Chapter 3

The elevator doors opened on the ground floor.

Brianna held onto my arm, refusing to let go. "Michael, we've been together for seven years. Are you really going to throw all of that away over a stupid misunderstanding?"

Staring at her bloodshot eyes, I opened my mouth to reply, but the other elevator door suddenly burst open.

Elliot came sprinting out after us, barely keeping his shoes on his feet as he clutched his phone, panic flickering across his features. "Ms. Lindt!"

Brianna instinctively turned around. "What is it?"

Elliot tightened his grip on the phone, his voice raw and frantic. "The hospital just called. They placed my grandmother on life support. The doctor said her organs are failing, and she might not even survive the month…"

He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, desperately forcing himself to stay composed.

"She woke up for a brief moment just now and told me her final wish is to see me get married before she passes. But where am I going to find a bride on such short notice?"

The tight grip Brianna had on my wrist loosened the moment she heard the words "life support". She turned to face Elliot, her eyes softening with sympathy as she took in his distressed state.

I stood there in silence, looking down at the red marks her fingers had left on my skin.

Brianna, who had sworn just seconds ago to throw him out and keep her distance, had completely shifted all her attention to another man.

She remained quiet for what felt like an eternity before she finally turned back to look at me.

"Michael, it's a dying woman's final wish to see her grandson settle down. I promised Elliot I'd help him pull together a fake wedding this weekend. It's just to give her some peace of mind."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Can you do me a favor and lie to Mr. and Mrs. Pearson to cover for me?" she asked. "Once the weekend is over, I promise I'll go to your place to apologize and formally plan our wedding. Okay?"

She wanted me to lie to my own parents to cover for her while she played the bride for another man. Looking at her, I felt such a profound sense of exhaustion that even anger felt like a waste of energy.

Seven years ago, when I was being ostracized at school, I used to hide in the furthest corner of the track field. She was the one who walked up to me back then and said, "Don't be scared. I've got your back from now on."

The sweet girl who had once saved me had apparently died somewhere along the way during these seven years.

"Brianna, do you think I don't have feelings?" I asked, my voice flat.

Brianna's face turned pale. "Michael, it's just acting! The wedding isn't real! Why can't you just be a little more understanding?"

"Go ahead and enjoy your performance," I said, taking a step back to put some distance between us. "I'm not sticking around to watch."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked out of the apartment building.

Brianna chased after me once more.

Just as her hand was about to brush against me, the sharp screech of tires echoed through the air. A silver Aston Martin whipped around the corner and slammed on the brakes right at the curb.

The driver's door swung open.

Winona Pearson stepped out of the car, wearing a long black trench coat and high heels. She was my adoptive sister, the true biological heiress to the Pearson family.

Growing up, she'd always treated me with a cold, detached indifference, and even the rare times she called me her brother sounded purely transactional.

I'd spent my entire life assuming she despised me for being an impostor who took her late brother's place.

But at that moment, she shielded me behind her as she slapped Brianna's hand away.

Her gaze was razor-sharp, her presence dominating.

"Who do you think you are, taking advantage of my brother's compassion to play the dutiful daughter-in-law for someone else?"

Brianna froze. She had never met Winona before, so she furrowed her brows and demanded, "Who are you? This is between Michael and me."

Winona let out a cold, mocking laugh. "You don't even know who I am, yet you dare to claim you're going to marry him?"