I was slouched on the couch, flicking through channels, when I noticed a white box on the coffee table.
Ashton ca into the living room. ‘It’s for you. Open it.’
‘For ?’ I looked up, surprised, and reached for the box, flipping the lid open.
Inside were two rings.
I froze, my fingers hovering over the smooth tal.
He stepped into my line of sight, standing right in front of . ‘They are our wedding rings.’
I glanced at the rings again. A pair of platinum bands, each with a small band of delicate diamonds embedded in them. The first letter of our nas—‘M’ and ‘A’—engraved inside.
I didn’t reach for them. ‘What happened to the rings we wore to your grandfather’s party? I probably lost mine sowhere in the pool.’
‘It has been found, but that was a re prop, bought at a mont’s notice.’
‘It was good enough to fool the guests.’
‘But not good enough for you.’
‘I’m not sure about this,’ I said. ‘We’ve already swapped gifts once, rember? The black gold ring I gave you, and the pendant with the grandidierite stone you gave .’
Which was so valuable that I’d only worn it once before locking it away in a safe.
‘Those were gifts to commorate the beginning of our collaboration. Wedding rings are different.’
‘Exactly. Wedding rings are different.’ Wearing them, in public, at all tis, would transform our marriage from a line in a contract to a visible truth, seen and understood by everyone.
‘A ring would save you the hassle of having to explain yourself to everyone.’
‘I don’t have to explain myself to anyone anyway,’ I argued.
‘Including Mr Carter?’
‘Finn? What about him? He never asked if I’m married. Why would he?’
Ashton stared at . I was seated, he was standing, an angle that made his already imposing height feel even more overwhelming.
He didn’t say a word, but his silence pressed down on so heavily, I felt compelled to explain myself.
‘Finn’s a friend. That’s all.’
‘That’s not what he thinks.’
‘You think he’s into ?’ I stared up at him, amazed.
‘I don’t think; I know.’
‘Co on, just because he took out to lunch doesn’t an he wants to get into my pants. I paid, by the way. Don’t you think he’d have insisted on picking up the tab if he wanted sothing in return? Isn’t that how things usually work? And, FYI, it’s lunch, not dinner. No alcohol involved.’
I stood up on the couch, so now I was towering above him.
‘I don’t like you throwing accusations at my friend. I also don’t like that you’d doubt my commitnt to the contract. I said I’d be your fake wife for a year, and I keep my word, no matter what. I swear I’m not going to date another guy till our contract runs out, is that a good enough guarantee for you?’
Ashton was quiet for a long while.
Eventually, he said, ‘I didn’t an to anger you.’
‘Well, you succeeded without trying.’
‘Maybe I didn’t make myself clear. I wasn’t implying that you were interested in dating Mr Carter, just that he might be interested in you.’
‘I can’t control what other people think.’
‘You can’t, but wouldn’t it be better if such thoughts never had the opportunity to arise in the first place? Wouldn’t that be more preferable to the scenario where Mr Carter confesses his feelings to you, only for you to turn him down? He’ll have his heart broken, and you might lose a friend in the process.’
I eyed him from my high vantage point and equally high moral ground. ‘You are trying to manipulate .’ And damn it if he didn’t sound convincing.
‘I’m trying to make both our lives easier. There are won who keep trying to get my attention, no matter how many tis I turn them down. I don’t want that kind of distraction, and I’m sure you don’t either. A ring makes all that go away.’
I climbed down from my vantage point.
Pursuing his lead, Ashton continued, ‘And it would help convince your parents who, from what I understand, still haven’t given up on matchmaking you off to the highest bidder.’
‘Yeah.’ I smiled ruefully.
marrying Ashton Laurent was so hard to believe that Franklin and Caroline simply refused to accept it. They thought I was just throwing his na around to force them to back off.
‘Married couples wear rings,’ he stated like it was an incontrovertible fact.
‘Most do,’ I mumbled. ‘So don’t.’
I didn’t know what was stopping from accepting the ring. I’d played along so far, hadn’t I?
I’d even started to enjoy our kisses, and if one night, Ashton ca knocking on my door, I knew I wouldn’t say no.
But putting a ring on it made it all too... real. Too final.
Like a commitnt I couldn’t easily back out of.
Ashton took one of the rings, knelt in front of , slid it onto my ring finger.
I should’ve said sothing. I should’ve pushed him away.
But instead, I just stared at him.
He held out his left hand, waiting.
Moving like an automaton, I picked up the other ring and slid it on.
The rest of the night felt like a haze, a strange kind of disconnection hanging over .
It lingered until I finally lay down to sleep.
I lifted my hand and stared at the ring on my finger.
Through the small gap between my fingers, I could almost see him kneeling in front of , his eyes locked onto mine.
I ran my thumb over the ring, picked up my phone, and checked the calendar.
It had been over a month since Ashton and I had gotten our marriage licence.
Just over ten more months to go until the year was up.
And then we’d divorce.
The end seed inevitable.
I closed my eyes slowly, trying to shut out the thoughts that had started to swirl.
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