Chapter 1The night before our marriage license, I was working late, watching a lawyer's livestream.
An anonymous caller bragged:
"My boyfriend's getting his marriage license tomorrow with his fiancée. But he loves ME."
The lawyer asked, "Then why marry her?"
She laughed.
"If he doesn't, she'll lose it. She sold her parents' house. Lost his baby. Still thinks he's broke. So DUMB."
That caller? My best friend.
That idiot bride? ME.
Then came the real punchline:
"Dylan gave her a FAKE appointment page. String her along, then ghost her when she's useless."
I checked my phone. The County Clerk's confirmation text?
GONE.
No tears. No meltdown.
Just RECORD. SCREENSHOT. SAVE.
Fake broke for five years?
Now you're REAL broke.
Enjoy.
---
The lawyer's voice kept going on the stream. "You're saying he faked the appointment page?"
Paige Holloway lowered her voice. "Not really faked. His friend made a page. She doesn't know any better."
I stared at the moderator panel.
An anonymous user had uploaded three screenshots.
First: the fake appointment page.
Second: a text from Dylan to Paige.
[Tomorrow I'll take her near the Clerk's Office first.]
[Don't show up.]
[She's not stable. After what happened with the baby, she can't take a shock.]
Third: Paige's reply.
[Dylan, you're so merciful to her.]
Merciful. The word dug into my eyes.
The lawyer's voice went flat. "Forging a government platform page. That's legally risky."
On the stream, Paige spoke again. "If she's the one who calls off the license, then he's not responsible, right?"
The lawyer said coldly, "Don't lead the witness."
Paige paused two seconds. "But Dylan doesn't love her anymore. Her wanting a piece of paper is pointless."
The lawyer asked, "Did the fiancée get a promissory note when she sold her house to pay his debts?"
Paige's laugh got lighter. "She's so dumb. Talking about money ruins the romance."
My knuckles slammed against the desk corner. I didn't feel it.
Five years. I lived with Dylan in that Westside dump with the leaky ceiling. I'd hold a bucket under the drip at 2 a.m. while he hugged his laptop and said the creditors were calling again.
I handed over my debit card.
He said, "Sienna, when I turn things around, I'll give you a home."
I was six weeks pregnant, doubled over from the pain. Couldn't stand.
He said the hospital deposit was too expensive. To wait.
Then I lost the baby.
He knelt by the bed, holding my hand.
He said, "It's my fault."
That same night, Paige posted a birthday cake.
Caption: [Someone drove all the way across town just to blow out my candles.]
I liked it at the time.
The livestream chat exploded.
[This guy is disgusting.]
[Poor girl.]
[She lost the baby and he's still lying?]
Paige suddenly spoke again. "Honestly, you can't really blame him. He never loved her in the first place. She just stuck around too long. Made Dylan feel bad dumping her."
Paige's screenshot froze on the screen. Dylan's profile picture – I was the one who took it. He was wearing that faded white button-down, standing outside the rental on Maple Street. I was crouched at his feet, wiping mud off his shoes.
He said, "Sienna, you're so good. How am I ever going to pay you back?"
My coworker Megan poked her head over. "Sienna, you're not leaving yet? Isn't tomorrow your license day?"
"Just finishing up."
"You work too hard. Your future husband's gonna miss you."
I smiled.
A text from Dylan lit up my phone.
[I'm downstairs.]
[Babe, don't overwork yourself. Big day tomorrow.]
On the livestream, the lawyer asked Paige one last question. "Do you know who the fiancée is?"
Paige laughed lightly. "Yeah. She's my best friend."
I raised my hand and hit record.
Dylan's call came in. His voice was warm. "Sienna? You off work? I'm outside."
Through the window, a brand-new black SUV sat at the curb. The plate ended in 0927, Paige's birthday. Five years ago, he said he'd gone bankrupt and sold his car.
Dylan stood by the car holding a bouquet of white roses. He used to say white roses were cheap and foolproof.
He reached to hug me. "Big day tomorrow. Borrowed a coworker's new whip to pick up my future wife. Come here!"
His jacket smelled like Paige's usual perfume.
I reached up and pulled a long, curly yellow hair from inside his collar. Not mine.
Dylan looked down. "What's wrong? You upset?"
I met his eyes. "I can't find the appointment confirmation on the official site."
He whipped out his phone. "System delay. That Clerk's Office site is always glitching."
I nodded. "Okay."
Dylan exhaled and opened my door.
I slid into the passenger seat. Something was under my foot. An earring. Pearl, silver back. Paige had bought the exact same pair last year on her birthday. I was with her at the mall.
I bent down and picked it up. Dylan reached for it. "Probably fell off some coworker's girlfriend."
I dropped the earring into his palm. "Your coworker's girlfriend has good taste."
Chapter 2
Dylan started the car.
His phone sat on the center console. The screen lit up. A text from Paige.
[Dylan, come to my place tomorrow after you finish the act.]
[I'll give you a reward.]
He fumbled and swiped it away. "Client."
I nodded. "Client sure knows how to reward people."
Dylan's face went stiff.
The car got quiet. He pulled up to the apartment gate but didn't get out right away. His hand rested on the wheel, knuckles tapping twice.
Five years ago: company bankruptcy.
Two years ago: creditors blocking the door.
One year ago: he swore he'd pay back my parents' old house.
Now he said, "Sienna, if something weird happens tomorrow, don't overthink it."
"Dylan."
His throat moved. "Yeah?"
"If you ever stop loving me, will you just say it straight?"
He pulled me into a hug, chin pressing into my shoulder. "Don't do this. The only thing I'm afraid of is losing you."
I looked at the red string bracelet on his wrist. Same one Paige had shown off in her birthday post this year.
We got out. He followed me inside.
On the table were the documents I'd laid out. My driver's license, the engagement photo, the pre-marital health report, and the receipt copy from the day my parents sold their house.
Dylan's face twitched when he saw the last one. "Why'd you bring that?"
"After we get the license tomorrow, we'll swing by the bank."
"For what?"
"To check on that money."
His voice jumped. "Sienna, you don't trust me?"
He'd used this trick for five years. Every time I asked about money, he threw out "don't trust me." And I'd shut up. Apologize. Be scared of making him uncomfortable.
Tonight, I pulled the engagement photo out of my bag and said, in a raspy voice, "Of course I do."
He saw the picture and his shoulders relaxed. "That's my good girl."
Good girl. He'd said that the night I lost the baby. I was lying on a cot in the hospital hallway, my abdomen in knots. He put his jacket over me. "Sienna, be good. I'll go pay." Then he walked out the door. Thirty minutes later, Paige's feed updated. Cake. Candles. A man's wrist, a mole, and a watch. That watch cost me three months of skipped lunches.
8:30 the next morning. The County Clerk's Office had a decent line.
Dylan looked at the line and sweat broke out on his temples.
His phone rang. Caller ID: Todd. I knew that name. Todd was the friend who'd made the fake page.
"Dylan, system's down! The appointment number won't pull up. Can't do it today!"
Dylan put it on speaker – like he wanted to make sure I heard.
He hung up, grabbed my shoulders. "Sienna, system crash."
I looked up at the Clerk's Office lobby. A couple walked out holding their marriage certificate. The girl was stomping her feet laughing.
Dylan followed my gaze, his face freezing.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the Clerk's Office number. He slapped his hand over my screen. "What are you doing?"
I shook him off. The line connected.
"Hi, is the marriage license system working today?"
A keyboard clicked in the background. "Yes, it's fine. Do you have an appointment number?"
The color drained from Dylan's face.
I read out the number from the fake text.
The clerk said, "That number isn't in our system. I'd recommend booking through the official portal."
Dylan grabbed the phone and hung up. "Enough!"
His voice dropped. "Sienna, do you really have to make a scene here?"
"Why?"
"Then we'll just walk in and take a number."
He froze. "What?"
I pointed at the lobby. "You don't need an appointment to get a walk-in ticket."
Dylan stood there, face dark. "Let's go." He didn't move. "Sienna, today's not good."
"What's not good?"
"My mom just texted. She said today's a bad astrological day for me."
I started dialing his mom right there. Dylan lunged and grabbed my hand. "Don't call!"
I looked at him. He gritted his teeth. "Can you not be so aggressive?"
A woman waiting in line couldn't help herself. "Kid, if you don't want to do it, just say so. Don't waste her time."
Chapter 3
Dylan's face twisted.
His phone rang again. Caller ID: Client Paige. I reached over and hit speaker. Dylan couldn't stop me in time.
Paige's voice burst out. "Dylan, are you done playing the part yet? Did she cry?"
The crowd went quiet. Eyes full of disgust landed on Dylan.
His face turned purple. He growled, "Shut up."
Paige was still laughing. "Don't be mad. I made you soup. Come home early."
I ended the call and handed the phone back. "Your client's pretty thoughtful."
Dylan grabbed my arm and yanked me away from the curb. "Happy now?"
"Pretty happy."
He shoved me toward the car. "Sienna, what the hell do you want?"
"Dylan, doesn't playing broke for five years get old? Dragging me along with Paige, calling it a ‘loyalty test' – five years of that must've felt great, huh?"
"Sienna, fine. You already know. I'm done hiding it. How much money do you want?"
I clutched my chest. The pain made it hard to breathe.
I remembered the day my parents sold their house. He knelt in front of them. "Mr. and Mrs. Vance, I swear I will never let Sienna suffer." My mom shoved the debit card into his hand. "A house is just a house. We can rent. What matters is you getting through this." He took the card with trembling hands, eyes red.
And now he was asking me how much I wanted.
He stepped closer, voice low. "Sienna, I don't want to say ugly things. I feel guilty about you. But you can't force feelings. I'll pay back the house money. Slowly."
"How slowly?"
The second the words left my mouth, Dylan froze. His face was full of disbelief. "What?"
"I said how slowly?"
"Don't pressure me."
"Debtors always this loud?"
His expression changed completely. "You were never this harsh before."
I picked the white roses off the hood and dropped them in the trash. Dylan's pupils shrank.
I turned and walked away. He yelled after me. "Sienna, if you leave today, we're done for real."
I looked back. His eyes flickered with hope.
I pulled the engagement photo from my bag. Ripped it in half. His half went into the trash.
Dylan didn't come back to the Maple Street rental that day. He sent dozens of texts. Started with anger, moved to apologies, then declarations of love, then begging. I didn't reply to a single one.
8 p.m. Paige knocked on my door.
She was smiling when I opened it. "Sienna, you scared Dylan to death today. You might not be embarrassed, but he sure is."
"What do I have to be embarrassed about?"
"Five years with a guy. Lost the house. Lost the baby. And didn't even get the license in the end."
I laughed in her face. "So you're just going full shameless now?"
Paige cracked. Her voice went shrill. "Sienna, he doesn't love you anymore, and you're still clinging to him. How pathetic can you be?"
I looked at her sharp, ugly expression. The little girl with tears on her face – that memory was fading fast.
"Paige. Ten years. Did I ever do anything wrong to you? Your ex kicked you out with nowhere to go. I let you crash in my bed. Paid all the utilities. You said you needed new clothes for job interviews, so I split my last paycheck with you. I wasn't expecting a thank-you card, but cheating with my fiancé?"
Paige's face went white. She forced herself to keep her chin up. "So what? Love is something you fight for. Dylan and I are truly in love. You were just squatting in the spot."
"So the ‘pretend to be broke' idea really came from you? You two were already hooking up behind my back, weren't you?"
"It's not my fault you're so stupid. You believed everything we said!"
Smack.
