Chapter 2

So, why was he pretending now that he couldn't live without me?

Sensing my resistance, Graham seemed to feel a flicker of guilt. He nuzzled against my neck, then eagerly pulled out the gifts he had prepared.

Jewelry spilled across the floor, each more extravagant than the last. Just like countless times before, he was trying to buy my silence.

A gentle smile rested on his face as he stroked the top of my head. His eyes seemed to hold no one else. But if one looked closely enough, the warmth never reached them.

It suddenly brought back the scene I had witnessed just days ago. Graham and Jennifer Smith had been kissing under a tree.

They had both been drenched to the skin, rain pouring down their faces and soaking through their clothes, but neither of them seemed to care.

They clung to each other as though letting go would mean losing everything. He held tightly onto her hand, refusing to let her leave.

Then, in the pouring rain, he dropped to one knee and gently pressed his face against her belly, almost as though he were afraid to hurt her.

"Please, don't get rid of the baby," he pleaded desperately.

In front of her, he had never hesitated to swallow his pride. All he wanted was for her to keep their child. In the end, she broke down sobbing and threw her arms around him.

Graham held her as though she were his entire world.

"I'm never letting you go again," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "I can't go through losing you twice. I just can't."

Jennifer trembled as tears streamed down her face. Then she leaned forward and kissed him. "How could I ever leave you? If you ever stopped wanting me, I'd have nothing left to live for."

They clung to each other and kissed in the pouring rain, pulling apart only to fall back into each other's arms. It looked like something straight out of a cheesy romance movie.

And me? I was Graham's fiancée. The woman who had loved him for eight years. The one who was supposed to become his wife.

Yet I had been curled up in the shadows, watching the two of them play out their epic love story. Somehow, I had become the obstacle standing between Graham and his one true love.

...

The mouth hovering inches from mine had been kissing another woman just the day before. And now, he was leaning in to kiss me as though he had nothing to hide.

My breath caught. Instinctively, I stepped back and turned away.

Graham froze, stunned. "Luna?"

I lowered my head, avoiding his gaze. "Graham, weren't we supposed to go get our marriage license today? If we wait much longer, the clerk's office will be closed."

The tension immediately left his body. He took my hand and nodded solemnly.

"Okay. Let's go now."

I drove us to the county clerk's office where Jennifer worked. But the closer we got, the paler Graham became.

Outside the building, he saw the life-size promotional display featuring a familiar face. The color drained completely from his face.

He forced a nervous smile. "This place is always packed. Why don't we go to the one on the other side of town?"

I shook my head, pointing at the beautiful woman smiling from the display.

"I heard this office has a popular clerk. Apparently, she's so pretty that she's become the face of their promotional campaign," I said with feigned enthusiasm. "I thought it would be nice if she handled our paperwork."

Graham went stiff and lost his tongue.

The receptionist beside us smiled brightly and nodded. "That's right. Jennifer is one of our most popular clerks. She's incredibly thorough and takes her job seriously."

I smiled sweetly and glanced at the counter. Over there, Jennifer looked as though she had been struck by lightning.

The corner of my mouth lifted.

The smiling face of the county clerk's office, the charming young woman featured in their promotional campaigns, was secretly sleeping with another woman's fiancé.

What a huge scandal!

During the eight years I had known Graham, I had never seen him this restless.

He was always composed, as though he had every possible outcome under control. Even when the stock had plummeted, and the company had nearly gone under, he had never lost his nerve.

He had always been cool and collected.