chapter 2

If someone had told me yesterday that I would wake up in the morning as Anastasia Reed and go to bed as Anastasia Zane, married to a man I barely knew, I would have laughed. But here I was, standing outside my sister’s apartment with a marriage certificate in my purse and a new set of house keys in my hand.

I had officially left one life behind and stepped into another.

I took a deep breath and dialed Eleanor Zane’s number.

“Grandma, I will,” I said when she reminded me to call her if I ever needed anything.

Her warmth was reassuring, but I knew better than to rely on it. She might care for me now, but at the end of the day, I was just her grandson’s wife. If things ever went wrong between Christopher and me, would she really take my side?

I doubted it.

I had seen this story unfold before—firsthand, in fact. My sister, Emily, had married a man who promised her the world, and for a while, his family had adored her. But the moment there were problems in the marriage, they turned on her.

“You need to be more understanding.”

“A good wife doesn’t argue with her husband.”

“Maybe if you took better care of the house, he wouldn’t be so stressed.”

It was always the wife’s fault.

I refused to be another woman trapped in that cycle.

“You’re going to work now, so I won’t keep you,” Eleanor continued. “But I’ll have Christopher pick you up for dinner tonight.”

That caught me off guard.

“Grandma, I usually close the bookstore late,” I said quickly, thinking of an excuse. “Maybe dinner on the weekend would be better?”

Eleanor was silent for a moment before finally agreeing. “That’s fine. I’ll see you this weekend, then.”

She hung up, and I let out a quiet breath of relief.

One problem down.

But there was still one more thing I had to do before heading to the bookstore—I had to tell Emily.

By the time I returned to my sister’s apartment, her husband, Thomas, had already left for work. The place was much quieter without him.

Emily was on the balcony, hanging laundry, her dark hair pulled into a messy bun. When she saw me step inside, she frowned slightly.

“Anastasia? Why are you back? I thought you were going to open the store today.”

“I will,” I reassured her. “I just need to tell you something first.”

She raised an eyebrow but continued with her laundry. “Is Caleb still asleep?” I asked, peeking toward his bedroom.

Emily let out a soft laugh. “If he was awake, you’d know.”

That was true. My nephew was two years old and had the energy of a hurricane.

I walked over to help her hang the rest of the clothes, my mind racing for the right way to start the conversation.

“Emily… about last night,” I began carefully.

She sighed. “Anastasia, don’t let Thomas get to you. He’s under a lot of stress, and I don’t have an income right now—”

“He doesn’t want me here,” I said gently, cutting her off. “And that’s okay.”

Emily’s hands stilled, her shoulders tensing. “That’s not true.”

I gave her a knowing look, and she sighed again, pressing her lips together. “I just don’t want you to feel like you have to leave.”

“But I do,” I said softly. “And that’s why I came back—to tell you that I found a solution.”

I pulled out the marriage certificate and handed it to her.

Emily stared at it, her face blank. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened.

“You’re married?!”

Her voice shot up several decibels, and she grabbed the certificate out of my hands.

“Anastasia, what is this? Who is this man?” She looked at the photo, then back at me, completely stunned. “You don’t even have a boyfriend! Where did this come from?”

I had already planned what to say. “His name is Christopher Zane. We’ve been seeing each other for a while, but he’s been too busy with work to come meet you. He proposed recently, and today we decided to get married.”

Emily stared at me like I had just grown a second head.

“A while? Anastasia, I’ve never even heard his name before!”

I smiled, hoping it looked convincing. “I wanted to keep it private for a while. But he’s a good man, Emily. He treats me well, and I’ll be happy.”

Emily’s eyes glistened with emotion, and suddenly, she pulled me into a hug.

“You got married because of last night, didn’t you?” she whispered, her voice breaking.

I squeezed my eyes shut. “No, Emily. I swear, that’s not why.”

But she didn’t believe me.

She pulled back, wiping her eyes. “Anastasia, you didn’t have to do this for me. I told Thomas about the money you give me. You could have stayed.”

I smiled and shook my head. “I needed to move forward, Emily. This is my choice.”

She looked at me long and hard, then finally nodded. “Tell me about him. His family. His job. Where does he live?”

I hesitated. “He has a house in Westchester. It’s fully paid for, so I won’t have to worry about rent.”

Emily frowned. “That’s his pre-marital property, Anastasia. Did he add your name to the deed?”

I laughed lightly. “Emily, I just got married today. And I didn’t pay a cent for that house—why would he put my name on it?”

She sighed but didn’t argue further.

At least, not until she realized I was moving out today.

“You’re really leaving?” she asked as I pulled my suitcase toward the door.

I turned and gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s only ten minutes away by car. I’ll visit all the time.”

She nodded reluctantly. “Then take care of yourself, okay?”

“I will.”

By the time I reached Westchester, I realized one small problem.

I didn’t know which floor Christopher’s apartment was on.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. I didn’t have his number, but we had exchanged WeChat at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

I called him.

The phone rang once… twice… and then he declined my call.

I frowned, staring at the screen. Then, before I could process what had happened, I saw a notification.

“Christopher Zane has removed you from his friend list.”

I blinked.

Did my own husband just delete me?

I stared at my phone in disbelief.

Was he serious? Had he already forgotten that we were married?

I let out a slow breath, refusing to let it get to me. Instead, I called Eleanor.

“Grandma, I’m at the building, but I don’t know which floor I’m supposed to go to,” I explained.

Eleanor sounded just as confused as I was. “Didn’t Christopher give you the address?”

“He gave me the keys, but not the floor number.”

Silence.

Then Eleanor sighed. “Hold on, let me call him.”

I waited, shifting my suitcase from one hand to the other. A few minutes later, she called back.

“It’s Apartment 808, Building B,” she said. “And don’t worry about Christopher. He’s just… difficult.”

I laughed softly. “I figured that much out already.”

She chuckled. “Give him time, dear. One day, he’ll regret underestimating you.”

I wasn’t so sure about that, but I thanked her anyway before hanging up.

As I stepped into the elevator, I finally received a friend request on WeChat.

Christopher Zane has sent you a request.

I accepted.

Immediately, a message popped up.

“Sorry. I forgot who you were.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s fine,” I replied. “I’m moving my things upstairs now.”

“Do you need help?”

“It’s just one suitcase. I can manage.”

“Good. I wouldn’t be able to come help anyway.”

Of course he wouldn’t.

Shaking my head, I tucked my phone away and stepped into my new home.

A stranger’s home.

But for now… it was mine.