Falling for My Contractual Wife

Grace spent some time sharpening the blade until it sliced through weeds effortlessly.

Brian, worried about making a fool of himself, ditched the showing off and stuck close to Grace. As Grace tackled the door, he kept a vigilant eye on the surroundings.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

After some effort, the stubborn lock finally gave way. Grace pushed the creaky old door open, revealing the somewhat eerie emptiness of the central room. Disdain etched Brian's face as he took in the dark, abandoned space. The musty smell only added to the gloom.

Undeterred, Grace strode into the room and headed for the bedroom once occupied by Daisy and Frederick Sherman. This was where the box was stashed.

In those days, houses had elevated floors, with bedrooms divided by wooden planks serving as makeshift storage.

But the stairs were gone. She had to find something to stand up on to crawl up.

Brian's frown deepened. 'Can anyone really live in such a place? It seems like the perfect hideout for creepy crawlies, Brian thought.

Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps.

"Just what are we looking for? I'll lend a hand," he offered.

Ignoring Brian, Grace fetched a large barrel from the kitchen, using it as a makeshift step stool to reach the attic.

Brian noticed Grace's path was cleaned away by her crawling. It was that dirty.

Though repulsed, Brian hesitated to let Grace climb alone, fearing the rickety structure might collapse.

Without overthinking it, he followed her up.

Once there, Brian noticed rain seeping through a soaked wall. The roof tiles were clearly failing.

This wall would definitely collapse soon.

"This place is a hazard. What exactly are we after? I can help move stuff down so we can search safely," Brian suggested.

Focused on an old wooden box, Grace didn't even glance his way.

With some effort, Grace pried open the box, revealing its contents with excitement.

At the bottom lay swaddling clothes, aged but recognizable by their delicate pink hue and golden embroidery.

This was indeed made of high-quality materials. Otherwise, this thread would not have been left intact for so many years. She heard her younger brother had used this swaddling cloth too. Brian watched as Grace carefully stowed them away, treating them like precious relics. "Is this what you've been searching for?" Brian asked, puzzled.

Grace rolled her eyes.

"I was hoping for something more exciting from your family," Brian said.

Unfazed, Grace continued rifling through the box, searching for more treasures.

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Suddenly, Brian heard a faint but ominous sound of cracking.

Before he could react, the wall behind Grace lurched, threatening to collapse on her.

Reacting swiftly, Brian pulled her away, shielding her from the impending disaster.

With a resounding crash, the soaked mud wall gave way, tiles cascading down.

Though shaken, Brian held firm. Grace looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing?" Frowning, Brian replied, "Saving you from being buried alive."

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