Chapter 2 He has a mistress?

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking against the bright morning light filtering through the extravagant curtains. My head throbbed, and for a moment, I hoped it was all a bad dream. But then I saw them again—the same group of people looking at me with anxious expressions.

I sighed heavily. So, I was still trapped in this stupid place. I wasn’t insane. I didn’t lose my memory. I didn’t forget who I was. The truth was far worse. I had entered a world I didn’t recognize—a place that had no beginning or end. What kind of nonsense was this?

The cold man was now speaking with the doctor, his voice low and authoritative. I caught snippets of their conversation. "She’s suffering from temporary memory loss," the doctor said. I wanted to scream. Memory loss my foot. I wasn’t suffering from anything other than being thrown into some twisted alternate universe!

I sat calmly on the bed, forcing my mind to focus. The cold man turned toward me again and began reintroducing himself, as if it was our first meeting.

"I’m Adrian Winters, your husband," he said in a tone so frosty it could freeze lava.

He gestured toward a graceful older woman who looked like she belonged on a royal throne. "This is my mother, Helena . And these are my brothers, Damien and Lucas."

I stared at them, my lips parted slightly in disbelief. Then, after a beat, I asked the one question that was dancing around in my head. "How long have we been married?"

Adrian's cold gaze held mine. "Two days."

I blinked. "What the freaking hell?!" My voice echoed off the marble walls.

I couldn’t hide my shock. Two days? I had been married for two freaking days? And I didn’t even remember my own wedding? Hell, I didn’t even know this man before today.

Trying to process it all, I asked, "Do I have any family here? Anyone I know?"

Adrian shook his head. "You were an orphan."

Great. I was an orphan in real life, and even in this strange reality, I was still an orphan. Some things never change.

I shook my head, overwhelmed but trying not to let my emotions show. "Why do I look so pale? Why do I look like I haven’t seen sunlight in months, while all of you look like models from a luxury catalog?"

His mother answered gently, "You were taking care of your adopted mother. She passed away from cancer. That took a toll on you."

I frowned. That was sad, sure, but it didn’t explain everything. "If I was so poor and struggling, how did I end up marrying someone like him?"

"You saved my mother’s life," Adrian said flatly. "She arranged our marriage."

I blinked again. So, that was how I ended up tied to this iceberg. I loved reading about cold CEOs in novels, but living with one? That was a different story altogether.

I rubbed my temples and looked around. "Where are we, exactly?"

Helena gave a faint smile. "The Winters Estate. One of the largest in Valleria."

Valleria? That wasn’t my neighborhood. I wasn’t in the crowded streets of Brookline anymore. My mouth dropped slightly. "You mean... Valleria? The capital city of wealth and royalty?"

Adrian nodded. "You’ll understand everything in time."

I swallowed hard. My stomach grumbled, loudly. I looked at the clock. It was just past 11 a.m.

"I'm starving," I admitted, hoping someone would feed me before I passed out again.

Without a word, Adrian stepped forward and lifted me in his arms like I weighed nothing.

"Bastard," I muttered under my breath, caught off guard by how effortless he made it seem.

He raised a brow. "What did you say?"

I batted my eyes and gave him the most pitiful, innocent look I could muster. "Nothing. Just... thank you."

His eyes softened for a fleeting second, and I felt strangely victorious. Small win.

As we reached the dining room, my jaw dropped. Opulence poured from every corner. Gold-rimmed dinnerware, a crystal chandelier that probably cost more than my old apartment, and a table long enough to host an entire royal family.

I sat down carefully, trying not to look like the complete country bumpkin I now felt like. Adrian turned to the maid and said, "Bring her breakfast."

Just as I was about to ask another question, the doors flew open and in walked the most stunning woman I had ever seen.

She had long raven-black hair cascading down her back like silk, sharp emerald eyes lined perfectly, a body sculpted like a goddess, and skin that looked like it had been airbrushed by angels. She wore a skin-tight red dress that screamed confidence and danger.

Before I could even blink, she walked straight to Adrian and threw her arms around him like they were the last two people on earth. And the bastard didn’t even push her away.

My jaw clenched.

Without thinking, I blurted out, "Not only is he a cold bastard, but he actually has a mistress too?!"

The room fell into complete silence.

Everyone turned to me in shock, eyes wide.

I slapped a hand over my mouth. Crap. Memory loss, they said. I was supposed to be confused and fragile, not calling out the man who claimed to be my husband for being a cheating ice cube.

But it was too late now. The words were out, and I wasn’t taking them back.

Let them deal with it.

Because I wasn’t the naive girl they thought I was.

No. I was the girl who somehow fell into a novel and now had to survive it—even if it

meant taking down cold-hearted billionaires and their pretty mistresses.

Game on.