Chapter 1

My fiancée, Vivian Lane, said, "I'm worried you'll be exhausted. How about letting Alex Grant stand in for you at our wedding next week?

"Alex and I made a promise when we were kids to get married together, but I love you, so I can only give him one wedding. You won't say no to such a tiny request, right?

"If you say no, I'll call off the marriage, but I'm keeping the wedding gift."

I said, "The thought of you going through labor breaks my heart. So I asked your best friend, Susan Fields, to carry the baby for you.

"Here's the prenatal screening report from yesterday—I went with her. The doctor said the baby is developing perfectly."

Just then, my phone rang. After I finished the call, I grabbed my coat and walked out without hesitation.

I said, "Susan's craving something sour. I'm going to see what she wants."

Vivian yelled, "You bastard, get back here!"

Then, with a sudden gasp, she coughed up blood.

*****

"Michael Carter, are you even listening to me?" Vivian's voice rose, her expression twisting with impatience, making her perfect makeup look a bit off.

She waved her freshly manicured hand right in front of my eyes. "I've already gone over the wedding schedule with Alex. You'll just be sitting in the audience, clapping for us."

She sounded so casual, like she was talking about the weather.

Sitting next to her was Alex, her childhood sweetheart, eyeing me with the unmistakable air of a winner. His disdain for me couldn't be more obvious.

I slowly finished the last sip of my coffee, then set the cup down on the mahogany table with a crisp sound.

I asked, "So, you think I spent 900 thousand dollars on this wedding just so you and your childhood sweetheart can fulfill your promise?"

Vivian frowned, clearly annoyed by how calm I was. She probably expected me to blow up, start yelling, or maybe even beg her.

"How can you say that? Michael, I love you," Vivian said, putting on her best hurt face. "I'm marrying you because I love you, but Alex and I promised each other as kids we'd get married on the same day.

"Now all I can give him is a ceremony. He's already getting the short end of the stick. Shouldn't you, as my fiancé, be a little more understanding?"

She paused, her tone suddenly sharp. "You're not seriously going to say no, are you?"

Alex jumped in, slinging his arm around Vivian's shoulders like he was marking his territory. "Dude, lighten up. Vivian's got you in her heart.

"She wouldn't have gone and gotten the marriage license with you otherwise. It's just a ceremony. Don't be so stingy."

Watching them put on their little show, I couldn't help but find it pretty amusing.

"What if I refuse?" I said.

Vivian's face turned icy in a heartbeat, all her fake tenderness gone. "If you don't agree, it means you don't love me. I'm not marrying you. As for the wedding gift you gave me, I'm giving it back."

Guess the truth finally came out.

I nodded. "So that's how it is."

I pulled out a document from my briefcase and slid it over to her.

Vivian gave me a puzzled look. "What's this?"

"I agree to your request," I said, looking her straight in the eye, word by word. "But in return, I want you to say yes to just one little thing from me."

A triumphant smile lit up Vivian's face as she grabbed the document, thinking it was some kind of wedding addendum.

"I knew you loved me..." Vivian began, but the words froze on her lips as soon as she caught a glimpse of the first page.

It was an ultrasound report.

"Just thinking about how much pain you'd go through giving birth really gets to me. I can't stand the idea of you suffering," I said, my tone casual. "So I decided to let your bestie handle the baby for you."

Vivian's eyes shot wide open, staring at me in disbelief, then she dropped her gaze and fixated on the report.

"The ultrasound shows the baby is nine weeks along and developing well," I added. "I went with Susan for the checkup yesterday."

"You're making this up," Vivian's voice shook, her disbelief clear. "Susan? Impossible. She's my best friend."

"Exactly," I nodded. "Why let a stranger do it when your best friend can help?"

Just then, my phone rang.

I answered, and Susan's voice came through, warm and gentle as always.

I replied, "Yeah, okay, got it."

I hung up, got to my feet, and pulled my coat off the chair.

Vivian and Alex stood there, staring at me in a daze.

I walked to the door, turned back, and shot them a smile. "Susan's craving something sour. I'm going to see what she wants."

Vivian's face went from flushed to deathly pale, then turned ashen, and finally, her pretty features twisted completely out of shape from sheer rage and humiliation.

Vivian screamed, "Michael. You bastard, get back here!"'

She tried to stand up, but her body suddenly swayed.

With a sudden gasp, she coughed up blood, staining the report in front of her.

I didn't look back. I walked right out the door, leaving them behind in the suite.