Chapter 3

"Justin, let's break up," I said, my voice cold and barely audible, like a needle hitting the floor. But in the dead of night, even that tiny sound felt deafening.

Turned out, some people really did rot overnight.

"Break up? Hannah, you're still playing the same old tricks. I'm sick of it. Can't you come up with something new?" Justin said, his hands buried in his trench coat pockets.

I stared at his back, standing by the window, and he looked like someone I didn't even know.

"Like running away from home, or marrying some random guy just to threaten me. Maybe that would actually work," Justin added.

"Justin, I mean it." I picked up the ring I had already taken off. "This is yours. Take it back."

Justin turned around and looked at my bare finger. There wasn't even a mark where the ring used to be.

He knew I never took it off, not even when I was sleeping or taking a shower.

"You really think this will make me back down? Hannah, the marriage between the Lynn family and the Rowe family is a family issue. Neither of us gets to decide. In the end, you'll still end up marrying me," he said.

Now I finally got why Justin acted so brazenly.

When it mattered most, he was sure that I had zero say in all this.

Justin angrily snatched the ring from my hand, held it up right in front of me, and declared, "I can't wait to see how everyone starts gossiping about you when you show up at the wedding without this ring."

"Justin, you're not the only son in the Rowe family," I said.

He turned around, confusion flickering in his eyes. "What are you getting at?"

I stepped forward, my gaze steady. "The marriage between the Lynn family and the Rowe family is something I can't change, that's true. But that doesn't mean it has to be you.

"Don't forget, you've got a brother."

"You mean that moron?" Justin looked almost relieved, the frustration he'd been holding back finally written all over his face.

He kicked the doorframe in anger. "If you really have the guts to marry Andrew, fine. I'll even throw in a mansion for you on your wedding day."

Hearing that, I felt absolutely nothing. Honestly, I just wanted him to sign an agreement and get it over with.

*****

After the 15 million hit my account, Mary suggested I go meet Andrew.

I didn't mind. Since the wedding was coming up, I figured I should at least meet my future husband.

Honestly, it was strange. I'd been with Justin for years, and even though I didn't go to the Rowe residence that often, I'd never once met Andrew.

Once, I asked Zoe, who was basically Justin's nanny, if Andrew was really a drooling idiot everyone said he was. I also wondered why the Rowe family never let him show his face, and if he and Justin actually looked alike.

But even Zoe, who was usually so blunt, suddenly got cautious. She told me to drop it and didn't say another word.

That only made me even more curious.

I'd heard Justin talk about Andrew plenty of times, but it was always half-joking, half-insulting, never anything serious.

I agreed to meet Andrew so quickly mostly because I was dying to know what he was really like, but at the same time, I couldn't shake off a nagging sense of worry.

What if Andrew's problem was way worse than I thought? What if he was the type to chase people around with a knife? Wouldn't I be going from the frying pan straight into the fire?

The dinner was arranged in a private room at a club. Out of respect for Andrew, I got all dressed up.

Before I went, I'd already braced myself for the worst.

I even brought a handkerchief, just in case Andrew really did start drooling when he saw me.

When I pushed the door open, Mary was helping Andrew with some food, her body blocking his face from view.

Oh man, Andrew couldn't even feed himself?

Just as I was about to slip out the door, a solemn voice from inside called out, "Hannah, you're here."

Gritting my teeth, I pushed the door open.

Mary was already standing in front of me, gripping my arm like she was afraid I'd bolt at any second. "This is Andrew Rowe."

I looked at Andrew as she introduced him.

Turned out, the one drooling wasn't him—it was me.

He was dressed in a sharp black suit, with broad shoulders and a trim waist. His short hair was simple, but it couldn't hide his striking, chiseled, and youthful good looks.

His shirt was unbuttoned just enough to reveal his collarbone, giving him an almost restraining vibe.

He and Justin were brothers, but there wasn't even a hint of resemblance between them.

When Andrew looked at me, he jumped to his feet and accidentally knocked his chair over.

Mary teased him kindly for being so clumsy. She hurried to set the chair upright. "Andrew, say hello. This is Hannah Lynn, your fiancée."

"H-Hannah," he stammered, clearly nervous. When he glanced at me, his cheeks turned a little red.

He looked like a regular guy, but there was a blankness in his eyes, like he couldn't really focus on anything for long.

As I walked over, Andrew tried to pull out my chair for me, but ended up dragging it way too far from the table.

When my hand brushed against his, he let go so fast, it was like he'd touched something hot.

After I sat down, he ducked his head and thrust the menu at me, almost poking me in the face. "Hannah, o-order whatever you like. I will pay."

Every time I ordered a dish, he'd immediately fish out some cash from his wallet to pay for it.

Watching him so focused, I couldn't see him as foolish at all. There was something childishly adorable about him.

Maybe Andrew wasn't intellectually disabled at all, just more sincere than most people.

And the real irony? That kind of honesty was something Justin completely lacked.