Seriously? Tomorrow was Monday, a
workday. After that, she stopped replying altogether. I looked up, my gaze drifting to
Ethan, still absorbed in his figurine. He was undeniably handsome. Sharing a marriage
certificate with this face wasn’t a bad deal,
especially since he was paying me. The only downside was the lack of love, but whatever. I’d
survived twenty–six years without it.
I stared, lost in thought, forgetting to look
away. He caught me staring.
“Lisa, are you tired?”
“Huh? No.”
I hadn’t realized he’d moved closer. I blinked,
surprised.
“Are you still not used to this? I haven’t been
living here long myself. The place is pretty bare.
Div whatovar
want make it fool like homn
<
Buy whatever you want, make it feel like home.
You’ll get used to it.”
“Okay, thanks, sir.”
“Call me by my name.” He sighed, sounding tired, maybe even a little sad.
There was no way I was calling my boss, my benefactor, by his first name. I just stared at him, speechless.
“We’re legally married. Don’t be so formal. It’ll be awkward in front of my parents if we act like strangers.” He gave a wry smile.
“Okay…Ethan?”
“Hey, Lisa.” We exchanged a small smile.
I couldn’t sleep that night. I kept replaying the moment we’d said each other’s names. If you ignored reality, we were just like a normal
<
10:09
504
couple. But it was all fake. Ashley’s image, and the unfinished story about Ethan and his ex, kept intruding. I lay awake until dawn. Maybe it was the new bed, or maybe I was too excited
about imagining the drama between Ethan and
Ashley.
Sarah, I hate you.
My alarm blared, dragging me out of my thoughts. I groaned, wondering how I was going
to sneak in a nap at work without getting
caught. I dragged myself out of bed, and
practically ran into…
Ethan’s half–naked torso.
I quickly averted my eyes, trying to slink away,
when he grabbed my arm.
“Lisa, were you robbing graves last night?
Those are some serious dark circles.”
>
“Uh…” More like grave–robbing your past
relationship drama.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I mumbled.
“Still not used to the new place? Don’t go to work today, get some rest.” He smiled, and I swore I saw a hint of tenderness in his eyes.
I was hallucinating from lack of sleep.
“Thanks, sir!” I clapped my hands in delight.
This was perfect. Now I could go see Sarah and get the full story!
“What did you call me?”
“Um… Ethan. I said thanks, sir.”
He patted my head. “You’re pretty interesting,
you know that?”
66
504
<
Ethan left for work, and I slapped on some concealer to hide my dark circles before rushing to Sarah’s. Before I even reached her house, I yelled, “Sarah! I’m here! Your grumpy brother gave me the day off! Come down!”
Sarah appeared on the balcony, staring at me with a strange expression. Before I could figure out what was going on, I was hit with my own wave of bewilderment.
An elegant woman stood at the front door,
smiling at me. “You’re here to see Sarah again!” she called out, waving.
I froze. This had to be Sarah’s mom…
Then Sarah ran out, one arm around her
mother’s shoulders, the other waving at me.
“Sister–in–law! I’ve missed you so much! I’m so
glad you’re here!”
Me: “…”
Sarah’s mom:
11
504
I lunged forward and clapped my hand over Sarah’s mouth, shooting her a warning glare.
Sarah’s mom stared, then her eyes widened in
realization. She took my hand, her voice
trembling with excitement. “You… you’re Ethan’s girlfriend?”
Ethan, your family is really eager for you to get
married.
“Um…”
“Mom! She’s Ethan’s wife!” Sarah yelled,
pushing me forward.
“Hello, Mrs. Davis.”
“You…you’re married? Really?” Mrs. Davis’s
eyes were sparkling with tears.
r
I felt a pang of guilt. How disappointed would
she be if she knew this was all a sham? I
nodded slowly. Behind me, Sarah was frantically
miming “Call her Mom!”
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I’d
never had a mother, never called anyone
“Mom.” The word felt foreign on my tongue.
I gave Mrs. Davis an apologetic look. “Sorry, Mrs. Davis, I’m not used to it.”
She was incredibly understanding, reassuring me it was perfectly fine.
“Mom, Lisa is my best friend too! Now that she’s married to Ethan, we’re practically family!” Sarah hugged me, and for a moment, it really felt like I was marrying her. Well, Ethan didn’t seem to like me much anyway. Might as well be married to Sarah.
Mrs. Davis made a huge dinner to celebrate. Mr.
Davis came home just in time, and I met both of
Ethan’s parents completely unprepared. I was
nervous, but Sarah was ecstatic, chattering
non–stop about Ethan and me, and our
friendship.
“Speaking of that boy, he was so distracted at
work today, constantly checking his phone. Tsk.
I asked him to come home for dinner, but he
refused. I thought he was working late, but he vanished the minute he clocked out.” Mr. Davis
shook his head.
I thought about Sarah’s detailed account of Ethan and Ashley’s drama earlier that day. He was probably with Ashley. Which was fine. I wouldn’t go home tonight and give them some space.
