Chapter 1
After Elyse Dorsey showed off her marriage certificate online, Jamir Cardenas finally said yes to marrying me.
On our wedding day, Elyse's dog crashed the ceremony, and in the commotion, both the dog and I ended up injured.
With everyone watching, Jamir scooped up the dog and rushed it to the hospital, canceling the wedding right then and there.
On our wedding night, refusing to let it go, I asked him, "Now that Elyse's marriage is over, are we going to split up too?"
He didn't say a word, just took the dog, and left to find Elyse, leaving me standing there alone.
Later, he cornered me at the Registry Office, his eyes red and teary as he said, "I'm not agreeing to this divorce."
Camdyn Dorsey threw his arm around me and flashed our marriage certificate. "Divorce? My wife's never been married before. Mr. Cardenas, wishing you and my sister everlasting happiness together."
I kept forcing myself to apologize to the guests, sending them off under the weight of their mocking and pitying stares.
Jamir, still looking sharp in his suit, walked toward me through the wedding decorations that hadn't even been taken down yet.
He was cradling a beagle with its leg all bandaged up.
"Make sure to look after Boby. Don't let its leg get wet," he said.
As I took the dog from him, my blood-stained arm brushed against Boby's fur, leaving a mark.
"Couldn't you at least clean your arm before picking it up?" Jamir muttered, clearly annoyed.
Bathing Boby always felt like a battle, so whenever the dog got dirty, Jamir would just leave it to me.
He headed straight for the remaining guests, while I couldn't help but apologize again out of habit.
"Jamir, you went after the dog yourself today. Was it 'cause you were worried Marie might get hurt or something?" someone joked.
Jamir sat in the middle, swirling his drink, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Are you nuts? I was worried about the dog getting hurt. It was a total mess out there, and people were just grabbing at it like they didn't give a damn," he shot back.
As he spoke, anger flashed across his face.
"Shit, no idea which moron smashed a glass and ended up cutting Boby's leg," he muttered.
Jamir got me Boby for my birthday four months back.
He was a total neat freak and couldn't deal with anything that shed, but I just really loved dogs.
Someone teased, "Jamir, it's just a dog. Are you seriously worried about it getting hurt?"
Jamir put down his glass and shot back, "That's Elyse's dog."
"Her ex can't stand dogs, and she can't bring herself to give it away, so of course I have to look after it," he said.
They were all drinking and having a good time, didn't even notice I was there.
"Jamir, not to call you out, but what you did today was cold. The officiant was literally about to have you guys exchange rings, and you just bailed with the dog and went to the hospital. Seriously, how do you think Marie felt, man?" someone said.
"Dude, I even saw Marie on her hands and knees picking up the ring, and the officiant looked like he'd seen a ghost," another chimed in.
Jamir was in the middle of putting the ring on my finger when the dog suddenly burst in.
As soon as Boby barked, he let go of my hand, and the ring slipped from my fingertip and clattered to the ground.
I dove after that tiny silver band, clutching my heavy wedding dress as I weaved through the crowd, just like a dog hunting for a bone.
Boby tore through the place like a tornado—within minutes, our dreamy wedding venue was a total disaster.
In the chaos, a shard of glass sliced Boby's front leg, and I ended up with a nasty cut on the inside of my arm.
We finally managed to catch Boby, and just when it looked like the wedding could finally go on, Jamir left.
The officiant was so freaked out that he actually asked me if I was going to dock his pay.
"Marie was stubbornly clutching that wedding ring, tears brimming in her eyes, just waiting for you to turn around. She looked so adorable and a little tempting. Honestly, I almost felt sorry for her," someone teased.
Jamir just chuckled. "Feel sorry? Go ahead and marry her then. I'll even pay for the whole wedding."
"Jamir, would you really give her up like that?" someone asked.
Suddenly, I just wanted to run, but my feet felt like they were made of lead.
Jamir, already a bit drunk, started talking louder without even realizing it. "To me, Marie Noble's just someone I could take or leave.
"She's been hanging onto me for eight years, and honestly, I've had my fun with her. I'm just bored of her now.
"Honestly, if Elyse hadn't tied the knot, I wouldn't have bothered marrying Marie.
"Just so you know, she wanted to get the paperwork done before the ceremony, but I shot that down."
Everyone was cheering and clapping like crazy.
Someone shouted, "Camdyn, come on, hand out the cash! Thirty thousand each!"
"Jamir, Camdyn just wouldn't let it go. He bet you had a thing for Marie, and now we all get free money," someone laughed.
Jamir glanced at the guy next to him and snorted, "Come on, man. It's so obvious that even a blind guy could see it."
The guy just smirked, whipped out his phone, and sent the cash over.
The chime of payment notifications rang out, blending with their raucous laughter.
I laughed along too, thinking to myself, 'We're all just fools, aren't we?'
'That Camdyn guy is such a softie,' I mused.
'But honestly, I'm even more naive,' I admitted to myself.
'I really thought I'd touched his heart,' I realized, feeling a little ridiculous.