Chapter 1

Bonnie's husband cheated on her. She wanted a divorce, and she asked me if I wanted a divorce too.

"Sure," I said, not missing a beat.

I'd always been Bonnie's shadow. I never had my own opinions growing up. Bonnie was the smart, capable one, and whatever she did, I did too.

When Bonnie married the big-shot CEO Jeffrey Hopkins, I married his younger brother, George Hopkins, and enjoyed a good life.

Now that Bonnie was getting divorced, there was no way I would stick around in that family.

George's eyes were bloodshot with anger as he grabbed my waist. "I didn't cheat! I'm not getting a divorce!"

*****

Jeffrey, the big-shot CEO who usually graced the business pages, was all over the tabloids, caught up in a scandal with his ex-girlfriend, the first love, Giana Harrison.

"Della, I'm divorcing Jeffrey. What about you?" Bonnie asked, staring at her phone for a few minutes, lost in thought.

"If you're divorcing your husband, I'm divorcing mine," I replied without a second thought.

Bonnie wasn't surprised by my answer. "Alright, I'll have my lawyer draw up the divorce papers. Go pack your things."

She called her lawyer friend, then headed to her room to start packing.

It would take us at least two days and nights to pack everything up.

Jeffrey gave each of us 700 thousand a month to spend. My husband George was a total mooch.

He burned through cash just partying and goofing off. Jeffrey wasn't just supporting Bonnie. He was also stuck taking care of us two freeloaders.

George wasn't completely heartless. He split his 700-thousand allowance with me, so I ended up pocketing one million every month.

Jeffrey covered all the household expenses, and whenever we went shopping, we used the credit card he had given Bonnie.

I never had anywhere to spend my money. After two years of marriage to George, my savings had ballooned into the millions.

I dragged my feet behind Bonnie as we went upstairs, thinking getting a divorce was no big deal.

Bonnie and I weren't real sisters.

I lost my whole family in the great earthquake.

Bonnie's dad was in the military. Her mom was a doctor. And they adopted me.

After the earthquake, I couldn't shake off the trauma. I became withdrawn, barely talked to anyone, and kept to myself.

Bonnie, two years older than me, always felt sorry for me and had my back, protecting me as if I were her own little sister.

When some kids locked me in the bathroom and dumped water on me, Bonnie grabbed a bucket and soaked the ringleader right back.

If someone hid my textbook, Bonnie would toss their backpack straight into the trash.

When a kid yanked my hair, Bonnie waited until he was napping, then grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped off a chunk of his hair, leaving a bald patch.

Whenever someone tried to mess with me, Bonnie would charge in like a mama hen protecting her chicks, ready to fight anyone who dared cross me.

With Bonnie always watching my back, no one ever dared to bully me at school again.

But Bonnie was two years ahead of me in school, and I was terrified that once she left, the bullies would come back for me. So I set my mind on sticking with her all the way to college.

Good thing I was socially clueless but book smart, and I always did what I was told and worked my butt off.

I skipped a grade in both middle and high school, took the SAT together with her, and finally got into the same college.

I even chose the same major, fashion design, so we'd get assigned to the same dorm room.

After graduation, Bonnie landed some investors and opened her own private fashion studio.

I handled the designs and pattern-making, while Bonnie modeled our pieces, brought in clients, and handled the sales.

Three years later, Bonnie tied the knot with her backer, Jeffrey.

I followed right behind, set my sights on Jeffrey's little brother, George, and we got married in a heartbeat.

George was a professional racer, and just like his cars, he was a total rebel, free-spirited, wild, and absolutely impossible to rein in.

For a straight-laced girl like me to catch the attention of a guy as insanely hot as George, I had to get a little creative with my tactics.

I decided to pull a scam, stage a little accident, and play the helpless victim.

I mooched dinner at Bonnie's place every day until, finally, George showed up for a visit.

After dinner, when George was about to leave, I timed it perfectly and "accidentally" threw myself right in front of his car.

Suddenly, the world spun, and everything went dark.

I was sent flying a couple of feet.

Staring at the tiny scrape on my knee, I figured I might as well stay down and milk it for all it was worth.

No one was gonna know if I claimed I'd got some internal injury.

Bonnie rushed over and helped me up, her face full of worry. "Della, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Bonnie, my head hurts, my arm hurts, and my leg hurts. Ugh, everything hurts," I whined, clinging to her for sympathy.

I buried myself in Bonnie's arms, milking it for all the attention I could get.

Bonnie knew me way too well. Just one look at my over-the-top antics, and she could tell I was putting on a show.

She had no idea what I was scheming, but she still had my back and went after George.

"Hey, gorgeous, I haven't even touched the gas yet! Are you seriously trying to pull a scam on me?" George's carefree voice came from above my head.

"I don't care. You hit me, so now you gotta take responsibility!" I yelled, totally shameless.

I shamelessly yelled, all just to become Bonnie's sister-in-law.

"George, take her to the hospital," Jeffrey finally stepped in, putting an end to the whole drama.

Bonnie tried to come with us, but I pushed her away.

George was fearless, except when it came to his big brother.

He scooped me up and tossed me into the passenger seat, then floored it, leaving a cloud of dust in our wake.

With a death grip on the armrest, I watched the world whipping outside and yelled, "Slow down!"