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“Sorry,” I muttered, stepping around her. She stopped me from leaving with a hand on my arm and a frown on her face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You look like hell.”
I snorted, anger pulsing through me. “Thanks,best friend. It’s great to see you, too.”
She raised her eyebrows, dropping her hand. “Okay, something’s definitely up. Here—” She pulled me away from the main room, then outside, pulling me into her car.
Turning to me, she said, “Let’s talk.”
“What do we have to talk about?” I asked her sarcastically, borrowing her line from when we were in the Hamptons.
“How about the fact that you’re extra and unusually sassy right now and also that you smell like throw-up?” She leaned back and crossed her arms. “I know we’ve been on the rocks lately, but I still care about you.”
“You have a funny way of showing it.” I looked away from her, seeking refuge in the view of the parking lot. “Whatever I’m going through is none of your concern.”
“On the contrary, it’s exactly my concern. I’m your maid of honor, remember? I have to make sure you get down that aisle tomorrow. So talk to me. What’s going on? Did Nathan do something to you?”
“Why are you determined to think the worst of Nathan?” I snapped, whipping around. “He’s been nothing but kind and considerate, and he loves me. Why do you have such a problem with that?”
“I have no problem with youactuallybeing in love—actually, I do.” Brooklyn sighed, and her shoulders slumped. “Look, Cici, despite what we’ve been going through lately, I know you. And something just doesn’t seem right about this whole thing. I’m sorry about the way I’ve been acting. I’ve been nothing less than an asshole, and you don’t deserve that. I will do better in supporting you, no matter how I feel about it. I love you and want nothing but the best for you.
“That said, I’m not sure Nathaniswhat’s best for you. Look how much you’ve changed to fit in here. And something is obviously bothering you if you’ve thrown up. Don’t lie to me and tell me it’s just wedding jitters.”
Her apology and care brought tears to my eyes, and I looked up at the ceiling to stop them from falling. I hadn’t realized until that moment how much I missed my best friend—the friendIknew, not the bitter, irritable person who had replaced her in the last few weeks.
I sighed. “I know it’s been sudden, and there is a reason for that,” I said. “But you have to promise me—promise me—that if I tell you, you won’t say anything to anyone.”
“I promise,” she said immediately. “Of course I do. You know I won’t say anything to anyone.”
“Okay.” I steeled myself, taking in a deep inhale before I continued. “So, as you know, I met Nathan online.”
“Yeah?”
“Well.” I hesitated, fiddling with my engagement ring. “When we met, he told me that he had to get married ASAP because it was written into his mom’s last will that if he, as the head of the family, wasn’t married, oversight of the estate would go to the next oldest male Hemingway blood relative, which is his cousin Zeke. And I don’t know if you’ve met Zeke yet—”
“I have.” Brooklyn shuddered. “He’s a villain.”
“Exactly.” I grimaced. “Anyway, Nathan explained to me that he was having a hard time finding a wife, and that it needed to happensoonbecause his mother had put a deadline on when it could happen. He needed to be legally married within three months of her death, and then married for at least six months after signing the marriage license, so that he could take over the estate. So he and I actually got married weeks ago—”
“Wait, what?” Brooklyn’s eyes widened. “Weeksago?? Cici…”
“I know.” I let out a shuddery breath, tears coming back to the surface. “I wanted to tell you so bad, but I just couldn’t. I didn’t want to jeopardize the contract.”
“What do you mean?”
“She explicitly said that if Nathan was caught in a fake relationship just to fulfill the requirements of her will, he couldn’t manage the estate.” I swiped at my cheeks as the tears finally fell. “But I took the risk because you’re my best friend, and I couldn’t lie to you anymore.”
In the dim light, Brooklyn shook her head but didn’t comment further on this. “So what’s in it for you?” she asked.
“Well, that’s the thing.” I continued my fiddling. “At the time, I was still saving up for the animation program, and I only needed a little bit more before I could pay for the program outright. I didn’t—and don’t—wanna take out loans to pay for it, so my only option was to save. So that’s what I bargained for in the marriage contract.”
“And Nathan was amenable to this, I’m sure.” A sour look crossed her face. “He’s got tons of money, so why not?”
“Brooklyn—”
“I know, I know,” she said, holding up her hands. “Just saying. Continue.”
“So we got married, and then the dean reached out and said they were no longer accepting new applicants after this spring, so my timeline was pushed up a bit, but I still applied.”
