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Elizabeth told her family we’re together.
She lied despite turning me down tonight.
That means her back is firmly planted against the wall just like mine is.
I can use this.
My eyes flit to the fruitless Google search I’ve been working on.
More than that.
I have to use this.
“Hello? Brogan? Are you still there?” Her voice gets quieter and I imagine she’s pulling the phone back in confusion. “Did he hang up?”
“Elizabeth,” I say calmly, my eyes swinging to the picture frame on my nightstand. “Are you listening?”
“I am.”
“I need to know something.”
There’s total silence on the line.
“Is this a yes?”
“What is he talking about? Yes to what?”
“Elizabeth,” I call her name again. Firmly. Intently. “Do we have an agreement?”
Someone sighs.
Probably Elizabeth.
I can imagine her biting down on her bottom lip.
Eyes darting back and forth.
Fingers curling into her dress.
She’s weighing whether seven days of marriage to a total stranger is worth the cost of her pride.
I switch the phone to my other ear and make one last push. “Hello?”
“She’s here,” her mother says. “She’s sitting down with her head between her legs. Becca, would you check on her? It looks like she’s panicking.”
“Elizabeth?”
Still no response from her.
I speak slowly into the phone. “This is no time to panic. Calm down and make your decision or I’ll tell them the truth.”
“What truth? What is he talking about, Elizabeth?”
“Are you threatening me?”
“That’s not an answer.”
Silence again.
