I smiled.
"Fine. I'll marry you."
Stan blinked. He clearly hadn't expected me to agree so easily.
His grip loosened, and that rehearsed warmth slid back into his eyes.
"There. That wasn't so hard."
"I'll give you a wedding."
I said nothing. The memory of my last wedding was still vivid. The ceremony. The wedding night. The homeless shelter I ended up in. I would never walk that road again.
Agreeing was only about getting the money.
The moment those funds hit the account, I was gone.
On the day we signed the marriage certificate, Stan was dressed to the nines.
He held my hand as we walked out of the courthouse.
"Jade, we're husband and wife now."
The warmth in his voice was almost convincing. I pulled my hand free and gave a noncommittal hum.
A sports car pulled up in front of us. The window slid down, revealing a face I knew all too well.
Annette Simmons. The woman Stan had never stopped thinking about.
In my last life, he'd thrown away my life just to keep her happy.
"Stan! Congratulations." Annette stepped out of the car and looked me up and down, a challenge glittering in her eyes. "So this is Miss Kaufman? She really is pretty. No wonder you skipped my birthday party for her."
Stan's shoulders stiffened, barely perceptible.
He turned to Annette, a thread of anxiety woven through his voice. "Annette, what are you doing here?"
She pouted, sauntering over to loop her arm through his. "I just wanted to meet your new bride."
Then she pressed closer, tilting her face up at him. "Stan, my stomach's acting up again. Will you take me to the hospital? Please?"
Right in front of me. His wife of five minutes. She didn't even pretend to care.
Stan glanced back at me. "Jade, Annette's health isn't great. I'll take her to the hospital. The driver will bring you home."
It had been exactly like this the first time around. The day we got our marriage certificate, one phone call from Annette, and he was gone. I'd sat alone in that apartment all night, waiting like a fool. Back then, I'd actually believed he was just looking after her like a sister.
I gave them both a pleasant nod. "Sure. Take your time. I won't see you out."
Stan clearly didn't appreciate my composure. His brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to say something, but Annette was already pulling him into the car.
The sports car shrank into the distance. I took out my phone and called the finance department.