Chapter 1

After getting my wedding nails done, I came home and Harley gently took my hand, kissing it softly.

"I saw your wedding nails today, and I've already checked out all your wedding makeup and styling. So, I guess I won't bother showing up at the wedding," he said with a smile.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He pulled me into his arms, gently stroking my hair. "What can I do? That girl's too old-fashioned. She won't sleep with me unless we're officially married.

"I finally convinced her to tie the knot yesterday, but then she got her period out of nowhere. I haven't even touched her yet, so I can't marry you."

I was so stunned, my whole body trembled and I couldn't speak for ages. "We're getting married in ten days, and you drop this on me now?"

Harley spoke with a casual, innocent tone. "Come on, you know you're the one I really love. That girl's a fling, nothing serious.

"If you're so hung up on the wedding, I can hire someone to play groom for you. You can have your fun too."

Just then, the housekeeper walked over with a smile, cutting into our conversation. "The mailman delivered your marriage certificate."

Harley stood up and took it. Right in front of me, he tore it open.

The marriage certificate filled my vision, and a wave of coldness crashed over my entire body.

I stared at it, trembling, then frantically shoved the inheritance documents and pregnancy test results in my pocket.

He was right. I should have some fun too.

*****

Harley sat back down with the marriage certificates, his long legs crossed, one hand absently holding my hand while the other idly flipped through the certificates.

He said, "You know, these clean-cut girls are so hard to win over nowadays. They want both money and affection.

"I've been chasing her for two or three months and still haven't gotten anywhere. But I already told her, once her period's over, I'm definitely going to make her mine."

Harley glanced around the room, then looked at where I was sitting and grinned in satisfaction.

He said, "Right here is perfect. The lighting's great, and the view's clear."

As I listened to him, my stomach turned upside down, and I felt like I was about to throw up.

I yanked my hand away, leaned over the trash can, and retched, tears and snot mixed together on my face.

Harley cupped my face and carefully wiped it with a moist tissue. "What's there to be upset about? You're still the only Mrs. Chapman. It's fooling around, don't take it to heart."

Harley's eyes were a pale shade, and under the lamp, they looked even more mesmerizing and intense.

It felt as if the man who'd just told me he was already married was someone else entirely.

It was absurd. So absurd, it was almost laughable.

I pulled away from him and burst out laughing. I couldn't stop, and my laughter kept getting louder.

Harley watched me, waiting until I finally stopped before he spoke. "I know you're upset, but what can I do?

"I've been after her for two or three months and still haven't gotten her. If she sees the news, it'll be a mess.

"You've always been so tolerant and big-hearted. It's a young girl. Surely you can deal with it, can't you?"

Two or three months. That was exactly how long Harley's mom needed to recover after she broke her leg.

She couldn't stand strangers touching her, so no matter what, she refused to let a caregiver in.

I was the one who stayed by her side, doing everything for her, day and night, for three whole months.

It turned out while I was caring for his mom, Harley was 'caring' for another girl.

While I was busy caring for his mom, he was busy pampering someone else.

I smiled knowingly, then after a moment, spoke in a calm voice. "Actually, I was about to tell you. There's this kid outside who's insisting on marrying me, won't let it go.

"Guess it all works out. We won't get in each other's way."

It was almost unheard of to see Harley with such an empty, stunned look on his face.

After a moment, his face darkened. "Seriously, Jessica? You slept with me when you were sixteen. Who'd want you now? You're damaged goods.

"Do you even check yourself in the mirror before you start lying?"

I stared at him, and I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he actually said that to me.

Suddenly, I felt a wave of fear wash over me. How did we end up like this?

We were once young and crazy in love, two kids with nothing but hope for the future.

Back in high school, I was the scholarship kid. As a teenage girl, my biggest secret was how insecure I felt.

But the school had to plaster the scholarship list right on the bulletin board, with a little blurb about each person's family situation under their name.

Jessica Grant, single-parent family, mom disabled and unable to work.

Whenever my classmates glanced at me, I wanted to disappear.

Harley reached out, grabbed my shaking arm, and tore the notice right off the board.