Amme's POV All of this was giving me a headache—the idiot Keller's attitude, Aaron's, and honestly, my own. God… poor Emma. I didn't know how she put up with us. I must admit I was not the easiest person to deal with, but Adam Keller truly got under my skin. What he said hurt me. It annoyed me. And it shocked me—all at once. I could see how attracted he was to Emma, even if he refused to admit it. Of course he would. How could a man like him admit he was drawn to a woman like Emma? I didn't like the way he spoke to me either. It was harsh—but honest. No one had ever spoken to me like that before. And realizing that my words, my presence alone, hurt Emma made my heart ache. How had I not noticed before? Of course being near me hurt her. People were always comparing us. The compliments always went to me, and the cruel criticism always landed on Emma. I had been naïve to think that speaking kindly to her would somehow erase the pain of not looking like me. Her decision

"What the hell?!" This had to be a joke. Emma was backing out. "Are you serious, Emma?!" "Yes. If there's another woman, if there's even the smallest chance she could come back into your life, then I don't want to marry you. I'm not going to suffer through this marriage, Keller. "I'd rather be married to a boring nobody, or an idiot, or be the only spinster on the planet, than be the wife of a man who loves someone else. "I know you're not going to love me, but if there's another woman, that will only make you hate me every time you look at me and see me instead of her." I hadn't expected that. I had never seen that side of Emma before. But it was true. I had always thought I would only marry that woman, and now it turned out I wouldn't. That I would marry Emma. Emma, not her. Even if this marriage was only for appearances, and even if Emma attracted me, the truth was that marriage had always been reserved for that woman. It frustrated me that it wouldn't happen. But what

Once we were in his office, Keller read his parents' prenuptial agreement out loud. I was surprised by how advantageous it was for either of them as long as they followed it. Now I understood why Alana and Aldir had never divorced, even though Aldir was Alex's brother and hadn't married Alana for love. If they divorced, one of them would lose a great deal. "I don't have my parents' agreement in my hands," I said, "but I know it perfectly." "That's enough for me. Let's make ours." "Fine." 1. It is strictly forbidden to be unfaithful, flirt, or have any romantic involvement with another person while we are married.2. It is strictly forbidden to force me to fulfill wifely duties such as sex or having children whenever you feel like it. 3. In the event of infidelity, divorce will not be up for discussion. It will be signed the same day the infidelity is discovered.4. As a guarantee that you will respect this agreement, I want you to transfer ownership of this apartment to m

Aaron looked discouraged. Before I could explain the situation, he interrupted me with a flood of questions. "Did you really get engaged to Adam Keller? Do you love him? Does he love you? How long have you been living together? Do you really feel nothing for me anymore?" "Aaron, I…" "Of course our engagement is real. He loves me, and I love her. We've been living together for a couple of months, and now we'll be living together for the rest of our lives. And no, she doesn't feel anything for you anymore." Great. Keller showed up again to ruin everything. That damn mouth of his was going to be the death of him. "Is what he's saying true, Emma?" I nodded. Not everything was true. Adam and I didn't love each other, and we hadn't really been living together, although right now it definitely looked that way. "It's true, Aaron. We're getting married soon." "I see…" Aaron made a face full of pain. "You can leave now. Emma and I are in a hurry, so go." "Adam!" "Sorry, b

"Adam!" "Yes? What… what is it, Emma?" "What do you mean, what is it? You were distracted. Who did you see?" "Huh? Oh. No. No one…" "I see. Can you take me back to the apartment?" "Of course, beautiful." I got into the car with him, and he drove me back to the apartment. During the entire ride, he didn't say a single word. He looked different. He wasn't the Adam Keller I was used to seeing. He looked distant, lost. Whoever he had seen had clearly shaken him. We arrived at the apartment, and I invited him in. He didn't accept. He simply said goodbye and left. He had said we would have dinner with my parents to discuss the engagement. That wasn't going to happen, at least not today. Three weeks had passed since we agreed to get married. In those three weeks, I hadn't received a single message from Adam. He hadn't shown up either. I had a feeling he had changed his mind. Maybe it had something to do with the way he acted that day at the hospital. I tried to tel