Chapter 4

"What do you need it for?" Alex asked.

"I need it for some paperwork."

"What kind of paperwork?" he pressed.

Not willing to let his attention drift, Emily deliberately raised her voice. "Alex? How do I look in this dress?"

His focus snapped right back to her.

Watching her strike one flirtatious pose after another, Alex clearly just wanted to end the call as quickly as possible.

"It's in the third drawer of the cabinet in the living room. I've been busy lately. Don't call unless it's important. That's it," he said, hanging up.

*****

We were almost at James' place. I figured the city hall would be closing soon anyway. We'd just go another day.

Anyway, I was basically settling into his place now.

Honestly, I still thought it would be better to get a place of my own.

But James had a different take. "If we're married but living separately, and the paparazzi catch on, they'll have a field day."

In the end, for the sake of his work, I moved in. Still, I insisted on staying in the guest room. James didn't argue.

While I was unpacking and putting my clothes away, he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, just watching me. "Olivia," he said, "when I said marriage, I meant a real one."

I didn't quite get what he was implying and nodded anyway. "Yeah, I know. We did everything properly. It's all official. No one can dig up anything."

James looked at me, his tone slower this time. "I mean a real marriage. Not just on paper. I mean actually living like one."

This time, I understood.

Heat crept up my face. I kept folding my clothes, suddenly very aware of my hands.

Seeing how flustered I was, James let out a faint smirk. "Relax. I'm not going to bite."

*****

Three weeks passed before Alex finally came home.

During that time, he'd been with Emily, doing everything she wanted. They went to theme parks, watched the sunrise by the ocean, and even drove out into the desert to watch the stars.

On the way back, Emily looked at him and said, "Alex, I'm pregnant. A kid needs a father. Are you really okay with our child growing up without one?"

She continued, "Chris trusted you to take care of me. Let's raise the baby together. That way, a part of him is still with us. Isn't that the best outcome for everyone?"

"And Olivia?" she went on lightly. "You two have known each other for years, sure, but you're not even married. You're both free. No one can really say anything about us."

She added, "If she wants to make a scene, let her. I'm already pregnant. She can't exactly do anything about it, can she?"

At that, Alex's expression darkened. "She wouldn't dare. If she so much as tries anything, she'll regret it."

Emily leaned into him, her voice soft and teasing. "Alex, you're so protective. No wonder she's been so devoted to you all these years. What woman wouldn't fall for you? Even I..."

By the time they got back, Alex had been thoroughly flattered, his ego swelling with every word.

But once he got home, the high wore off, replaced by a faint, complicated feeling he couldn't quite shake.

The living room was empty. The bedroom door was shut.

He walked over and knocked. "Olivia? You in there?"

No answer.

He paused and then spoke, his tone turning distant. "I'm sorry, Olivia. I guess I'm going back on my word again. I can't marry you," he said.

"Emily's pregnant. I can't let my kid grow up without a father. Chris trusted me to take care of her, so... you'll just have to accept it."

He hesitated for a second and then added, almost casually, "I'll give you two thousand dollars. Consider it... compensation."

"I did the math," he went on, as if explaining something perfectly reasonable. "A hundred a year, we've been together over ten years. That's about a thousand. But you've stuck with me all this time, so I'm doubling it. Two thousand. That's fair."

Alex called out, "Olivia?"

When no one answered, he reached for the handle and pushed the door open.

The room was empty.

*****

I left the house at my usual time, which was already pretty early. But when I arrived at the city hall, James was already there.

The morning light filtered through the trees, casting shifting shadows across his face. For a moment, it almost looked like he was smiling.

He turned toward me and held out his hand. "Come on. Let's go in."

I hesitated, a little unsure. "You might not know how this works. We need to check in first, then wait until they call us before we can start the paperwork..."

"I know," James said calmly. "I already checked us in." He pulled out his phone and showed me the confirmation, first on the list.

I froze. "How early did you get here?"

Even though it was a weekday, getting an early appointment wasn't easy. For him to have secured the first slot was honestly unbelievable.

I couldn't help asking, "How early did you book this? Don't tell me you set an alarm just to grab the first slot. God, your family must be driving you crazy."

James didn't answer, just like before. He simply held out his hand again. "Come on," he said. "Let's get it done."

"Are you really worried I'll back out?" I teased when I was clearly the one getting the better deal.

"Yeah," James said, nodding seriously. "I am."

He opened his hand in front of me, waiting.

After a brief hesitation, I placed my hand in his.

When his fingers closed around mine, I thought I'd feel awkward, but instead, it felt surprisingly natural.

His hand was warm and steady, and once he took hold, he didn't seem to want to let go. It wasn't until we started filling out the forms that he finally released me, taking the clipboard and handing one over.

We were the first couple that morning, so everything moved quickly. The paperwork, the verification, and the photos all went smoothly.

The clerk handed us our marriage license with a smile. "You two make a great match. I'm sure you'll be very happy together."

I blinked. "Really?"

I knew almost nothing about James, not even his exact birthday, until I saw it on the form just now. But James was the complete opposite. It seemed that he knew everything about me.

"Yeah," he said easily. "Leo and Sagittarius are a great match. And our charts line up really well." He said it like he'd memorized every detail.

I stared at him. "I don't even know what my rising sign is."

"I had an astrologer look into it beforehand," he said gently. "He said we're a perfect match."

I let out a small laugh. "Astrologers do everything these days, huh?"

"Pretty much," he said with a faint smile.

Still talking about it, we walked out of the city hall together.