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I hear him call after me as I enter the parking lot. I can hear him following me, which gives me some satisfaction.
“That is so insulting, Aiden,” I mutter, almost to myself.
Just before I get to my car, he takes me by the wrist. It isn’t rough, but it’s enough to startle me. I whip around, staring at him like Medusa stares at her victims before they turn to stone.
“Don’t touch me!”
He raises his hands in the air, looking regretful.
“I’m sorry. Please, I need you to hear me out first. Just hear me out.”
My heart is still fluttering – half with annoyance, the other half with utter bliss. Even being considered a fake wife to this man would be enticing. But I can’t show him that feeling in me just yet.
“Go then,” I snap.
“I will give you more money than just for the car,” he says, putting his hands in a praying position. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I just know everyone has stuff they have to deal with. That’s fine, it's not my business. I’m just saying I’m willing to help you with whatever your stuff is, if you help me.”
I give him an indifferent stare, nodding so he goes on.
“I really cannot be with this woman. My father is strict and forceful, and he won’t take no for an answer. This really is my only way out of this sham of a marriage.”
I cock an eyebrow, feeling bold. “The only way out of one sham is to go into another one?”
His eyes brighten. It makes my knees weak.
“I know it sounds insane,” he says softly. “I will only need a few meetings with him to sell the story. If I can tell him I’m already married, there’s no way he can force me to go through with this. I can help you in any other way you want. Please.”
Aiden is literally begging me under the glow of the flickering street lamp. I want to maintain my dignity, so I look him up and down, feigning disinterest as I unlock my car.
“Let me think about this, Aiden. It’s kind of a big deal.”
He nods his understanding. Beneath his forced, calm exterior, I sense he is just as desperate as I am.
“Thank you, Josephine.”
I tell him I will let him know by tomorrow, that I need time at home to think. We say our goodbyes and I head out, doing my best to focus on the road in front of me.
Once I get home, I run myself a bath. I need somewhere to relax and think that isn’t my bed. I dip my body in and shiver with delight, the lavender bath salts overtaking me and soothing my nerves.
The thought of his arrangement is always there, of course. I am incredibly attracted to Aiden, physically. Still, how desperate do I have to be to make a deal with a hot guy in order to pay for the shop? For my mother’s surgery?
The answer is crystal clear. Irrevocably desperate. The new question becomes: am I really that far gone? To be honest, I can’t quite manage to convince myself I’m not.
Things have looked bleak for a long time now. This proposal should outrage me. In better circumstances, maybe I could even laugh.
But in my current straits, it looks suspiciously like a light at the end of a dark tunnel. Judging by the car he drives and the engagement party he hosted, he’s clearly loaded.
I let myself sink into the water, the image of Aiden’s handsome face dancing around my thoughts gently.
12
AIDEN
Idrive back to the hotel, feeling sweat bloom under my armpits. The talk didn’t go as well as I was hoping. Perhaps I didn’t approach it thoughtfully enough. It’s not exactly charming to ask an attractive woman to be your fake wife.
I berate myself as I get back to my room, succumbing to exhaustion. Just as I’m about to topple into bed, I instead decide to take a shower first. I continue to ruminate as the hot water streams down my body.
The thought of having to live a life with Ada, even if it is brief, still sounds like a nightmare. I don’t love her. Even when we were together, I knew there was something essential missing.
