She was forced to marry the “Billionaire Pig” to settle her family’s debts, but on their anniversary night, she screamed as he shed his “skin,” revealing the man everyone dreamed of.
Clara was a young woman full of dreams but trapped in poverty. Her father was a gambling addict who had racked up a debt of 50 million pesos. And to whom did he owe it? None other than Don Sebastián “Baste” Montemayor.
Don Baste was known throughout the country not only for his wealth but also for his appearance. He weighed nearly 140 kilograms. Obese, constantly sweating, with scars on his face, he was always seen in a motorized wheelchair because, according to rumors, he could no longer walk due to his excessive weight. Behind his back, people cruelly called him the “Billionaire Pig.”
One night, Don Baste’s men arrived at Clara’s house.
“Pay the debt or go to jail,” they threatened her father.
“W-we don’t have the money!” her father cried. “B-but I’ll give you my daughter! Clara! She’s young, beautiful, and hardworking! Marry her, Don Baste—take her in exchange for my debt!”
Clara’s eyes widened in terror. “Dad?! Are you selling me?!”
But she had no choice. To save her father’s life, she agreed to marry the man everyone feared.
THE WEDDING
On the wedding day, the guests couldn’t stop whispering. Clara looked radiant in her dress—beautiful and elegant—standing beside Don Baste, who was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily, with a spaghetti stain on his tuxedo.
“Poor girl,” someone murmured. “She’s only marrying for money.”
“She must be disgusted at the thought of sharing a bed with him.”
Clara heard it all. But she lifted her chin. She pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from Don Baste’s forehead.
“Are you alright, Don Baste?” she asked softly. “Would you like some water?”
Don Baste froze. He stared at Clara. He had expected disgust, but he saw none in her eyes. Only concern. Kindness.
“Water,” he said in a raspy voice.
Throughout the entire ceremony, Clara took care of him. During the photos, she didn’t pull away. She took Don Baste’s hand: large, rough, and trembling.
THE FIRST NIGHT
After the wedding, they were taken to Don Baste’s mansion.
“You’ll sleep on the sofa,” Don Baste ordered inside the bedroom. “I’m too big; you won’t be comfortable in the bed. And also… wash my feet before sleeping. And feed me.”
Don Baste was testing her. He pretended to be lazy. Messy. Rude. Bossy. He wanted to see how much Clara would endure. When she would break. When she would finally feel disgusted.
But Clara remained silent. She obeyed. She endured. She stayed kind and calm. And Don Baste watched her… intently.
THE DEAL
One night, Don Baste’s men arrived at Clara’s house.
“Pay the debt or you’ll go to prison,” they threatened the father.
“We don’t have the money!” he cried desperately.
“Then I’ll give you my daughter! Clara! She’s young, beautiful, and hardworking! Marry her, Don Baste, take her in exchange for my debt!”
Clara’s eyes opened wide in terror.
—Dad? Are you selling me?!
But Clara had no choice.
To save her father’s life, she agreed to marry the man everyone feared.
THE WEDDING
On the wedding day, the guests couldn’t stop murmuring.
Clara shone in her wedding dress, radiant and serene, next to Don Baste, drenched in sweat, panting, with a spaghetti stain on his tuxedo.
A Marriage Bought with Debt
Lydia had grown up in a once-respectable family. Her father had been a brilliant investor—until he wasn’t.
One disastrous gamble later, the Vale family was drowning in debt. Their home mortgaged. Their businesses seized. Lawsuits piling like storm clouds.
Then Cedric Halden made an offer.
He would clear every cent of the Vale family’s debt.
In return…
Lydia would marry him.
Her father cried when he accepted.
Her mother refused to look at her for days.
And Lydia?
She simply said yes.
Not because she was brave.
Because she knew there was no other way.
The Wedding
The wedding was held in a private cathedral overlooking the harbor.
No press.
No cameras.
Only a few witnesses and Cedric’s legal team.
Cedric arrived dressed in a black suit and gloves. A porcelain mask covered most of his face, leaving only his eyes visible—dark, unreadable, almost tired.
Lydia tried not to stare.
When they exchanged vows, his voice was surprisingly gentle.
“Thank you for agreeing to this,” he said quietly.
Not I love you.
Not I promise you happiness.
Just… gratitude.
It was the strangest wedding anyone had ever attended.
Life in the Mansion
After the wedding, Lydia moved into Halden Estate.
The place was enormous—marble floors, endless halls, glass walls overlooking the ocean.
Yet it felt strangely empty.
Cedric was rarely seen.
He worked late. Ate alone. Spoke only when necessary.
But Lydia began noticing small things.
Her favorite books appeared in the library.
Fresh lilies—her favorite flower—appeared in her room each week.
When she caught a cold, the estate doctor arrived before she even told anyone.
Cedric never asked for affection.
Never demanded anything from her.
He simply… existed quietly nearby.
And over time, Lydia began to realize something unsettling.
He wasn’t cruel.
He was lonely.
The Rumors
Outside the estate, the rumors grew worse.
People said Cedric hid his face because it was disfigured.
Others claimed he had undergone experimental surgeries that left him looking monstrous.
One cruel headline read:
“Beauty Sold to the Beast.”
Lydia stopped reading the news.
One Year Later
Their first anniversary arrived quietly.
Cedric asked if Lydia would join him for dinner.
She almost said no.
But something in his voice—uncertain, almost nervous—made her agree.
The dinner was simple.
Candlelight. Wine. Soft music from the grand piano.
For the first time, Cedric spoke openly.
He told her about building his company from nothing.
About the betrayals.
About losing people he trusted.
About the strange illness he had suffered as a child.
Lydia found herself listening… truly listening.
By the time dessert arrived, she realized something shocking.
She liked him.
Maybe not love.
But something warm had begun growing between them.
The Anniversary Night
Later that night, Cedric stood near the balcony doors.
Moonlight spilled across the room.
He looked tense.
“Lydia,” he said softly.
“Yes?”
“There is something I must show you.”
Her stomach tightened.
Slowly, Cedric removed his gloves.
His hands trembled.
Then he reached for the porcelain mask.
“Before you react,” he said quietly, “please understand… this is not what you think.”
The mask came off.
But instead of revealing a deformed face…
The skin beneath it looked strange.
Thick.
Unnatural.
Almost… like a second layer.
Lydia took a step back.
“Cedric… what is that?”
He exhaled slowly.
“Not my real face.”
And then—
He grabbed the edge of the strange skin near his jaw.
And pulled.
The Scream
The sound Lydia made echoed through the entire mansion.
Because Cedric Halden was shedding his face.
Not peeling it like a wound.
But removing it like clothing.
The heavy outer layer split and fell away piece by piece.
Shoulders.
Neck.
Arms.
Like a shell cracking open.
Within seconds the grotesque outer skin collapsed to the floor.
And standing there was someone else entirely.
The Man Beneath
The man beneath was breathtaking.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Sharp jawline.
Eyes like polished obsidian.
The kind of face that could launch a thousand magazine covers.
The kind of man people would whisper about in awe.
The kind of man everyone dreamed of.
Lydia stared in stunned silence.
“You…” she whispered.
Cedric—no longer hidden—looked almost embarrassed.
“My condition,” he explained quietly, “is extremely rare. My body produces a protective outer skin that must be shed periodically.”
Lydia blinked.
“You wore that… for a year?”
“For my entire adult life,” he said.
“Why?”
He looked at her carefully.
“Because when people see this face… they stop seeing me.”
The Truth
Cedric walked toward the window.
“Investors trusted me less when I looked young and handsome.”
“Partners underestimated me.”
“And people…” he paused. “People wanted things from me.”
“So you hid?” Lydia asked softly.
“Yes.”
He looked down at the discarded shell on the floor.
“When your father came to me, I had no intention of marrying anyone. But when I met you… you looked at me without greed.”
Lydia frowned.
“I agreed because my family was desperate.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
Silence settled between them.
Then Lydia asked the question sitting in her chest.
“Why show me now?”
Cedric met her eyes.
“Because after a year… I realized something.”
“What?”
He smiled faintly.
“I didn’t want to hide from my own wife.”
Something New
Lydia walked closer.
She studied his real face.
It was almost unfair how handsome he was.
“People would lose their minds if they saw you,” she said.
“That’s exactly the problem,” he replied dryly.
She laughed.
And the sound surprised them both.
For the first time since their strange marriage began…
The tension between them disappeared.
The Beginning
Lydia picked up the porcelain mask from the table.
“Are you going to keep wearing this?”
Cedric considered.
“Do you want me to?”
She thought about the rumors.
The gossip.
The cruel nickname the world had given him.
Then she shook her head.
“No.”
She placed the mask down.
“I think the world has underestimated you long enough.”
Cedric raised an eyebrow.
“And you?”
Lydia smiled softly.
“I think I’m finally meeting my husband.”
Outside, the storm had passed.
And for the first time since their strange marriage began…
Cedric Halden wasn’t hiding anymore.
And Lydia Vale realized something unexpected.
Maybe she hadn’t been sold to a beast after all.
Maybe…
She had just uncovered the man beneath the legend.
“Poor girl,” someone whispered.
“She’s only there for the money.”
“She must be disgusted by the idea of sharing a bed with him.”
Clara heard everything.
But he lifted his chin proudly.
He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from Don Baste’s forehead.
“Are you alright, Don Baste?” she asked gently.
“Would you like some water?”
Don Baste froze.
She expected repulsion…
but instead she saw compassion.
Be careful.
“Water,” he whispered.
Throughout the entire ceremony, Clara stayed by his side.
When it came time for the photos, she didn’t leave his side.
She took his hand, large, rough, and trembling.
THE TEST
After the wedding, they were taken to Don Baste’s mansion