Chapter 1

1

The day my fiancée faked amnesia, she dragged me to City Hall and turned our brand-new marriage certificate into a divorce decree.

Two days later, the wedding I'd meticulously planned went off without a hitch.

The bride was still her, but the groom was her on-again, off-again ex.

The next time I saw her, eyes red-rimmed, she grabbed my arm. "Jake, where have you been? Why haven't you called?"

I gave her a blank stare, like she was a complete stranger. "Excuse me, do I know you?"

...

"Jake, be at City Hall at 9 AM to finalize the divorce!"

Ashley barked the order and hung up before I could even answer.

Ashley was my fiancée.

And she had amnesia.

The first thing she did after her supposed memory loss was call me up for a divorce.

We'd gotten married yesterday morning. Now, first thing this morning, we were supposed to untie the knot.

When I arrived at City Hall, Ashley wasn't alone.

The guy she was all cozied up to, arm-in-arm, was someone I knew all too well. I'd seen him in Ashley's private Instagram stories �C a dude named Chad, her ex-boyfriend she'd been messing with for like five years.

He'd only vanished from her "close friends only" stories when I came into the picture.

And now, Ashley had amnesia, and she conveniently forgot all about me.

So, Chad was back in the picture.

Chad's smile seemed to falter when he spotted me.

He stammered, "Uh, Jake, don't get the wrong idea. Ashley and I are just..."

He didn't let go of her arm. If anything, he held on tighter.

He shot me a smug look, a little jab only I could see.

Ashley squeezed his hand, leaning against his shoulder, her voice firm. "I asked Chad to come with me. There's no misunderstanding. He's my boyfriend."

A sharp pang hit me right in the chest.

I met Chad's triumphant gaze and managed a weak smile and nod. "Got it."

The waiting room wasn't too crowded.

The clerk gave me a weird look when we got to the counter.

I recognized him; he'd been the one to marry us yesterday.

He'd even offered a "Congratulations! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!"

We'd both smiled and thanked him.

And now here we were again, signing divorce papers.

Except the guy holding Ashley wasn't me; it was Chad.

I felt like a spare part, completely out of place.

The clerk eyed the three of us suspiciously. After a long pause, he said, "Sorry, this isn't standard procedure."

Ashley frowned. She was clearly impatient.

One phone call later, and we were all set.

Pretty ridiculous, really. Same red booklet, just no happy wedding photo inside.

I clutched the divorce papers, trying to ignore the burning in my chest.

Chad made a point of asking, "Now that you're divorced, you're not planning on sticking around Ashley's place, are you?"

He pretended to realize how that sounded and quickly added, "Sorry, I know you don't own a home, Jake, but it's just, Ashley and I are trying to start our lives here and we need the space."

Ashley cut him off, looking at me with cold indifference. "Now that we're divorced, get your stuff and get out!"

Her tone was so matter-of-fact, so…entitled.

You'd never know she was faking the whole amnesia thing.

My throat tightened.

The bright red divorce certificate felt like a brand in my hand.

Wasn't that the whole point of her charade?

Why couldn't she be honest?

I'd never been the clingy type.

If she wanted a divorce, why would I hold onto a woman who didn't love me?

It was just pathetic that our five years together hadn't earned me a decent explanation.

Our marriage was ending in the most absurd way possible.

I took a deep breath, forcing a stiff smile. "Okay. Whatever you want."