay with that anytime." In this marriage, the thing I cared about least was who was in his heart. My goal was to have a child. So, within a month, we had a flash marriage. At that time, I never imagined I would spend the next ten years, and then another ten, with the man in front of me. Chapter 1 On the day we got our marriage license, I finally learned the man's name was Ethan Reed. He was a programmer. He worked at the biggest gaming company in Seattle. The main reason for the delay was that right after the blind date, I had to go on a last-minute business trip and didn't have time to deal with him. He didn't contact me either. I assumed it was over. I had already started looking for the next candidate. Then, on Saturday evening, he suddenly messaged me on WhatsApp. Asking if I had thought about it. It had been 23 days since our blind date. Turns out he was still waiting for my answer... Before I could reply, he sent another message. [If you don't dislike me, should we just get married first?] I hesitated. Mrs. Robinson from the matchmaking service just happened to message me. [Sarah, I just contacted a few of the guys you met before. They aren't very accepting of the fact that you're divorced, and...] And I'm 28, no house or car in Seattle, and an orphan. For anyone marrying me, they'd face significant financial pressure. With no parents to help out. I understood what Mrs. Robinson wanted to say. I typed back: [Thanks, Mrs. Robinson.] After nearly six months of blind dates, almost no one had expressed willingness to take things further. If I had to count, there were two. One thought my looks matched his imagination, but after going home that day, his parents found out about my situation and disapproved, so that ended. The other was Ethan. The person he liked went abroad, maybe they separated for some reason and couldn't be together. He was pressured by his family to marry and have kids, and was willing to accept that I was divorced, an orphan, and had no assets. I looked at Ethan's black profile picture, thought for a moment, and replied. [Do your parents know about my situation?] Ethan: [Yes!] Me: [Okay... when do you want to get the license?] Ethan: [If it's convenient, next Monday at 9 AM. See you at the City Clerk's office near your place.] Next Monday was the day after tomorrow... Me: [Okay.] On Monday, Ethan and I met at the City Clerk's office, each holding a folder of documents. We greeted each other politely, then went to take a number. After we got the license and walked out. I realized belatedly that we hadn't done a pre-marital health check. Ethan had no experience with marriage, and my previous one was a love match, so we hadn't done it either. But this time, since it was a blind date arrangement, we didn't know each other well. Hearing me mention it, he looked down at his watch. "I took the day off today. If you have time, we can go now." I nodded slightly: "Sure, I took the day off too." After deciding, we went to the hospital separately for the checkup. I rode my e-scooter; Ethan drove. After the checkup, we were told the results would take 1-3 days. Walking to the hospital entrance, we handed each other a key simultaneously. We both froze. Ethan spoke first, his voice steady: "I bought a three-bedroom apartment downtown. This is the key." Downtown Seattle is the most bustling area, and where my company is located. Everything is great, except the price. Buying is expensive; renting is expensive. So back then, I rented a place on the edge of the city and took the subway to work every day. Ethan's financial situation was probably even better than I expected. Even with a mortgage, the down payment would be hundreds of thousands. I took back my key: "I'm renting a small two-bedroom near downtown." "Before the results come out, let's go back to our own homes." Ethan said "okay," then handed his key to me again. "Take my key first." He paused, his gaze landing on my bag: "Your key..." I instantly understood and handed him my house key. Chapter 2 Back home, I took a shower and sat on the balcony to rest. I saw the college alumni group chat buzzing with hundreds of messages. The class monitor suddenly tagged me. [Sarah, Julian is coming back from abroad soon. How are you guys planning to celebrate? Can we all get together?] Seeing that name, my heart skipped a beat. Others took turns tagging me. [Yeah, after you two celebrate, you have to treat us to dinner!] [Back then, you were the only couple in our class to make it.] [So envious, after all these years!] [I was the one who helped Sarah deliver the love letter! Haha.] [Given Julian's personality back then, if Sarah hadn't stubbornly chased him for a year, it would've been hard for them.] [Come on, that's ancient history. Look at how Julian treated Sarah later, like she was more important than his life.] [That's called mutual devotion, okay!! Finally, their long-distance relationship is ending.] Seeing I hadn't replied, someone tagged Julian. Before I could even react. I saw that familiar profile picture pop up. Julian: [We divorced a long time ago!] "A long time" meant 823 days. Over two years. Once Julian spoke, everyone else fell silent. The lively group chat instantly went quiet. Ten minutes later. Julian: [Been abroad too long, really miss the food in Seattle. I'll treat everyone when I'm back!] I closed the app, looked up, and stared silently at the ceiling. Maybe the wind on the balcony was too strong. It made my eyes sting. I got up, closed the window, and decided to sleep early. The next morning, I saw Ethan posted about getting the marriage license on his Moments. I posted when I got married the first time, but not when I divorced. At first, I couldn't accept the divorce. In denial, I let my emotions spiral for six months. Later, I felt there was no need to post. He was in the past. Bringing it up again would just be weird. I didn't expect my classmates to still remember us. After all, life and work pressures are huge; I thought no one would remember the past anymore. Before getting off work, I received Ethan's health check report. I sent mine over too. Everything was normal. Good thing we were both healthy; it saved us worry. Ethan: [I have to go on a business trip unexpectedly for half a month. I'll bring you a gift when I'm back.] Me: [Okay, no need, thanks!] Ethan's business trip relieved my anxiety. We had a flash marriage, and there were many things we hadn't discussed clearly. Like having a child, whether he moved to my place or I moved to his. And preparations for pregnancy. Suddenly switching from strangers to "partners" made me a little flustered. With him away on a trip, it was good for both of us to have a buffer. Next came busy work and overtime. I work in planning, so staying up late is common. When I do well, the pay is decent. Over these years, I lived frugally, didn't buy a house or car, and saved a considerable amount in fixed deposits. It was my safety net. Originally intended for retirement. Later, when I wanted a child, I earmarked part of it for an education fund. After being busy for half a month, I went to a massage parlor. It was already past midnight when I got home. I saw Ethan's car parked downstairs. His car looked expensive and new, a stark contrast to my dilapidated apartment complex. My place had no property management, no greenery. It was a very old complex where most owners had moved out, leaving mostly tenants. As I got closer, I saw Ethan reclined in the driver's seat, fast asleep. I tapped lightly on the glass. Ethan's sleeping profile looked a bit cold, his thin lips pressed tight under a high nose bridge. A small blanket was draped casually over him. In contrast, he looked exceptionally tall and long-limbed. I coughed and called out, "Ethan." His long eyelashes fluttered. I lowered my head toward the slightly open window. "Ethan, wake..." In an instant, my gaze fell into Ethan's just-opened eyes. His eyes were narrow and long, framed by thick lashes; up close, they were very deep. Ethan reacted and casually moved the small blanket aside: "Sorry, I was too sleepy." When he got out of the car, I saw he had a backpack and an exquisite jewelry box. My building was a walk-up. Ethan's height made the stairwell seem much narrower. We reached the third floor. After closing the door, I realized the intimate clothes I took down this morning were still on the sofa. A 500-square-foot one-bedroom apartment; the living room was visible at a glance. Ethan glanced over, his expression unchanging. I was a bit flustered, clumsily getting slippers for Ethan. Slippers, towels, toothbrushes—I had prepared these after we got the license. Then I quickly tidied up the clothes on the sofa. I poured Ethan a glass of water. He said his business trip ended a week earlier than expected, but his cousin, who was taking exams, was temporarily staying at his place. So he came over unexpectedly. Afraid I was busy, he didn't text. I pursed my lips and smiled: "I was a bit tired recently, so I went for a massage." "Next time, just come up. This is the master bedroom, the other is a study, bathroom, balcony." I got up and gave Ethan a tour. The layout of the small apartment was obvious. Ethan took a sip of water: "Okay, sorry to intrude this week." "You're welcome." Chapter 3 I finished showering and came out. Ethan went in. He closed the door. I looked back at the queen-size bed in the bedroom (approx 1.5m wide) and griped the doorknob. I quickly changed the sheets and duvet cover, and put a pillowcase on another pillow. Then I took a tape measure and started measuring the master bedroom. When Ethan came out, he was wearing white loungewear. With his striking features, the look was quite impactful. His hair was still dripping water, and he wiped it casually with his long fingers. Seeing me gesturing, he walked over and asked, "Need help?" I retracted the tape measure: "No need, I'm just seeing if a king-size bed (1.8m) will fit." Ethan's hand wiping his hair paused slightly. He assessed the space I measured, his tone deepening a bit. "Should be fine. The walkway will be a bit narrow, but it won't block the path." I hummed lightly: "Okay, I'll go look at beds after work tomorrow." "I'll go with you. I'm off for the next two days." I turned to put away the tape measure but found the hallway blocked by Ethan. Only when we were both standing in slippers did I realize he wasn't just tall-looking; he was genuinely tall. Probably around 6'2". My head just barely passed his shoulder. Because we were close, I could almost smell the specific body wash on him. I stepped back: "I'll get you the hair dryer." After putting away the tape measure, Ethan quickly finished drying his hair. He stood at the bathroom door, looking at me with a slightly unnatural expression. I was divorced; I knew about these things. Ethan was twenty-seven this year, a year younger than me. I didn't know his dating history. Also wasn't sure if he had experience. But guessing he probably did. Except my small bed was somewhat unfriendly for someone of his size. I lowered my head and said hesitantly. "We're both tired tonight. Shall we just make do for one night?" Ethan twitched his lips slightly: "I'm fine with anything, as long as it doesn't affect you." We queued up to enter the master bedroom. Ethan closed the door. We lay down, man on the left, woman on the right. The small bed meant we were close. Ethan's body was warm, a sharp contrast to my coldness. It was early autumn, and the south has no central heating. Usually, the bed stays cold for a while. Tonight, the quilt warmed up instantly. In the silence, Ethan slowly held my hand. His palm was large. He turned over, naturally pulling my hand over. He whispered: "You're very cold..." I whispered back: "Used to it. It's like this all year round." Ethan moved closer, and my legs touched his. The room fell quiet. Quiet enough to hear each other breathing. We both knew the other wasn't asleep. Thinking I should get to know him more, I asked casually. "Ethan, can I ask why you broke up?" I didn't understand why I brought this up at this moment. Maybe thinking if Ethan truly loved someone else, and that girl came back, I... I guess I'm really traumatized. Forced to divorce because of a past relationship, now I was inexplicably worrying about Ethan's ex's feelings. Ethan fell silent, his breathing speeding up. I quickly said: "If it's inconvenient, don't worry about it. I was just asking." Ethan turned onto his back, switched hands to hold mine, stared straight at the ceiling, his voice low and raspy with a hint of bitterness. "I didn't break up." I looked sideways: "Wh... what?" "That girl didn't like me. Or rather, she never noticed me." My feelings became complicated instantly. With Ethan's looks, not noticing him must have been hard. I asked: "Did you confess?" Ethan spoke slowly: "No. She had someone she really liked. Later, they got together." So it was unrequited love! I didn't know how to comfort him, so I kept my tone light: "Did you meet anyone else after that?" Ethan's tone was flat: "No." No! I was slightly shocked. Meaning 27-year-old Ethan was still holding onto his first love? The problem was, I was on my second marriage! I stared tightly at Ethan, wanting to withdraw my hand. But he held it tighter. Ethan's lips moved slightly: "Sarah, I need to tell you something." "I married you partly because your eyes look a bit like hers. Sorry..." So Ethan was treating me as a substitute? I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. My guilt lessened. In this marriage with clear goals, the scariest thing was meeting someone too sincere. It didn't matter who was in his heart. Being a substitute didn't matter either. I moved closer. "It's okay, I don't mind." "Ethan, I had a relationship before. My ex-husband." "We were college sweethearts, married at 23, divorced at 26." "But we had no kids, no financial entanglements. We haven't contacted each other since the split." Ethan gave a very light 'mn', asking in a voice devoid of emotion: "Why did you separate?" "Did he cheat?" "No, no cheating, no third party." "Then why?" I paused: "His mother didn't like me." Ethan was silent for a while, his tone turning serious: "Just because of that?" I hummed: "Just because of that." No dramatic plot, not because we stopped loving each other. Just because his mother didn't like me. She even threatened suicide to force him to divorce. But I didn't explain this thoroughly to Ethan. Deep down, I didn't want to recall it. That painful memory—if possible, I hoped never to think of it again. My phone dinged. I turned and saw a tag in the class group chat. Just as I was about to open it. Ethan hugged me from behind. I hesitated, didn't open the message, silenced the phone, and hugged Ethan back. His embrace went from shallow to deep. His face pressed close to mine; his thin lips landed on my forehead, eyes, and finally stopped at the corner of my mouth. Very light. I could feel his breathing quicken. At this age, with no experience, saying he was full of vigor wasn't an exaggeration. We were adults; I knew clearly what would happen. But Ethan lingered. His body was burning hot, lips rubbing against the corner of my mouth, not going further. I asked softly: "Ethan, can we?" Ethan's Adam's apple rolled. He said raspily: "Yes." He turned on the bedside lamp with one hand, flipped over on top of me, staring at me with burning eyes. Finally, his gaze rested on my eyes. His kisses fell again, going from gentle to passionate. The moment he touched my lips, Ethan's restrained movements began to lose control. The 1.5-meter small bed, due to quality issues, creaked all night no matter how much we tried to be careful. Chapter 4 I didn't know when I passed out. When I woke up, sunlight was already streaming through the window. Ethan was sleeping soundly. He was indeed exhausted after a full night. Thinking of last night, my face burned. It was okay in the dark. Seeing Ethan's lean, powerful waist exposed in broad daylight made me feel warm all over. I touched my face to cool down. Suddenly realizing today was a workday. I picked up my phone—it was already afternoon... Hurriedly opened WhatsApp. Various tags in the work group. A while later, my supervisor, Mrs. Zhou, popped up saying I called in sick and she was covering for me today. Then came Mrs. Zhou's DMs. [Sarah, where are you??] [Where?] [Little Sarah! What happened?] [Did you work too hard recently and collapsed?] [Tell me if something's wrong! Why aren't you picking up the phone?] ... [Good thing your husband answered the phone, said you weren't feeling well.] [Don't push yourself next time. You scared me to death. Rest well.] [But... when did you get a husband!!!] [Tell me when you wake up!] I was amused by Mrs. Zhou. [Thanks, Mrs. Zhou. Just got the license recently. Details tomorrow.] Mrs. Zhou was one of my few friends in Seattle. I have a reserved personality, slow to warm up, few friends. College classmates barely kept in touch after graduation. Mrs. Zhou mentored me during my internship here. After knowing I was an orphan, she took special care of me. Knowing I divorced, she even took me out to drink and vent. She was ten years older than me but looked very young. We often joked we were friends across generations. After replying to Mrs. Zhou, I saw the tag in the class group chat from last night. It was the college group. I thought after Julian announced our divorce, no one would tag me again. If I hadn't been with him, I might have been invisible in the class. Clicked into the group, scrolled to the top. Saw last night's message. It was Julian tagging me, unprecedentedly. [Sarah, I'm back in Seattle. Convenience to grab dinner together?] My gaze paused. I even thought I misread it; my fingertips trembled. That long-lost suffocating and sour feeling rushed over me. I exited the chat immediately, staring numbly at the phone. Feeling heat on my waist, Ethan turned over and hugged me. I composed myself and put down the phone. Ethan sat up. His beautiful eyes were startlingly bright. He evidently slept well. "Good afternoon!" I squeezed out a smile for him: "Good afternoon." After getting up, Ethan took me out to eat, then we went to buy a bed together. After last night, our relationship was slightly closer. We weren't so stiff when walking, but we didn't hold hands either. Bought a bed at the mall. Spent $1,200. Ethan paid without blinking. Usually, I would have bargained or checked two more stores. Ethan bought the bed; I insisted on paying for the mattress. When buying the bedding set, I just took out my phone when Ethan held my shoulder and leaned down. "Sarah, I'm your husband. The betrothal gifts, the gold jewelry—I should be paying for these." I looked at Ethan blankly for a moment. Betrothal gifts, jewelry. Honestly, before the blind date, I hadn't thought about it. My conditions were like this. He was unmarried, better than me in every aspect. And I was aiming to have a child. I didn't want him to spend extra money. That way, if we separated, it would be simpler and quicker. "No need for betrothal gifts and jewelry..." Ethan interrupted softly: "Necessary. Formal marriage procedures shouldn't be skipped." "Next, we need to take wedding photos, hold a wedding, go on a honeymoon." "I've prepared for all these expenses." Wedding! I wasn't clear on what formal procedures entailed. My previous marriage was just a rushed license. The wedding was never scheduled because he was busy. Seeing me zone out, Ethan pulled me to pay, then went to a jewelry store. He picked some very expensive styles. He called it the "five gold pieces" tradition, but the price exceeded my understanding. When we got home, workers came to change the bed. I received a transfer of $58,888 from Ethan for the betrothal gift. I knew Ethan's salary must be decent. I didn't expect him to give so much. I thought $10,000 or $15,000 at most would be enough. Seeing my complicated gaze, Ethan finished changing the bedding and came over, lips slightly raised: "Normal wedding procedure." I pursed my lips. Then I'll save this money, untouched. If we separate in the future, it'll be easy to return. Seeing me nod, Ethan scanned the kitchen: "I'll cook tonight. What do you want to eat?" "Anything works." "Then braised pork, beef brisket stew, garlic eggplant, meatball soup..."
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