Chapter 3

Three days before my birthday, I asked Livio to meet up so we could talk things out honestly. But the second I suggested canceling the party, his face turned stone-cold.

"Do you have any idea how much work I put into this?" he snapped. "I wanted it to be perfect for you! Invites are already out to all my friends, and now you're telling me to cancel it?"

My heart twisted as I stared at his familiar features, hearing him spout those fake lines. Still, I pushed forward. "Can't we just skip it? I want to spend my birthday alone with you."

I could never forget his reaction. His eyebrows quirked up, and his eyes overflowed with mockery.

"The invites are sent," he said. "Canceling would make me look like an idiot in front of everyone. You don't want that for me, right?"

I stared at him for a long time before nodding. After he left, I called Jordan, who had always had a thing for me, and laid it all out.

"After the party's over, let's get married. I'm done with this chaos; I just want something stable," I said.

Jordan remained silent, which made me feel like overstepping. But then, he spoke seriously. "I'm in. You'd better not back out, or I'll drag you to City Hall no matter what."

Remembering that, I sighed and nodded. Jordan's face broke into a huge grin as he led me toward my apartment.

...

I'd rented a place in the same complex as Livio to stay close to him. As we walked through the gate, we bumped into him and Maggie heading out, hand in hand.

We passed them, but Livio grabbed my arm. "What's this? Not playing the good girl anymore? Bringing guys home now?"

Before I could respond, Jordan knocked his hand off and pulled me close. "Watch your mouth! It reeks of cheap insults."

Livio didn't get mad, but his eyes mocked me. "Wow, the fake marriage crew is really committing to the act. But I'm curious, Diane. How are you gonna spin this tomorrow when it all falls apart?"

I gave him a blank look and took Jordan's hand. "Let's go."

Thrilled about my response, Jordan shot a smug glare at Livio and followed me without a word.

Livio's face twisted. "How dare you ignore me again, Diane!"

Maggie stepped in front of me, trying to play nice. "Diane, stop messing around. Just apologize to Livio, and you guys can still be friends."

She winked at me with feigned concern, but I just rolled my eyes. "Worry about your own mess, Maggie."

With that, I continued my way toward the apartment building. At my door, I was about to unlock it when Livio pushed past me, punched in the code, and strolled inside like he owned the place.

"Still haven't changed the code? My birthday means that much to you, huh?" he teased.

My eyes narrowed, and I grabbed him. "What do you want, Livio?"