Chapter 2

I was caught off guard by how smooth everything had gone. Nodding blankly, I watched as the woman walked away.

When my eyes fell on the name printed on the marriage certificate, Jayne Cooper, it sounded strangely familiar.

…

Night had fallen by the time I got home. Adeline was in the kitchen, busy making a pot of soup for Everett.

When she saw me walk in, her smile stiffened on her face. "Why are you back? I only made enough for Everett and assumed you ate out…"

Her eyes were guarded, looking as if she was afraid I would try to steal the soup she had made for him.

Bitterness welled up in my chest.

Adeline had grown up pampered and never had to lift a finger for chores. She had learned to cook three years ago, when I was hospitalized after a car crash.

Back then, she kept complaining about how unhealthy takeout was and insisted on bringing me home-cooked meals.

I remembered that her early attempts to cook were barely edible, but when she offered to throw the dishes away, Everett would pretend to be sensible and thoughtful.

"You're way too ungrateful, Mr. Reeve. Adeline cooked everything herself, and if I were you, I'd finish every bite."

Adeline had instantly seen through his attempt to sow discord. "You're just Aston's blood donor. Know your place and don't overstep."

Now, it had been almost three years since I last tasted her cooking.

Everett playfully requested to be fed and looked at me with a sneer. "I figured you'd be too busy spending the night with your fisher wife to eat."

At the mention of the wedding, Adeline's expression darkened. "You're being utterly childish, Aston! I told you this morning that it was just a show, and I can't believe you actually walked off with her! You've completely embarrassed the Reeves!"

Wasn't that exactly what she had planned, to set me up with a prank and see me make a fool of myself? Now that I had played along, why was I suddenly an embarrassment?

I let out a cold laugh and was about to retort when Tracie's icy voice drifted over. "He didn't just embarrass the family, Adeline; he's embarrassed me, too!

"Aston, are you finally realizing that your little reverse psychology act isn't working, so you switched to playing hard to get? You're quite a piece of work, aren't you?"

She looked at me with cold contempt.

When Everett beamed and stepped forward to slip his arm around hers, a smile bloomed across her face.

"Have you picked out the suit and wedding gown? Let's go!"

Outside, a long line of stylists and photographers was waiting. Tracie and Everett were clearly heading out for a pre-wedding photoshoot, though none of that concerned me anymore.

Still, Tracie acted like I was bound to cause trouble and warned, "You ran off with the widow and left me at the wedding, so you don't get to complain about me taking wedding photos with Everett.

"Let's each take a step back. I'll forgive you, but you have to let me vent a little."

Her entitled attitude made my heart cold, and I bitterly asked, "Wasn't the widow your idea to amuse Everett? I just went along with it, so how is it my fault now?"

Tracie knew how much the wedding meant to me and how deeply I loved her. Yet, she and Adeline chose to humiliate me on such an important day.

Though I had given up on her, my scarred heart still throbbed in pain.

Tracie frowned and shot back, "In that case, why didn't you refuse on the spot? The worst that could have happened is that you run off alone and get ridiculed for a few days.

"You clearly don't care about our engagement, and now you're trying to blame me for everything."

I tugged at the corner of my lips and refused to argue further.

As I turned around to head upstairs, she grabbed my arm hard and ordered, "Get the brooch your mom left you and give it to Everett. He needs someone presentable since we're taking wedding photos."

My eyes widened in disbelief, and my voice turned sharp with pain. "That's my mom's dying gift!"

She answered impatiently in a matter-of-fact tone, "So what if it is? You don't like it anyway, so hurry up and get it. Otherwise, our engagement is off!"

I scoffed and gritted my teeth. "Fine! Let's call it off! It should've ended a long time ago anyway!"

"Are you serious?" she yelled. "Don't you dare regret this or come crawling back, begging to marry me again!"

…

The night before the wedding, I decided to move out.

I was a married man now, so I wouldn't allow my wife to live under the same roof with Tracie, Adeline, and Everett.

When I returned home with the movers to pack my belongings, Adeline and Tracie were around, busy decorating the house for Everett's three-year-anniversary party.

Ironically, they had forgotten my birthday just a week earlier.