Chapter 1

So my husband was bringing his sugar baby home? Guess what? I'd got a college guy coming over too.

Marvin Garza, my husband, gave me that self-righteous look and said, "She's pregnant. I can't just leave her out in the cold. Back in the day, men had multiple wives. You're the main wife, so try to be a little more generous."

"Don't worry, your place is secure. She just wants a home where I show up sometimes. If you were me, you'd do the same," he added.

I didn't argue. I just nodded, keeping my cool.

Before he could bring his sugar baby home, I made sure to bring my college guy over first.

After all, he was always hoping to see me walk through the door. I couldn't just leave him waiting all alone.

When Marvin told me his sugar baby was pregnant, I was gracefully painting my nails.

The color was vivid red, just like blood.

He said, "Back in the old days, men had many wives. Just be a little more generous. You're my real wife, and nothing will ever change that."

I looked up at him, his face full of that "I'm doing you a favor" look, and I almost crushed the nail polish bottle in my hand.

"She just wants a place where I can drop by whenever I feel like it," Marvin kept going with his jerk routine. "Honestly, if you were me, you'd do the same thing."

I nodded and kept painting my nails, but in my mind, I was already tearing him to pieces.

"Sure, bring her home," I said offhandedly, watching Marvin's grin bloom. Then I added, "Actually, I need to bring someone home too."

Marvin froze. "Who? Is your mom moving in again?"

I smiled, shook my head, and pulled out my phone, showing him a photo.

On the screen was a handsome college guy, his abs gleaming in the sunlight, flashing a bright, sunny smile.

"Nope, it's my college guy," I replied calmly. "He needs a home where he gets to see me walk in whenever he wants."

Marvin's face went pale in a flash.

*****

Two days later, Marvin brought his sugar baby home.

Her name was Amelie Gallagher, and she was just as delicate as her name suggested, looking like a gust of wind could blow her over.

She wore a loose dress, one hand protectively resting on her still-flat belly, the other clinging tightly to Marvin's arm, as if I were some kind of man-eating tigress.

"Yasmin, I'll be counting on you from now on," she said in a soft, sweet voice, but her eyes sparkled with the smugness of a winner.

I smiled and sized her up. "No trouble at all. We could really use a maid around here."

Amelie's smile froze on her face.

Marvin immediately jumped in to defend her. "Yasmin! What are you saying? Amelie's pregnant. She needs to rest."

I nodded. "Well, that's convenient. The guy I brought home can help with the housework."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

I hurried over to open the door, and there stood my college guy, Collin Gutierrez. He was dressed in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, looking so fresh and full of life, especially compared to Marvin, who was stuffed into an expensive suit that did nothing to hide his beer gut.

"Hey Yasmin, I'm here," Collin said with a bright, sunny smile. He glanced at Marvin and Amelie behind me, nodding politely. "You must be Mr. Garza. Nice to meet you. I'm Collin."

Then he turned to Amelie, his grin growing even wider. "And you must be the sugar baby Mr. Garza's been seeing. I've heard a lot about you."

Amelie instantly went pale.

Marvin's face darkened with anger. "Yasmin! Are you trying to drive me insane?"

I blinked innocently. "What? Didn't you say if you were me, you'd do the same? I'm just playing by your rules."

Collin naturally walked in with his luggage, glanced around, and said to me, "Yasmin, our place is gorgeous. It's even bigger than it looked in the videos."

He really emphasized the word "our."

Marvin was obviously provoked. He pointed at Collin and demanded, "When did he ever come to our house?"

Before I could answer, Collin jumped in, "Yasmin always gives me virtual tours when we video chat."

Honestly, there was nothing going on between Collin and me. He was just my friend's younger brother, helping me put on this show. But seeing Marvin about to blow a fuse, I figured this performance was definitely worth a bonus.

Dinner time rolled around, and the vibe got even weirder.