Chapter 1

Reene

On the day of my wedding, my husband abandoned me at the altar for his first love. When I had called Aaron to ask why he was thirty minutes late, his response felt like a slap across the face.

“Gezelle isn't feeling strong and needed to be rushed to the hospital, so I took her,” he said. “You know she has no one but me.”

“Well, now that she's there, can't you come back?” I asked, even though I knew what his response was going to be.

“I can't. She and my baby need me.”

My heart sank low. “Your baby?”

“Yes. Gezelle is pregnant with my child.”

It didn't even need to be spelled out loud. Those words were enough confirmation that Aaron had been seeing Gezelle behind my back all along.

I clenched my fist hard. “What happens now with our wedding?”

He didn't hesitate. “Get it canceled. We don't need a grand wedding performance to show I care about you. When I get back, we can skip the whole arrangement. Then, head downtown and register our marriage. That's what you want, right?”

That's what I want? When had I ever wanted any of this? This wedding, this ridiculous dress, everything in this chapel—Aaron had planned it to suit Gezelle's taste as a reminder of his first love.

At first, I had let it be, convincing myself that if I went along with whatever Aaron wanted, he would eventually come around and love me. I even went as far as investing in his company when it was on the verge of bankruptcy to please him. If my money could keep him around, I was desperate to go through such measures.

After all I had done for Aaron these past five years, this was the thanks I got? No. I wasn't going to let things end like this.

“Aaron, I need you!” Gezelle's voice pierced through the speakers.

“I have to go, Reene. Let's talk when I come home.”

Then, the line got disconnected. Staring at my blank phone screen, it took me a while to process everything that had just happened before accessing Aaron's account and freezing his account.

When my head snapped up, I met the curious gazes of three hundred guests and the waiting priest.

Chuckling nervously, I said, “Give me a minute to get my husband, please.”

Picking up my dress, I stepped down from the altar, exiting the wedding chapel through the back door. My parents and even the press had gathered to see me get married. I wasn't going to let myself be publicly humiliated.

Walking over to the front entrance, my gaze landed on a tall man about Aaron's height dressed in a big hoodie, staring at the chapel with a hand in his pocket.

Without hesitation, I approached the man. “Are you single?”

He blinked, eyes raking over my appearance. “Excuse me?”

“I'll keep it simple and short for you to understand: Marry me.”

“I—”

“I'll pay you. A hundred thousand dollars,” I cut in.

The man staggered backward. “You seem to be mistaken, but I—”

“Fine. Two hundred thousand dollars,” I interrupted. “I'm not asking much from you. All you have to do is dress up in my husband's suit and say I do. It would be over before you know it. Do we have a deal?”

He hesitated. “Deal.”

“Good. Now, let's get you changed.”

Hooking my arm around his elbow, I pulled him along with me through the back door entrance into Aaron's fitting room. Grabbing the wrapped-up suit from the closet, I shoved it at him.

“Wear this and meet me outside in five minutes,” I said.

By the time Aaron comes crawling back to me, he would find another man in his place!