Ava spent the whole night tossing on her small bed. Every time she closed her eyes, Ethan's smug face appeared, with that annoying smirk like he was the one who invented air and everyone else should thank him for it. Married? To him? A typo had completely ruined her life.
By morning, she had already made up her mind. She was going to face him, explain everything, and demand he cancel this so-called certificate. If the papers could be typed, they could also be unt-typed. Right?
She arrived at the tall glass building of Ethan Blackwood, holding her handbag like it was a weapon. The receptionist greeted her with a fake smile, and Ava was sure the gossip had already reached the front desk.
"Good morning, Mrs. Blackwood," the receptionist said, stressing the "Mrs."
Ava almost threw her shoe. "Don't call me that."
But she couldn't waste time fighting. She marched into the elevator, pressing the top floor button so hard the poor thing beeped twice. Her reflection in the elevator mirror showed a woman who hadn't slept, with messy hair and fire in her eyes. Good. She needed fire today.
When the doors opened, Ethan's house keeper tried to stop her. "Miss uh, I mean Mrs. Ava, Mr. Blackwood is very busy right now"
"Busy my foot," Ava snapped and pushed the door open.
Ethan's office was a kingdom of perfection. Huge windows, bookshelves neatly arranged, a desk that probably cost more than her apartment. And in the middle of it was Ethan himself, sitting like a king with his laptop, sipping coffee like he had no worries in life.
When he saw her, he smiled. "Ah, my darling wife has come to visit."
"Don't start!" Ava threw her bag on his desk. "We need to talk. Cancel that marriage certificate now."
Ethan leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, watching her like she was a comedy show. "Cancel it? Why?"
"Why?" she nearly screamed. "Because it was a mistake! Because it was a stupid typo. Because I don't want to be married to you!"
"Ouch," he said, pretending to hold his chest. "That hurt, Ava. You wound me deeply."
She glared. "I'm serious."
"So am I." He leaned forward, eyes glinting with amusement. "I'm not canceling anything."
Ava blinked, thinking maybe she misheard. "What do you mean you're not canceling?"
"I mean," he said slowly, like explaining math to a child, "I find this situation… entertaining."
Ava's jaw dropped. "Entertaining? My whole life is falling apart and you call it entertaining?"
"Yes." He sipped his coffee again. "Do you know how boring my life has been? Meetings, reports, numbers, stock prices. And now, suddenly, I have a wife thanks to a typo. It's like a free Netflix show but better."
"Better?!" Ava nearly pulled her hair out. "Do you realize what people are saying about me? They think I married you for money!"
Ethan smirked. "Let them. That's what they always say when someone marries rich."
"Well, I didn't!" Ava shouted. "I didn't marry you at all!"
"Paperwork disagrees," he said calmly. "And my family is very happy about this, by the way. My mother has been begging me to get married. My father was ready to throw me into some blind dates with daughters of his business partners. Now, thanks to you, I don't have to go through that torture."
Ava stared at him like he had grown two heads. "So you're keeping me as your fake wife just to escape family pressure?"
"Exactly." He smiled like a cat. "See, you understand me so well. That's why we make such a good couple."
Ava's hands balled into fists. "This is not funny, Ethan. You can't just trap me in your family drama."
"Trap you?" He chuckled. "Ava, you're free to live your life. We don't even have to share a house. Just… play along when needed. A smile here, a dinner there. Easy."
"Easy? Easy for you! What about me?" She stomped her foot. "People will laugh at me, gossip about me, call me a gold digger."
"They're already doing that," Ethan said casually.
Ava gasped. "You knew?!"
"Of course. The whole office is buzzing. It's like free entertainment for everyone. And honestly, I love watching you storm around with that angry face. It's cute."
"Cute?" Ava pointed a finger at him. "I'll show you cute when I strangle you with your own tie."
He only laughed harder.
Ava groaned and slumped into the chair across his desk. "This is a nightmare. I'm living in a nightmare."
Ethan tilted his head. "You worry too much. Just relax and enjoy the ride. Who knows, you might even start liking it."
"Never," Ava snapped. "Not in a million years."
"Mm, we'll see," he said, his voice annoyingly confident.
Ava buried her face in her hands. How did her life become this circus? She only wanted to unsubscribe from spam emails. Now she was stuck with a husband who refused to cancel a marriage certificate because he thought it was "entertaining."
She looked up at him again, ready to argue more, but he was already back to typing on his laptop, totally calm like this was just another day at work.
"Ethan Blackwood, you are the most infuriating man I've ever met."
He didn't even look up. "And yet, now I'm your husband. Life is funny, isn't it?"
Ava left his office later, dragging her feet like a prisoner walking to jail. The gossiping eyes of the employees followed her as she passed, whispering behind their screens. She wanted to scream at them all, but what was the point? Ethan had made it clear he wasn't canceling anything.
She was stuck. Married by typo. And her so-called husband was enjoying every second of it.