The Substitute Bride: Idiot Or Not?

"I got stabbed in my stomach. Come give me a hand," Xavier ordered.

The driver immediately did as instructed and swam toward Xavier, but since the surroundings were black as coal, he accidentally hit Winnie on his way to the latter.

Annoyed, Winnie made way for the driver and remained quietly in her spot while listening in on their conversation.

"Where's Calvert? Did he not get thrown off the boat?" Xavier asked.

As it turned out, Calvert Wood was none other than the man in white Winnie had seen on the yacht. He was also the private detective Xavier had tasked to track down his "Dumbo."

"He didn't!" the driver thundered. "He was one the who hired the yacht and those men. Mr. Fairchild, do you think they're in cahoots?"

"Ha! I can't believe I've misjudged him," Xavier scoffed.

"What a sc*mbag! Once we're back on shore, I'll get the police to arrest him," the driver fumed. Right as he said that, a light suddenly shone in the distance.

A few seconds later, it went out and came back on again. That pattern continued three more times before the light stopped flashing altogether.

The driver was the first to break the silence. "Mr. Fairchild, that's the signal from the bodyguard to board the fishing boat. We're safe now!" "Good. Let's go, then."

It took a few minutes, but the three of them eventually climbed on board the small fishing boat.

There was a light on the boat, and since Winnie had given Xavier her tank top to use as a bandage earlier, all she was wearing on her upper half was a bra. Because of that, she quickly ducked into the cabin as soon as she got onto the boat.

A couple in their fifties operated the fishing boat, and even though Winnie didn't like how the old man was staring at her, his wife seemed friendly enough.

"We don't have any other clothes on the boat, and this raincoat is all that's left," the lady said as she handed it to Winnie. "It's still better than nothing, though. You can wear it if you don't mind. I doubt it'd be convenient for you to walk around a boat full of men in that state."

"Thank you. The raincoat will do nicely," Winnie replied while putting it on.

Alas, it was also then that she realized her period had come, and to make matters worse, it was a heavy flow.

Despite burning with embarrassment, she had no choice but to ask the old lady for a pad.

"Sorry, I don't have any," the lady answered. "We don't usually go out to sea when we're having our periods because that's a taboo. Bear with it for a while. We should be back on the island once day breaks." Winnie frowned slightly. "Okay. Thank you, anyway."

"It's okay. Stay and rest here in the cabin. I'll tell the men outside not to come in."

After the old lady had left, Winnie leaned against the cabin walls and eavesdropped on the conversation outside.

"What happened to you guys? Did your boat capsize or something?" the boat owner asked.

"Yes, our navigation system failed, and we lost our way. The yacht capsized right after that." the bodyguard immediately replied. "By the way, are you a fisherman from Sirona Island?"

"That's right. We're from Sirona Island. Are you guys headed there for a vacation?"

"We're looking for someone," Xavier, who had been silent this whole time, suddenly piped up. "May I know if any new people have come onto your island recently?"

"What do you mean by new people? I don't understand."

Xavier frowned and added, "I'm talking about a young, pretty, but mentally challenged woman. Do the people on your island buy women from other places to be their wives?"

"What nonsense is that?" the boat owner scolded. "Who still does that in this day and age? Besides, we're all law-abiding citizens on Sirona Island. We won't let such criminal activities happen on our watch!"

"Calm down," Xavier persuaded, his

voice deep and steady. "We aren't

the police, and we're not here to investigate any cases. I only want to look for my wife. She has a lower to than most people, and I lost her a while back. However, I recently heard that she might be on your island, so please tell me if there's anything you know. In return for your assistance, I can buy your fishing boat for ten times its price."

"Ten times?" the boat owner exclaimed as he stared at Xavier questioningly. "Do you know how much my boat costs?"

To his surprise, the latter remained unfazed. "Is it two, three, or five hundred thousand? In any case, it doesn't matter. No matter how much it is, I can afford to pay ten times of it."

Upon hearing that, the old lady tugged at her husband and whispered, "Dear, this guy looks like a rich man. If we can really get two million from him, we'll be able to do anything we want!"

After a short discussion, the old lady finally turned to Xavier. "To be honest, there has been such an incident recently. The Briggs family has a son who contracted polio, and I heard they found him a wife. She's quite a looker, except she's rather dim-witted. Unfortunately, we've never met the alleged wife, so we can't be sure if she's the one you're looking for."

"That's right," the astute boat owner chimed in. "Once we return to the island, I can take you to the Briggs residence. However, doing that will effectively destroy our relationship with the Briggs family. I do hope you can compensate us for that."

"Don't worry. Whether I find my wife or not, I'll still keep my promise and buy your boat for ten times the price. I just want things done fast."

"No problem. I'll increase the speed and get us back to the island as soon as possible."

With that, the boat owner stood up and walked toward the bow.

His wife, however, remained standing in her spot, a glint of curiosity in her eyes. "Don't mind me asking, but I can tell from your mannerisms that you belong to the upper class. Why, then, would you marry a dim-witted woman?"

Seeing how straightforward the woman was, both Xavier's driver and bodyguard broke into a cold sweat for her.

Thankfully, Xavier didn't seem offended by the question, and Winnie perked up her ears even more.

"It was a twist of events that led to

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our marriage," Xavier replied. For some reason, being in the midst of the dark, boundless sea gave him an urge to pour his heart out. "Initially, didn't really care about her. It was only much later when I realized all that time spent together had made me unknowingly develop feelings for her. But to her, I'm no different from anyone else. Her mentality is a lot like a kid's, and she doesn't understand anything. In fact, her innocence and naivety once made me think I was a psychopath, so I did everything I could to distance myself from her. "

After a pause, he continued, "I didn't want to hurt her, especially since there are times when I will lose control. Besides, I want to get my condition treated too. And because of that, I made the biggest mistake of my life used another woman chase her away, thinking I'd finally be able to turn myself normal, lost her ever since, and I've regretted my decision every day. Even if I know someone's leading me on with fake clues, I still want to hold on to that glimmer of hope. After all, she's my wife, and I want her back. When I open my eyes every morning, my desire to find her is stronger than the day before. If God takes pity on me and returns her to my side, I swear I'll love and protect her with everything I have. Even if she remains dim-witted for the rest of her life, I'll never let her down again."

Back in the cabin, Winnie was stunned and speechless.