Chapter 2

Deke added, "After covering our five hundred in monthly expenses, you can save the rest."

I wouldn't have thought much of it—until he said it out loud. That's when it hit me.

I was paying for almost everything.

Aside from the grand he dumped into our joint account each month, he hardly spent a dime.

I looked up at him and, out of nowhere, said, "Deke, let's go get our marriage license."

Silence.

The kind so thick I could hear him swallow.

His mouth opened, but no words came out.

I wiped my tears and smiled. "We've got enough for a down payment, and we're not getting any younger. Let's just do it. You proposed before, didn't you? Well, I'm saying yes now."

I waited for excitement. A grin. Maybe even relief.

Instead, his eyes flickered with something closer to... panic.

After a long pause, he dropped to one knee. "Babe, we agreed to wait until we saved eighty grand. Why the sudden rush? If we do this now, it'll mess up all our plans."

He was stiff, staring at me like he was waiting for a bomb to go off.

I pulled open my drawer, grabbed the engagement ring he'd given me, and slid it onto my finger. My tone was steady. "I'm just worried that if we don't, you'll marry someone else instead."

A joke.

But from the way Deke's legs buckled, you'd think I'd just sentenced him to death.

He crumpled onto the floor, pale. "Babe, marriage is a big deal. We should take our time and plan it properly. Your mom's sick—she probably isn't in the right state to talk about a wedding anyway, right?"

His eyes darted everywhere. Anywhere but at me.

I patted his shoulder like I was giving him some grand mission. "That's exactly why we should do it now. A wedding would lift my mom's spirits—might even help her recover. You wouldn't say no to that, would you?"

A few simple words, and his flimsy excuse crumbled.

Deke scratched his head, looking like a trapped animal. Then, desperate for an out, he shot to his feet. "I'll call my parents and let them know."

I didn't stop him. Just watched as he scurried off to the study.

Not even two minutes later, I heard his voice—low, hushed.

The walls were thick, but a glass pressed against them worked like a charm.

Suddenly, the muffled whispers came through clear.

"Honey, once you're back, we can be together every day. Take care of yourself over there—I worry about you, you know."

And just like that, whatever hope I had left died.

That tiny seed of doubt? It had grown into something massive, its roots twisting tight around my heart.

On the other side of the wall, Deke kept talking.

"Honey, once you're back, I'll buy you a big house. Don't worry—I've got plenty of money!"

I let out a quiet laugh.

Plenty of money? What a joke.

Sixty-seven grand in that account—more than fifty of it was mine.

***

The next morning, I yanked Deke out of bed, ready to drag him to the County Clerk's Office.

That's when he finally panicked.

Huddled under the blankets, he refused to move. "Babe, this is all happening so fast. I—I think I have pre-wedding anxiety..."