Chapter 2

The morning after the fake wedding, I sat alone in our apartment.

Ethan had not come home.

His messages said Mia needed him and Chloe was upset. He promised to explain everything when I became calmer.

I left the messages unanswered.

I began sorting the wedding things on our dining table.

Our invitations were tied with a blue ribbon. My unfinished vows lay beside them.

I choose you because—

The sentence ended there.

A small wooden angel sat on top of the papers. Mia had painted it for me three months ago.

She was not responsible for what happened.

She was seven. She was frightened of her surgery. She trusted the adults around her.

Ethan said the fake wedding had been Mia’s wish.

Before I made any decision, I needed to hear the truth from her.

I drove to Ethan’s childhood home, where Chloe and Mia were staying.

Chloe let me enter without an argument. Mia was sitting on the floor of her room with a box of colored pencils.

She became nervous when she saw me.

"Are you angry with me?"

"No."

I sat across from her.

After a moment, she asked, "Did you leave because you didn’t want to come to our wedding?"

The words made my chest tighten.

I kept my voice gentle.

"Whose wedding did you think it was?"

"Mommy and Daddy’s."

She answered without hesitation.

"Uncle Ethan said we would all be a family soon."Mia continued. "He said everyone will get used to it later. And he said you needed more time."

This wasn't a sudden choice. Mia thought this was a guaranteed future.

Ethan had told Mia that this future was already decided.

If I felt uncomfortable, I only needed time.

If I became angry, I would calm down and accept his choice later.

He had taught Mia that he understood my feelings better than I did.

Mia opened her drawing book. She showed me a picture she drew.

The date in the corner was from months ago.

It was a drawing of a family. Ethan, Chloe, and Mia were holding hands in the center.

I was in the drawing, too. But I was standing far away on the edge of the paper.

"Why am I standing over there?"

Mia pointed at my figure.

"Uncle Ethan said you weren’t ready yet."

"Ready for what?"

"For me to have a room at your apartment."

For a second, I could not breathe.

Our apartment had a small second bedroom.

Ethan and I had agreed to turn that room into our baby's nursery next year. He knew how important that room was to me.

But while he made that promise to me, he had offered the room to Mia.

He had made two different promises about the same space.

One to his future wife.

One to the family he was building with Chloe.

Only one of us had been told the truth.

Mia watched me carefully.

"Do you not want me there?"

My heart ached.

Ethan’s actions had placed both of us in a cruel position.

If I said no, Mia would believe I was rejecting her.

If I said yes, I would lose part of my home and part of the future I had planned.

Ethan would still look kind either way.

He could give Mia everything she wanted because he expected me to pay the price.

"This is not your fault," I told her.

"Then why are you sad?"

Because Ethan had not simply helped a child.

He had used my home, my wedding, and my future to make promises to another family.

He had not cheated on me.

He had done something quieter.

He had built another family inside the life we were supposed to share.

He had given them a place in our home.

Then he had decided I would accept it later.

Ethan made decisions.

Chloe and Mia received the promises.

I received the consequences.

I hugged Mia before I left.

Back at the apartment, I opened my laptop.

An old email was still in my inbox.

My previous reply was still sitting on the screen.

[Thank you for the opportunity, but I am getting married. I will be staying here.]

I stared at those words for a long time.

I had chosen Ethan when I believed we were building one future together.

Now I knew he had already built another one without me.

I opened a new reply.

For the first time, Ethan’s wishes never entered the decision.

I typed two words.

"I accept."