Chapter 1 · His Brother Married Me

On the day we were supposed to get our marriage license, my boyfriend, Mick Green, stood me up.

I waited at the court entrance all day, only to get a photo from his secretary.

In the picture, the secretary was straddling Mick's lap, arms wrapped around his neck, kissing him so passionately you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

[Sorry, girl. Mr. Green said he just had to comfort my broken heart. You don't mind, right?]

I asked Mick about it, but he just rolled his eyes at me, clearly impatient.

"She gave me blood once, so what's the big deal if I keep her company for a bit? Can't you just be a little less petty?" he snapped.

Heartbroken, I turned and called his older brother, Garrick Green.

"Garrick, would you still marry me?" I asked.

*****

On the other end of the line, Garrick was silent for a moment before finally asking, "Are you sure?"

"Of course." My voice was steady and certain. "I just wonder if you'd still be willing to marry me."

"I'm overseas right now. Give me a—no, half a month. When I'm back, we'll get married," Garrick said, his voice calm and steady.

"Okay, I'll wait for you," I replied.

After hanging up, I glanced at the photo that had just been sent to my phone, then quietly turned off the screen.

Five years together, and in the end, it still couldn't compete with the allure of novelty.

*****

Mick didn't get home until the middle of the night.

I didn't even look his way, but just quietly packed up my things.

Even with only half a month to go, I wasn't about to waste another second on him.

"Get me a glass of water and my pajamas," Mick said, bossy as ever.

He didn't spare me a single glance.

He always treated me like I was just his servant.

Letting me fetch his pajamas was supposed to be some kind of reward.

Because if I brought him his pajamas, it meant he was actually willing to sleep with me tonight.

I used to get excited about it.

But now, I didn't feel a thing. I just quietly packed up my own stuff, completely focused on myself.

Not long after, Mick pulled open the bathroom door. When he saw I wasn't moving, his brows knitted together, and his voice was tinged with irritation.

"Why are you still standing there?" he snapped. "Didn't you hear me?"

"I'm going back home for a bit." I calmly zipped up my suitcase.

I didn't tell him about my plan to marry his brother.

When Mick saw the suitcase in my hand, something seemed to dawn on him. His frown deepened, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Can you stop making a fuss?" he said, like he was talking about something completely trivial.

"Laurel donated blood to me. In a way, she saved my life. Her birthday only comes once a year. What's wrong with me spending some time with her? We just didn't get the marriage license, that's all. Are you seriously jealous over something so trivial?"

Trivial? I scoffed at myself, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.

Turned out, marrying me was nothing but a minor detail to him.

It didn't even matter as much as some other girl's birthday.

Maybe I'd been loving him so pathetically all these years, that was why he thought he could treat me however he wanted.

Maybe in his mind, he always thought my whole world revolved around him.

But now, I was exhausted.

I didn't need a love that ground me into the dirt.

As I remained quiet, he came over and slipped his arms around my waist, speaking in a gentle tone.

"Hey, don't go running home just because of something so small. We can get the marriage license whenever. It's just a stupid piece of paper. Why do you care so much?"

My head felt like it was about to explode.

Is he really trying to let me off the hook?

"Just a stupid piece of paper?!" I couldn't hold back my anger anymore.

"So in your eyes, getting married to me isn't even as important as Laurel's birthday, is it?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Mick gave me an annoyed look, answering without a hint of hesitation.

The words were right on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't force them out.

I stared at him in disbelief.

How could he say something so shameless, like he really believed it?

Seeing that look of utter self-righteousness on his face, I just let it all go.

It was like a heavy burden finally dropped from my chest—I could finally breathe.

"Fine then. If that's all it is, I don't need that stupid piece of paper anyway," I said, my voice calm and clear.

With that, I turned and walked into the guest room, slamming the door shut behind me.

As the door slammed shut, it felt like my heart dropped to the floor and shattered into a million pieces.

"Whitney, stop saying stuff just to be mad. When did I ever say I wouldn't get the marriage license with you?" Mick grumbled from outside the door, clearly annoyed.

Chapter 1

On the day we were supposed to get our marriage license, my boyfriend, Mick Green, stood me up.

I waited at the court entrance all day, only to get a photo from his secretary.

In the picture, the secretary was straddling Mick's lap, arms wrapped around his neck, kissing him so passionately you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

[Sorry, girl. Mr. Green said he just had to comfort my broken heart. You don't mind, right?]

I asked Mick about it, but he just rolled his eyes at me, clearly impatient.

"She gave me blood once, so what's the big deal if I keep her company for a bit? Can't you just be a little less petty?" he snapped.

Heartbroken, I turned and called his older brother, Garrick Green.

"Garrick, would you still marry me?" I asked.

*****

On the other end of the line, Garrick was silent for a moment before finally asking, "Are you sure?"

"Of course." My voice was steady and certain. "I just wonder if you'd still be willing to marry me."

"I'm overseas right now. Give me a—no, half a month. When I'm back, we'll get married," Garrick said, his voice calm and steady.

"Okay, I'll wait for you," I replied.

After hanging up, I glanced at the photo that had just been sent to my phone, then quietly turned off the screen.

Five years together, and in the end, it still couldn't compete with the allure of novelty.

*****

Mick didn't get home until the middle of the night.

I didn't even look his way, but just quietly packed up my things.

Even with only half a month to go, I wasn't about to waste another second on him.

"Get me a glass of water and my pajamas," Mick said, bossy as ever.

He didn't spare me a single glance.

He always treated me like I was just his servant.

Letting me fetch his pajamas was supposed to be some kind of reward.

Because if I brought him his pajamas, it meant he was actually willing to sleep with me tonight.

I used to get excited about it.

But now, I didn't feel a thing. I just quietly packed up my own stuff, completely focused on myself.

Not long after, Mick pulled open the bathroom door. When he saw I wasn't moving, his brows knitted together, and his voice was tinged with irritation.

"Why are you still standing there?" he snapped. "Didn't you hear me?"

"I'm going back home for a bit." I calmly zipped up my suitcase.

I didn't tell him about my plan to marry his brother.

When Mick saw the suitcase in my hand, something seemed to dawn on him. His frown deepened, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Can you stop making a fuss?" he said, like he was talking about something completely trivial.

Trivial? I scoffed at myself, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.

Turned out, marrying me was nothing but a minor detail to him.

It didn't even matter as much as some other girl's birthday.

Maybe I'd been loving him so pathetically all these years, that was why he thought he could treat me however he wanted.

Maybe in his mind, he always thought my whole world revolved around him.

But now, I was exhausted.

I didn't need a love that ground me into the dirt.

As I remained quiet, he came over and slipped his arms around my waist, speaking in a gentle tone.

"Hey, don't go running home just because of something so small. We can get the marriage license whenever. It's just a stupid piece of paper. Why do you care so much?"

My head felt like it was about to explode.

Is he really trying to let me off the hook?

"Just a stupid piece of paper?!" I couldn't hold back my anger anymore.

"So in your eyes, getting married to me isn't even as important as Laurel's birthday, is it?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Mick gave me an annoyed look, answering without a hint of hesitation.

The words were right on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't force them out.

I stared at him in disbelief.

How could he say something so shameless, like he really believed it?

Seeing that look of utter self-righteousness on his face, I just let it all go.

It was like a heavy burden finally dropped from my chest—I could finally breathe.

"Fine then. If that's all it is, I don't need that stupid piece of paper anyway," I said, my voice calm and clear.

With that, I turned and walked into the guest room, slamming the door shut behind me.

As the door slammed shut, it felt like my heart dropped to the floor and shattered into a million pieces.

"Whitney, stop saying stuff just to be mad. When did I ever say I wouldn't get the marriage license with you?" Mick grumbled from outside the door, clearly annoyed.