Chapter 4

MAY. Anna leaves the arena of shock and settles into that of fierce disbelief. "But you don't even have a boyfriend." This might come as a shock, but I have never had one. Not a real one, anyway. I have never actually been emotionally attached enough to anyone to go that far. Even when Sean tried to set me up with his friend with wandering hands shortly after he married Anna, I wasn't interested. Ginny always jokes that I am "asexual," but the kiss I shared with Ethan today says otherwise. Anna folds her hands with her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "This isn't funny." I meet my sister's gaze."I'm not joking." Anna doesn't look like she believes me. In this situation, who would? Then suddenly, her eyes go round as she catches a glimpse of the paper in my hand. "Is that a marriage certificate?" I look down at it. I had forgotten I was holding it. Somewhere between the wedding, the kiss, the sick cat, the car, and the emergency, it had completely slipped my mind. "Oh my God, you did get married." Anna covers her mouth with her hands in shock. "How is that possible?" Where do I begin? It feels surreal even to me. "It's a long story." Anna pulls me away from the doorway into the house. "I have all the time in the world." We end up in my room, where I tell her everything that happened, from the accident to the coffee date and our marriage. Saying it, my face burns. I can't believe a woman I didn't know told me to check out her grandson, and I did. I look at my wedding ring and affirm that I really did that crazy shit. Anna's face is a kaleidoscope of emotions, going from confusion to shock to disbelief all over again. When I am done, she seems even more puzzled than before I told her. "Just like that?" "Yes." She takes my hand, her tone soft but firm. "Why did you agree to something like that without telling me? It could have been a scam. It could still be!" I swallow hard and meet her gaze. "I overheard your conversation with Sean." Shock and understanding flood her face, and she pulls me into an embrace. "May." I sniff, trying to hold back my tears. "I didn't want to be the cause of any problems in your marriage." Anna begins to sob quietly."Is that why you agreed to marry a stranger?" A stranger. Is it weird that he doesn't feel like a stranger to me? I know it's been such a short time since we've known each other, and in that time, apart from convincing me to marry him, he barely speaks to me. But some moments, it is as if I understand his silence. And some other moments, he feels like a stranger, this husband of mine. His steel grey eyes feel like a brand across my skin, his touch a torch that lights me up. Ethan makes me afraid. Because for someone who has never been inclined toward things like this, it is too soon for me to be feeling any of this. Way too soon. So yes, I might have been forced to come to this decision quicker because of Sean, but I wasn't regretting it just yet. Anna's voice cuts into my thoughts. "I have failed you as a sister." "No, Anna," I exclaim as I pull away from the hug just enough that I can meet the eyes of my sister, who has been my support through every step of our lives. "You haven't. You have been the best sister possible, and I couldn't have asked anyone better." Her cheeks are red and damp with tears. "Then why–" "He might be cold, but he is good to me," I interrupt her. 'So good to me' might be a stretch, seeing as the only thing he has done is catch me in a fake swoon and forcefully give me a car as his responsibility as a husband. But it is the thought that counts, right? Besides, it's only been a day, and it is way too soon to start judging him. I look at my sister, who is obviously agitated and worried about what I will face in my newly married life with a man I barely know. I meet her gaze squarely. "I am an adult now. I can take care of myself. Please trust me enough for that." Anna relents, but the worry doesn't leave her eyes. "I love you." I pull her into a hug. "Love you too, sis." *** My bag is packed, and I am at the door again. Sean naturally doesn't even come out to say goodbye, being the oaf that he is. He is actually sweet to Anna, but when it comes to me… "I'll call you once I get settled at home," I promise Anna, who has a death grip on my hand. Home. Ethan's home will now become mine and I'm not sure how to feel about that. Anna doesn't let go. "I promise," I giggle, and she playfully glares at me. "You had better." As she is about to let go of my hand when she gasps at the sight of my wedding ring. "Is that an actual diamond?" I inspect the beautiful ring. I am not an expert or anything — I might know less about diamonds than about cars — but with a rock that big, it would be priced really high. No one would spend that much money on a ring, much less as part of an arranged marriage. "Definitely not." I shrug. "It's probably a very good knockoff." Anna looks skeptical as she reexamines it. "I could have sworn I saw it in Tiffany's latest wedding ring designs." Anna's obsessions are jewelry and any kind of high fashion. Especially things she can't even dream of affording. So naturally, she follows all the magazines and knows what is released and when. If she says it was in a Tiffany's magazine, then it was. I look at the suddenly heavy ring on my hand. "A very expensive knockoff." Anna laughs at my somber expression."At least I know he can take care of you." I shake my head. It is one thing to be somewhat dependent on my sister, another thing entirely to be wholly dependent on someone I don't know. Yet. "I will be dependent on him like that. I intend to continue working." Anna beams at me before hugging me. "That's my sister." As I enter the taxi and tell the driver where I am going, I really look at the address Harriet sent me. It is on the good side of town. Not on the overly expensive side but on the highest end of the middle class. As the driver navigates through the increasingly cleaner streets, I get a call from my best friend. I can't believe I forgot to call her. I pick up the call and have to hold it some distance from my ear because of how much she yells. "May, where have you been?!" "Ginny–" She doesn't let me finish before interrupting me."You went AWOL, and you didn't tell your best friend!" "No one says AWOL in normal conversation," I interject, finally able to get a word in. "I do," Ginny snaps back, but she is much calmer now. "Where have you been? Tina said you had a family emergency. Is Anna okay? I kept calling, but Sean said to stop disturbing them." Tina was in charge of the staff there. Our manager of sorts. So I had to call her before taking the day off. I think of telling her about my marriage, but my eardrums disagree with me. "I'll tell you all about it after work tomorrow." She hesitates. "But you are good?" I smile. For all her brashness, she has a heart of gold. "I am. Thank you for calling." Ginny scoffs, her way of saying she loves me. "Save your thanks for tomorrow. I want all the dirty deets." "Sure." The call ends, and the taxi pulls up to a stunning high-rise apartment building. I look around, and the only question on my mind is: Where exactly does my husband work to be able to rent in this sort of luxurious building?