I stared at him, speechless for a long moment, completely stunned by the audacity of his suggestion. Finally, I broke the silence. "Why?" I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "So you can plan your wedding in peace?"
"What did you say?" Daniel furrowed his brows, his expression filled with confusion. "Tracie, what are you talking about? There’s no other bride. It’s always been you. I’m just... I’m busy right now. Things are complicated. I can’t think about a wedding until all this is settled."
I stood still, my face a mask of calm that barely concealed the storm brewing inside me. "Stop," I said firmly, shaking my head. "Enough with the lies, Daniel. I know everything. You really thought I wouldn’t figure it out? You thought I wouldn’t understand Italian?" The volume of my voice was high as I spoke. "You actually thought you could talk about marrying Ginger Massey to save your company, right in front of me?"
His expression faltered. "Tracie, I—"
"No," I cut him off, fury bubbling up. "I remember all of it. You and your friends, laughing at me. Thinking I wouldn’t catch on. Well, I did, Daniel. Every last word."
He froze, trying to find the right words, his mouth opening and closing in silence. "Tracie, please... I’m sorry. I never meant for it to go down like this. But I didn’t have a choice."
"No choice?" I repeated, disbelieving. "Explain that to me."
Daniel ran a hand through his disheveled hair, a look of guilt washing over him. "I have to marry Ginger," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper, almost pleading. "It’s for the family. If I don’t, the company will fail. Can’t you see what that means? Eddy Insurance is the biggest healthcare provider in America. If I can’t fix this... if I can’t save it... everything will crumble. The business, my father’s legacy... everything."
I crossed my arms, forcing myself to stay composed. "So, that’s it? You marry her, and I just sit on the sidelines, waiting?"
"It’s not like that," he said quickly, his voice filled with desperation. "It’s not serious. It’s just an arrangement. Tracie, I still love you. You don’t understand the pressure I’m under."
I took a slow breath, trying to push my emotions down. "What if I could help you?"
Daniel blinked, shocked by my words, before—disgustingly—he laughed.