Chapter 1

The moment Elyssa Grant saw me, a flash of panic flickered across her eyes.

But it was gone just as quickly as it came.

She shook it off, wore that cool, formal mask she'd always been great at, and said, "Mr. Scott, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Then she gave Andrew Scott's hand a little pat and told him, in that sweet but firm voice of hers, "Don't say that. Our engagement was set a long time ago. Nothing's going to change."

The comments section went absolutely wild.

"Here we go, folks. Eddie Scott is about to play the victim and spill their secret to force her hand."

"And now he's going to hold her pregnancy over her head to blackmail her into breaking the engagement with Andrew."

I took a deep breath, withdrew my gaze from her, and calmly said, "Ms. Grant, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The comment section fell silent for a second.

"Wait, that's it? Why isn't he making a scene?"

"He's pretending. Let's see how long he can keep that up."

"Oh, I get it now. He's playing hard to get!"

Elyssa seemed caught off guard by my reaction. She shot me a look that held both a warning and a hint of curiosity.

Marie Johnson, the woman I now knew was my mother, immediately chimed in.

"Didn't you just say you had someone you liked? How far did things go?"

Everyone turned back to me.

I looked at Elyssa.

She held her composure well, but her balled-up hands were trembling ever so slightly.

I raised my head, looked around at everyone, and let out a small, faint smile.

"We got as far as her going back home for a blind date and an engagement, and then she dumped me."

A heavy silence settled over the living room.

Marie's expression was priceless, like she'd accidentally swallowed a bug.

Ronald Scott, the father I had only just met, gave a stiff little cough and looked at anything but me.

Elyssa's expression soured noticeably.

Andrew piped up right away.

"So, Ed, you really don't want the engagement anymore?"

"Nope."

I didn't hesitate for a second.

"You two are clearly into each other, so of course the engagement is yours."

The comments flooded the screen again.

"Oh, sure. Keep pretending. He's totally going to corner Elyssa later and cry about this."

Ronald and Marie visibly relaxed.

Marie got to her feet.

"Eddie, I'll take you to your room first. Andrew isn't in good health and can't sit for too long."

My room was at the very end of the hallway.

When the door swung open, I was met with a cramped, dingy little space.

The kitchen and bathroom were shared, and the north-facing window didn't let in a single ray of sunlight.

Marie waved a hand dismissively.

"You'll stay in this room for now. Andrew's been in his room for 20 years and he's used to it. It wouldn't be fair to make him move. You're the older brother, so try to be understanding."

Ronald stood at the doorway and added his thoughts.

"Andrew's always been weak and high-strung," he said. "So please, try to yield to him whenever you can. We're all family, and what matters most is that we get along."

I took a look around the room, which wasn't even as big as Andrew's bathroom, and gave a nod.

"Okay."