Page 63 of Insta Bride

Twenty-five thousand dollars. A new car? I didn’t need a new car.

“If the money can change your life, and you don’t think you’ll be the last couple standing here in a couple of days, then you know what to do. Push the red button.”

“Do we get a chance to talk to our partner?” Kenzie asked and I could almost feel her looking at Benjamin. They’d played the game well and would walk away with the profile they wanted, even if their fake relationship died a natural death.

“Please place your hands on the button.”

JP stood in front of us, to the side of the display with a remote in his hand. With a smirk that begged to be smacked, he said, “Go.”

The dollars decreased as quickly as my heart raced.

Kye let out a huge sigh and stepped away from the button.

What the?

“I thought you wanted the cash?” I asked, my hand still trembling above the button.

47,000

“I want you more.”

“No, you don’t.” I kept looking from Kye to the display.

45,000

“You want fame and fortune. Push the button.”

“No.” Kye almost laughed. “I want us.”

35,000

“But—”

I wanted to push the button. Walk away with at least something to show for it. I could shout liquid lunches with my friends until they stopped looking at me with pity.

I could walk away with Kye.

Suddenly, the display stopped, and a buzzer sounded. We all looked around to see who’d pressed the button.

“I can say that two people pushed the button,” JP said. “Thirty-two thousand and sixteen dollars will be shared by one couple. That couple’s luggage will be waiting in the foyer, while the rest of you will find your luggage in your new villas.

“So we don’t even know who pushed it?” I asked, knowing it wasn’t Kye or me.

“Say goodbye to your friends,” JP said, leaving us.

Too late, I realized Kye didn’t want to push the button and make him appear the bad guy. If I’d had a minute to think about things, I would have realized Kye and I would never work on the outside and I should have jumped in when there was fifty-thousand dollars to share.

I should have pushed the button.

Kye

Why didn’t I just push the fucking button?

Twenty-five grand could have paid for an overseas holiday. It could have paid off my car lease. It could have put a dent in my mortgage. But, then I’d looked at Elena and I wasn’t ready to give up on us. Not yet. I wasn’t being a stubborn asshole. Well, maybe I was but I also had an outside of a chance that Bree would take me up on the whole wedding idea. At least a fake wedding. Maybe like that other show where you go through the motions, but it’s not legal?

I’d watched Elena’s finger tremble on the button. Everyone else had been looking at their own buttons, but I’d watched Elena.

There was a moment when she wanted to press and then she looked at me. I said the only thing that I could, “Trust me.”

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