Chapter 3

That night at the club, I drank too much and pulled Eric aside. I asked if he would marry me.

I thought he was one of those gorgeous club promoters, the kind with the perfect face and the cool, untouchable attitude.

He paused for a second, then smiled. "Are you sure about this?"

I said, "Yes. It is only a piece of paper, right?"

The next day, we went to the city hall.

It was not until after we had the marriage license in hand and he gave me his business card that I realized he was not a club promoter at all. He was Eric Carter, the CEO of Carter Group.

It was the same Carter Group that Daniel had been trying so hard to get a meeting with.

I stood there completely stunned and asked him why he would agree to a spur-of-the-moment marriage with me.

He leaned against his car, grinning. "I am single. Why not? You seem like fun.

"It is only a marriage. Nothing to make a fuss over."

Later, we made a deal that our marriage would last one year.

He would help me handle my family drama and keep Daniel from bothering me.

I would cover for him with his family. After a year, we would get a divorce. There would be no hard feelings.

But now, seeing his message pop up on my phone, my heart was beating faster for no reason.

I shook my head, trying to push away those thoughts.

Whatever would happen, he had been a huge help to me. As for Daniel and all the mess he brought into my life, it was time to leave that behind.

*****

I took a half-day leave from work to go to Daniel's company and pick up my things.

Back when he was first starting, I used to squeeze into that tiny office with him.

I bought the plants. I picked out his office chair. I chose all the little decorations. There were also my books, my mug, and the spare jacket that I had left there.

Now that we were over, I was taking back everything that belonged to me. It was time to wipe the slate clean and move on.

The moment I stepped into the lobby, I ran straight into Daniel and Alice walking my way.

Alice had her hand wrapped around Daniel's arm. Her head rested on his shoulder. Her face glowed with a sweet smile.

Daniel tilted his head slightly, listening to her, a gentle warmth in his eyes. That tenderness was something I had not seen from him in a long time.

When they saw me, both of them froze.

A smug look flashed in Alice's eyes, and she clung even tighter to Daniel's arm.

Alice spoke first, her voice syrupy sweet but dripping with sarcasm. "Sophie, why are you here? Come to see Dan?"

I met her gaze, keeping my tone calm. "I am only here to pick up my things. It has nothing to do with him."

Daniel's face darkened as he looked at me. His voice carried an edge of irritation. "Sophie, if you have something to say, let us talk about it at home. Do not make a scene here."

"Make a scene?" I laughed. "I am here to grab my things. How is that making a scene?

"Mr. Reed, this is an office. I am not here to interfere with your work."

I made a point of calling him Mr. Reed to make it clear we were not close anymore.

Alice blinked, putting on her best innocent act. "Sophie, I know you are upset.

"But Dan already told you he does not believe in marriage.

"You cannot go and marry some random guy because of that. Do not demean yourself like this."

Her voice was pitched perfectly, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear every word.

Right away, all eyes in the lobby were on me, curious and sizing me up.

Daniel frowned but did not say a word to stop Alice. He only shot me a look that said, "See? I knew this would happen."

My heart felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand tiny needles. I felt sharp, stinging pain, then nothing but cold numbness.

I gave Alice a sneer. "What I do with my life and who I marry, that's really none of your concern.

"Maybe you should focus on your own situation.

"After all, most coworkers don't hang off someone's arm with their head on his shoulder."

Alice's face went pale. A flicker of panic crossed her features. She shot Daniel a look, her eyes growing misty. "Dan, that's not what I meant.

"I was only worried about Sophie—"

"I know," Daniel said, patting her hand reassuringly.

Then he looked up at me, his voice full of impatience and blame. "Sophie, don't be so harsh. Alice is only trying to be kind."

"Kind?" I stared at him, thinking how absurd it all was.

After ten years together, he valued a coworker he had known for less than a year more than me.

He would rather buy into someone else's fake kindness than notice how much I had been hurt.