Chapter 6: I do

The registrar, Mister McAlester, oriented them on what a sacred vow the oath of marriage was for the first five minutes after Lydia and Jayden stepped into his office.

"Do you understand all this?" Mister McAlester asked, his grey eyes darting between them.

"Yes," Jayden replied, and when she remained silent, his head turned to her. His already intimidating eyes hardened on her, and they silently told her to answer the question.

"Yes, I do, too." She replied in a small voice.

The registrar nodded. "Okay, then that's good. Do you have your oaths, or shall we go with the one designed by the marriage registry?" He asked.

"We do not have any vows written out," Jayden answered, reaching out to place his hand on Lydia's, patting it a little. She shook her head, unsure if she was also supposed to respond.

"Then we will use the one designed by the marriage registry." Mister McAlester said and picked up the file before him, which had the names and information they filled out when they entered his office.

"Do you, Miss Lydia Mars, take Mister Jayden White as your lawfully wedded husband to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, good times and bad, until death do you part?" he asked.

Lydia slightly nodded and said, "Yes, I do."

Mister McAlester turned his attention to Jayden. "Do you, Mister Jayden White, take Miss Lydia Mars as your lawfully wedded husband to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, good times and bad, until death do you part?"

"Yes, I do," Jayden replied and squeezed down on her hand.

The older man first presented the marriage certificate to Jayden. Jayden pulled out a pen from his pocket, and he signed the certificate with his left hand before moving it to Lydia, and she signed it.

"Do you have the rings?" the registrar asked, staring at Jayden.

Jayden nodded, dug his hand into his inner pocket, and pulled out two rings. He took Lydia's hand and slid the ring onto her ring finger, where her engagement ring stayed, and she repeated the same action for him.

"The matrimonial rites are all completed, so you may now kiss your bride."

This part had skipped Lydia's mind all the while she thought about marrying Jayden White. He was now her husband, which meant he also had the right to special privileges reserved for married people. Sex and everything that came along with it. Jayden White would get to kiss her, touch her, and have sex with her whenever he wanted to. These she never considered, and now that she did, her body revolted.

Did she even have a choice? In the end, he was paying her a million dollars, which was more than enough compensation. Wasn't it? Lydia asked questions that no one could answer.

"Come," Jayden said, snapping her out of her thoughts, and he pulled her to her feet.

Uncertainty clouded her eyes, and she held her breath, but his hand reached out and stroked her face, calming the tide of fear that had risen within her. It worked like magic because it silenced every doubt about the thought of intimacy she had in her mind.

He closed the space between them within a second, and his soft lips grazed over hers, seeking a kiss. Fireworks exploded within Lydia at the touch of his lips, and she forgot everything except the strange feeling that this man, whom she barely knew, had now awakened in her. Jayden deepened the kiss, and her toe curled at how fulfilling this delicious kiss felt. It probably lasted for a few seconds, but she was drunk with desire as he pulled away from her.

He released her and stepped back, but it took a few more seconds for her hazy head to clear. She took a deep breath and turned away from him, trying to shield whatever control she had left. Her emotions and body had betrayed her, and this was terrible.

"This should be in your possession." The registrar said and stretched the certificate box, which had the registry logo on it, to Lydia.

Lydia took hold of it and wrapped her hands around it.

"Can I have a word with her alone?" Mister McAlester asked, taking Jayden and Lydia back a little.

"Is there a reason for that?" Jayden asked defensively.

The older man shrugged casually and said, "Just standard routine."

Jayden didn't believe his words, but he glanced at Lydia before walking out.

Lydia turned to the registrar and found his suspicious grey eyes fixed on her as if she were a book he was reading. "What is it?" she asked, gripping the certificate box tightly.

"I have a daughter about your age, so I cannot ignore everything I have seen. I must ask, Is the decision to marry against your will?" He asked, going straight to the point.

"What?" Lydia's eyes widened. Her body language must have led to this conclusion for the older man. Was it so obvious?

"Is he forcing you to marry him? If he is, that goes against the Marriage Act and this registry will arrest him and annul your marriage. You will be free." He carefully explained it to her.

Jayden didn't look like a man who would go down easily. He would get free someway and come for her. It was nice that this registrar had a good heart and wanted her safe, but there was no turning back. Besides, it wasn't just her; there was also one million dollars at stake.

She laughed casually and shook her head. "He is not forcing me to do anything; if anything, I forced him into this. This is what I want too; I am just having difficulty adjusting to it all." Everything Lydia said was true to an extent, and she hoped he believed her.

The suspicion in his eyes earlier decreased, and he nodded. "If you are certain of that, I wish you the best in your new married life, Mrs White."

Mrs. White. The name echoed in Lydia's head. She was now a married woman. She was married to Jayden White, the stranger she met this morning. It indeed happened. She would never know what the next twelve months had in store for her. In escaping her life in the jail cell, she had imprisoned herself in a completely different one. The only difference was that this came with a financial reward.