Chapter 1

Julian Sussman froze for a second, then tightened his grip on my wrist even harder.

His brow furrowed.

"What are you even trying to argue here?" he snapped. "You're the one who planned to meet an ex-boyfriend and cheat on me right before our wedding. Don't try to pin this on Debs and me."

I let out a breath and slowly unwound the scarf from my neck, revealing the ugly surgical scar underneath.

The moment Julian saw it, guilt flickered across his face. He turned away, unable to look at it.

Debbie Bloom didn't care, though. She pouted and rolled her eyes.

"Why can't Katie just prove she's innocent instead of dragging up some old wound to change the subject?"

I gave a short, humorless laugh. I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice, paying some ridiculous price just to "prove" my innocence to two people who'd only brush it off anyway.

Instead, I pointed at the scar on my neck and reminded Debbie exactly where it came from.

That time, to supposedly test how much I cared about Julian, she'd had him call and lie that he'd been in a serious accident, then strung a rope across the road at the meeting point.

She'd told him, full of confidence, "If Katie really cares about you, she'll come in a hurry and ride right into that rope. If she doesn't care, she'll take her time, and there's no way she'll miss something that obvious.

"There's no other way, Julian. I'm doing this for your own good. Your families are worlds apart. This is the only way to prove she's not with you for your money."

So I'd rushed to get there, panicked and going too fast, and the rough white rope had caught me across the throat and thrown me off my scooter.

I'd been rushed to the hospital and gotten five stitches in my neck.

Debbie, the one responsible for the whole thing, had stood off to the side smiling sweetly, congratulating me on passing her little test as a future member of the family.

Julian had held me like his heart was breaking, apologizing over and over.

"Katie, I'm sorry. This is all my fault.

"I shouldn't have listened to Debs and gone along with something so far over the line. Please don't be angry.

"This time, I really did see how much you love me. There won't be a next time."

Debbie listened to me recount everything she'd done and showed not a flicker of guilt. If anything, she looked entitled to it.

"So what if I did? Everything I did, Julian's mother asked me to do. Julian agreed to it too.

"Girls from families as poor as yours will do anything to climb the ladder. You have to test someone a few times before you know if it's real."

Julian came back to himself and jumped in to back her up.

"Katie, that really wasn't Debs's fault. She genuinely wanted to help you fit into my family. That's why she was a little harsh about it."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at the man I'd loved for five years. I smirked and gave a light nod.

"I understand completely. You two are perfectly matched. You trust each other so much."