Chapter 1

In year two of my so-called marriage to Zachary Jurg, I tried applying for a joint bank loan to launch a business.

The bank guy kept flipping his eyes between our marriage certificate and his screen, looking more confused by the second. Finally, he said, "Ms. Arden, this marriage certificate's not valid. You're showing up as single in our system."

I blinked. "That can't be right. We got married—registered everything two years ago."

He leaned in, frown deepening. "The system has you as single. But Zachary Jurg? He's married."

Then he spun the monitor toward me.

"His spouse is listed as Cathryn Sludd. Because of that, I can't approve your loan."

I stared at the screen, frozen. "Cathryn Sludd"—her name cut through me like a knife. Every breath felt like it was slicing me open.

My head spun. Everything went black.

When I came to, the staff had already helped me into a chair.

I choked out a plea for them to double-check. They did.

And that broke me.

It was like drowning in ice-cold darkness, everything else just...gone.

Eventually, I got up and walked out. Somehow.

I wandered the streets like a leaf caught in the wind—empty, lost.

Then my phone buzzed.

It was Zachary.

[Baby, I skipped a big meeting just to see you. Got your favorite strawberries 'cause I missed you like crazy. Did you miss me?]

That was it. I broke.

Tears just poured.

Two years of texts like that. Two years of 'I love you.'

But now? I couldn't tell if any of it was ever real.

Zachary and I had history—like, childhood-level history. Everyone knew I was his girl. The one he loved. The one he was supposed to wait for.

Cathryn? She was just a placeholder while I was overseas. Or at least, that's what I believed.

But he married her. Married her. In secret.

Was it all one big lie?

I don't even know how long I wandered before I finally made it home, still dazed.

Just as I reached for the door, I heard voices inside—Zachary and his best friend, Ethan Chase.

"Is it serious?"

I peeked through the crack. Zachary was sprawled on the couch, looking slightly worried.

"It's just a stomachache. Some meds will fix it," Ethan said. "You should stay here with Sierra."

Zachary let out a breath, yanked off his tie, and kicked his feet up on the table like the weight of the world had just slid off his shoulders.

Ethan shook his head. "Man, watching you stress is exhausting. You clearly love Sierra. So why marry Cathryn?"

Zachary's face clouded. "At first, she was just a stand-in. But when she left, I couldn't stop thinking about her. So I brought her back—as my assistant."

He paused, then added, "I can't live without Sierra. But I can't let go of Cathryn either. So I gave Sierra my love in public and kept Cathryn hidden with the title. That's fair, right?"

Ethan sighed. "What if Sierra finds out? You know how she is. Even if you begged, she'd never forgive you."

Zachary's jaw tightened. "She won't. I can't lose her."