Oops! I Married His Nemesis - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

I'd already laid my heart bare to Jasper—told him he was the only man I'd ever marry. And he used that against me, weaponizing my feelings to force me to kneel before Doria.
Back then, I was too young, too terrified of losing the guy I was obsessed with to stand my ground. So I swallowed my tears and apologized.
That one apology spiraled into five years of the same damn cycle.
Ever since, Doria acted like a frightened rabbit whenever I entered a room—either collapsing to her knees like some tragic heroine or turning on the waterworks at the drop of a hat. And I hadn't even done a damn thing to her.
I locked eyes with Jasper, my voice turning icy. "If you're so worried I'll mess with your precious Doria, maybe you should keep her on a leash."
Despite my obvious sarcasm, Jasper frowned like I'd just threatened murder. "Was that a threat? What are you planning to do to her?"
Griffin jabbed a finger in my face. "Hold up. Is this about us taking Doria to Celestial Depths? You're seriously gonna use that as an excuse to make her life hell?"
Finn shot me a glare. "You've had everything handed to you since birth. Doria's never even had someone remember her damn birthday. It's just one stupid aquarium visit—why are you being such a bitch about it?"
My eyes narrowed. "Celestial Depths?"
Celestial Depths was this breathtaking underground aquarium that had been under construction since the day I was born. The southeast section had an imperial jade wall that, when lit through the water, created an illusion like you were floating in space.
Six months ago, as they were finishing construction, Dad put Jasper in charge of the final touches. He was supposed to present it to me as my gift at my birthday gala next month.
Now, somehow, my gift had become Doria's.
I stared straight at Jasper. He was overseeing the final phase—nobody got in without his say-so.
Jasper squirmed under my gaze before snapping:
"Doria grew up in the middle of nowhere, working her ass off just to eat. She's never even seen a real night sky. I was just doing something nice for her. Besides, your name's still on the deed, isn't it?"
He exhaled like he was making some grand sacrifice. "Stop making a big deal out of nothing. I'll announce our engagement at your birthday party next month if that'll shut you up. Happy now?"
The way he said it—like he was doing me some huge favor—made me feel like I was the charity case, not him.
And yet, nobody else saw how messed up this was. Instead, they all acted like Jasper was some kind of martyr.
"Why throw your life away?" Griffin muttered. "Charlotte's a spoiled, vindictive brat. Marrying her is worse than a life sentence."
Finn smirked. "Charlotte's gonna be bouncing off the walls now. Her years of stalking finally paid off."
"No, Jasper!" Doria wailed, tears flowing on cue. "Don't sacrifice your happiness for me! I'll do anything—I'll beg on my knees, I'll be her personal servant, whatever she wants…"
My throat burned like I'd swallowed sand as I forced out the words: "I won't be marrying you."