Page 126 of Marrying Off My Husband

I bobbed my head again before I forced the words out of my mouth before I lost my ability to say them. “Well, on the upside, you’ll have more free time now.” Her features crinkled. “We don’t need to keep up this charade.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh, right, yeah. The whole fake dating thing.”

“Exactly, yeah. I mean…Louise is engaged and happy, so you’re off the hook.”

“You too,” she said with a fleeting smile, shifting her weight.

“Right,” I said, pumping my fist in the air despite my heart breaking.

“Well, it was fun while it lasted, as they say. I’ll bet you’ll be happy to get back to normal.”

“Definitely, definitely,” I answered, flicking my gaze away from her. “Well, anyway…uh…I guess I’ll let you go.”

She pressed her lips together, an emotion clouding her eyes, but I couldn’t read it. “Right, sure. Have a good night.”

I offered her a tight-lipped smile before I spun on a heel.

“Hey, Spencer,” she called after me.

I twisted toward her. For a second, I hoped against hope that this would be one of those moments like in the romance movies I’d watched, that Eve would suddenly gush about how she cared about me. And then I’d tell her I felt the same way. We’d fly into each other’s arms, kiss, and spend the rest of our lives together.

I held my breath, waiting to see what she’d say. Would this be the end of our chapter?

CHAPTER 31

EVE

The cool sea breeze drifted through my jacket, carrying a chill that seeped into my bones. Dread settled in my heart as I stood there on that corner, realizing the only relationship I’d ever enjoyed–the longest one I’d ever had–had come to an abrupt end.

Spencer seemed happy to be finished with it, and I couldn’t blame him. He hadn’t been looking for a charity case when Louise had set us up.

And he very much preferred to avoid the social scene. I’d learned that about him very quickly during the time we’d spent together.

That didn’t make the words he spoke sting any less. I tried to play along, faking my emotions about our break-up–or rather, our fake-up.

He’d tried to break it to me gently. I appreciated that as I fought to pretend to be okay.

I had thought maybe we’d go to one last dinner together to celebrate our win, but he’d put a quick end to that. I couldn’t blame him. He’d spent a fair amount of money entertaining me over the past few months. I’m sure he didn’t want to waste another couple of hundred on a last hurrah.

He offered me a tight-lipped smile before he spun on a heel and took a step away from me.

“Hey, Spencer,” I called after him.

As he turned to face me, the weight of the moment pressed down, thickening the air. My mind raced through a million different confessions, each fighting for release, yet when I opened my mouth, uncertainty choked the words, leaving me gasping for a way to fill the silence that stretched between us.

What had I planned on doing?

For a second, I thought about confessing everything, about telling him that I thought I may be in love with him. Then I realized what an awful idea that was. My stomach twisted into a knot as I imagined the burst of laughter that would follow such an admission.

He’d probably tell me he was dating my sister.

My fear squashed the idea of being honest. So, instead, I murmured, “I wish you all the best. Good luck with your sequel.”

He offered me a fleeting smile as he bobbed his head. “Thanks. You, too. I hope everything works out great for you.”

I licked my lips as my smile faltered, trying to distract myself from the emotions bubbling under the surface.

“Bye, Eve.”

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