Stars Waited Above Empty Streets by Lorin Wren 45

Chapter 45 Bound by Law 

Mason burst out laughing at her righteous, indignant look. “Yeah, yeah. You’re right. I’m dirty” 

“Let go of me.” 

Because of their position, she had to look up at him. That made her feel very uncomfortable. 

“Let go? No.” Mason refused. “You still haven’t answered the question I asked earlier.” 

Prais 

His eyes lingered on her red lips. For a brief moment, he wondered what it would feel like if he kissed her. 

In the end, he didn’t go that far. Mason lowered his gaze and hid the dark look in his eyes before releasing her. 

Ava touched her face. Only then did Mason realize that he hadn’t used much force at all, yet her cheek still showed a faint mark from his fingers. 

Is her skin really this easy to bruise? 

His expression shifted. A rare hint of pity surfaced. As for regret, that word had never existed in his dictionary. 

“Ava, do you still think we have nothing to do with each other now?” Mason crouched halfway down so he was at eye level with her. 

Ava felt like she was about to lose her mind. “You people are unbelievable. I already humbled myself and begged all of you. Why won’t any of you let me go? I was wrong first, but I didn’t do it on purpose. The d*mn interstellar law left me with no choice. What else can I do? What can I do?” 

Her chest rose and fell as she spoke. Her head throbbed badly. 

Seeing how angry she was, almost puffed up like an angry fish, Mason guessed she hadn’t gained anything in the past two days when dealing with the others. A trace of guilt appeared in him. She was like a lamb that had wandered into a pack of wolves. She didn’t realize she was about to become prey. 

“Can you tell me why you keep wanting to end this match?” Mason asked. 

“We’re not from the same world,” Ava said. “You all grew up on a different level. You’re the kind of people who always have options. I’m just someone trying to get by. Our lives were never meant to cross.” 

Despair showed in her eyes. “Why won’t you believe me? I’m telling the truth. Why won’t you believe it?” 

“What’s the point of forcing people together?” She let out a long breath. “Mr. Heiser, it’s a new era already. Don’t men like you shout online every day about hating forced matches? Don’t you all keep yelling for the Match Bureau to disappear?” 

“I’m giving you a way out. Why won’t you take it?” Her voice grew tired. “I’m nobody. I’m just a normal person. I only want a simple life. Plain food is fine. I don’t want to climb up the ladder. I hate it. I’m slow. I can’t handle that kind of life.” 

Mason listened to her long stream of complaints without interrupting. He waited until her emotions finally settled before speaking. 

1/2 

Chapter 45 Bound by Law 

“Ms. Morren, I don’t know what your past was like. But I’ve never looked down on you. You audy beard and. get scholarships every year. You paid to send your grandfather to a high–end care facility. Even for adults. that’s very expensive, and you never thought about giving up. You’re fluent in the ancient Terran language. You earn money by helping your teachers organize and translate ancient Terran texts. The interstellar law. doesn’t allow underage girls to work, so that was your only legal way to earn money. 

“I’m sorry for what I did just now. I apologize.” 

“Then, Mr. Heiser…” Ava began. 

“What do you want to say?” Mason cut in. “If you’re still trying to convince me to give up, I can tell you right now that I won’t.” 

Ava looked into his eyes. At this point, she accepted it calmly. Her carlier outburst felt like an accident. 

“If you really insist, I don’t have a reason to keep forcing this anymore.” She looked deflated entirely, like a ball that had lost all its air. She no longer had the strength to fight the world. Society was too powerful. She had tried to resist this forced marriage, and it clearly didn’t work. She had failed. 

“But still.” Ava looked up at him. “Is this really the life you want? Is this kind of marriage normal? One woman and five husbands. Are you sure you’ll be happy? If you meet someone you truly like in the future, won’t you regret it?” 

She honestly didn’t understand. In her old world, divorce had become routine. Later, the government introduced measures like mandatory cooling–off periods and easier marriage registration. Everyone knew marriage was easy to enter and hard to leave, so it had to be taken seriously. 

Here, they were bound together just because they were forcibly matched. That felt even more ridiculous. 

Mason’s expression grew complicated. He hadn’t expected that a girl this young would clearly dislike the idea of one woman with multiple husbands. 

“Don’t be so pessimistic,” Mason said, his voice rough. “If you don’t even have the courage to face it, how do you know what the future will be like? Besides, this world isn’t always peaceful.” 

As if he had seen the thoughts she never dared to say out loud, he continued. “You were underage before, and the law protected underage girls. You don’t know how crazy men can get in this world. Ava, since this world created a one–wife, multiple–husbands system, in some ways, it’s also meant to protect women.” 

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