Chapter 6 Then Marry Me

For one second, neither of us moved. Then I turned around to walk away.

“Caleste.” His voice cracked as he called me.

I ignored it and kept walking.

“Wait.”

My fingers tightened around Momo’s leash as I quickened my pace, pretending I hadn’t heard him. I knew if I stopped, I would have to look at him, and I wasn’t sure I could do that without falling apart again.

“Caleste.”

I finally stopped. A quiet breath rose through my chest before I turned around. “What?”

Sam approached slowly, stopping a few feet away from me as though he was afraid that coming any closer would make things worse. “I wanted to apologize.”

I stared at him. “For what?”

“For yesterday.”

My fingers moved restlessly along Momo’s leash. “You don’t have to.”

“I do.”

“Why?”

His expression tightened. “Because I hurt you.”

I looked away. The worst part was that he was right. “You didn’t mean to.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.”

I said nothing.

Momo sniffed at the grass between us, completely unaware of the silence that had settled over the two of us. I watched him for a moment because it was easier than looking at Sam.

“You didn’t know,” I said quietly.

“I should have.”

That made me look up. For a moment, I simply stared at him. “I was your friend.”

“You were.”

The words landed harder than they should have.

I swallowed. “Then how could you not know?”

Sam’s jaw tightened, and he looked away for a second. “I don’t know.”

My eyes burned. I turned my face before he could see the tears gathering there, blinking rapidly and willing them back. I had already cried enough because of him. I didn’t want to give him another reason to feel sorry for me.

“Then why are you apologizing?”

“Because I hurt you.” His voice was quieter this time, almost desperate.

I let out a bitter little laugh. “But you can’t fix it.”

He fell silent.

I finally looked at him again. “You don’t love me.”

“Caleste…”

“That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” My voice trembled despite my attempt to keep it steady. “You feel guilty because you hurt someone who loves you, and you think apologizing will make it better.”

He didn't answer.

I took a breath, but it caught somewhere in my throat. “Why apologize if you can’t fix what was done?”

Something shifted in his expression.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” he asked.

I froze.

Sam took a small step toward me. “If I hurt you, tell me how to fix it.”

My lips parted, but nothing came out. For a few seconds, I could only stare at him. Then my gaze dropped to Momo, whose leash was still wrapped tightly around my fingers.

When I finally spoke, my voice was barely above a whisper. “Be my boyfriend.”

Sam blinked. “What?”

“My fake boyfriend.”

“Caleste…”

“I don’t need you to be the real one.”

He stared at me as though he couldn’t decide whether I was serious.

I forced myself to meet his eyes.

“I know,” I said before he could speak. “I know you don’t love me.”

Something in his face flinched.

“I know this isn’t real for you.”

“That’s not what I—”

“I need an escape.” My voice cracked on the last word, and I hated myself for it. I took a breath and tried again.

“My mother has already decided I’m marrying Adrian. She doesn’t care what I want. She never has. To her, I’m not a daughter who gets to choose her own life. I’m an Ashworth, and she only cares about what my marriage can do for the family and the Beaumonts.”

Sam watched me silently.

“Pretending to date me isn’t going to solve that,” he said gently.

“I know.” I stepped closer. “I don’t need you to solve everything.”

My throat tightened. “I just need you to help me.”

He shook his head slowly. “You’re asking me to use your feelings.”

“I know.” The admission hurt more than I expected.

I looked down at my hands. “I hate myself for asking.”

My fingers tightened around Momo’s leash again until the material pressed painfully into my skin. “But you’re the only person I trust enough to do this with.”

Silence stretched between us. When I looked up, Sam was staring at me with an expression I couldn't quite read. I knew what he saw. A woman standing in front of him, trying desperately not to cry again. And somehow, that made it worse.

“Being your fake boyfriend wouldn’t fix anything,” he said.

My heart sank. For one humiliating second, I wished I could disappear. I lowered my eyes. Of course he was right.

Then Sam went quiet.

I looked up again. Something had changed in his expression. He seemed to be thinking about something, his eyes no longer focused entirely on me. I waited, confused, until he finally took a slow breath.

“If being your boyfriend won’t get you out of this…” He stopped.

My heart gave a strange, uncertain beat. I looked at him.

Sam held my gaze. “Then marry me.”

I froze. For a moment, I honestly thought I had heard him wrong. “What?”

His eyes never left mine. “Let’s get married.”