Chapter 3

On the seventh day of the waiting period, Nora noticed I'd changed my phone password.

She sat on the couch, holding my phone, tried three times and failed to unlock it. Once the screen locked, she glanced up at me. "Why did you change the password?"

I taped up the box stuffed with clothes. "I'd rather not let anyone else see."

She stood up, blocking the study door. "Am I someone else?"

"Pretty soon."

She stared at the box by the wall. "Why are you packing up?"

"Organizing things."

"We're getting remarried in six months. Do you have to go through all this trouble?"

I picked up a marker and wrote [Books] on the box.

She reached for the marker. Her fingers barely brushed it when her phone started ringing. Brian's name flashed on the screen.

She let go of the marker and walked out to the balcony to answer the call.

The glass door wasn't fully closed, so her voice slipped through the crack. "Yeah, the agreement's signed. He didn't back out. It's just 2.5 million dollars. I can handle it. The house goes to him for now, but after we get remarried, it'll be ours again."

I put the last book into the box and sealed it with tape.

She was shrewd. 2.5 million dollars and the house would be under my name, but in six months, after we got remarried, I'd be her husband again. She figured everything I owned would eventually be hers all over again.

After the call, she came back inside. "Come with me to my parents' place this weekend."

"What for?" I asked.

"My parents want to see you."

"I'm busy."

Her brows knitted. "My mom's blood pressure's been bad. We can't tell her about the divorce. Just come with me and play along."

"You and Brian are getting married. She'll find out sooner or later."

"Brian will handle it."

"Then let him play along with you."

Nora pressed her hand on the box. "Charles, you promised you'd cooperate."

"I agreed to the divorce, but I never said I'd cover for you with your parents."

Her breath grew heavier. "You weren't like this before."

I tore off a strip of tape. "You never asked me to step aside for another guy before."

She was left speechless.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Nora turned and opened the door.

Brian was standing outside, holding a stack of documents. He glanced at the boxes scattered across the floor, a faint smirk flickering in his eyes. "Charles, packing up to leave already?"

"The house belongs to me. If anyone's moving, it's not me," I shot back.

Brian's smirk disappeared.

Nora took the documents from him. "He's just clearing out some old things."

"I see," Brian said, stepping into the living room and dropping a wedding invite sample onto the coffee table.

The gold-embossed cover had their names printed side by side: [Brian Shaw and Nora Reed].

I picked it up and gave it a look. The wedding was scheduled for ten days after the divorce. "That's pretty rushed," I said.

Nora snatched the invite back. "We have to make it look official so the Shaws think it's legit."

"Have you booked the venue yet?"

"Riverside Grand Hotel."

"How many tables?"

"Twenty-eight."

I nodded. "That's way too few."

She looked at me, puzzled. "What?"

"A lot of folks in the Shaw family are watching the inheritance. If the wedding isn't big enough, they'll start getting suspicious."

Brian narrowed his eyes. "Charles, are you seriously thinking about us?"

"Of course," I said, glancing at Nora. "If we're putting on a show, we might as well invite everyone we know."

Nora hesitated, her lips twitching. "Are we inviting your friends too?"

"Yeah, they're welcome."

"You don't mind?"

"Why would I?"

She stared at me for a few seconds, then broke into a smile. "I knew it. You're not actually mad at all."

She tugged at my sleeve. "In six months, we'll have a grander wedding for us."

I brushed her hand away. "Let's focus on making this one work first."

Brian stood behind her, his gaze fixed on me as he tried to figure out what I was really up to.

I pushed the wedding invite back toward him.

They were definitely making this a huge spectacle. The more people show up, the bigger the mess when they two finally crash and burn.

*****

On the day the waiting period ended, it was pouring rain. I showed up at the family court twenty minutes early.

Nora was half an hour late. She pushed open the glass door, her wet hair dripping, heels kicking up mud as she stepped inside.

"Had a last-minute meeting," she said, sliding into the seat next to me. "Were you getting bored waiting for me?"

"Nah, it's fine," I replied.

"I keep telling you, there's no need to rush. Even if we're a few days late, it's no big deal."

I handed the receipt to the staff. "I'm not about to wait longer."

Nora turned to look at me.

The judge double-checked the divorce agreement, making sure the property and compensation had been transferred.

The 2.5 million dollars had landed in my account three days ago, and the house transfer was already done.

Nora finished signing the last confirmation form, then suddenly pressed her hand over the papers. She held onto them instead of handing them over. "Charles."

I looked at her. "What's wrong?"

Nora said, "If you're having second thoughts, it's still not too late."

The judge looked up.