Chapter 2

2.

I opened my social media and posted a single status.

"Looking for a wedding partner. Please introduce any reliable, single guys."

The comment section exploded within minutes.

Some people asked if Caleb and I had a fight. They told me men having "hobbies" outside was normal and warned me not to be a drama queen, or I'd lose a good man.

Others questioned my integrity. They asked how I could do this to Caleb after all these years.

I looked at those comments and laughed.

I had been with Caleb when he had nothing. I helped him build his business. I stayed through every struggle.

I could hold my head high and say I owed him absolutely nothing!

He was the one who made a disgusting demand. He was the one who threw away thirteen years of history.

It was time to cut the cord and start over.

My phone vibrated again.

I expected another lecture from Caleb's friends.

Instead, it was a private message from my boss.

The man I had saved in my contacts as "The Evil Capitalist." His name was Dominic Fontaine.

"The Evil Capitalist: You're looking for someone to marry?"

"The Evil Capitalist: How about me?"

I froze. I realized I had forgotten to hide my post from my boss.

"The Evil Capitalist: When is the date?"

My heart raced. I nervously typed back: "In a month?"

"The Evil Capitalist: Deal."

"Ivy (Tech Dept): Sir, are you being serious?"

"The Evil Capitalist: Or we could go to the courthouse right now. Wait there. I'll pick you up in thirty minutes."

I panicked and stopped him.

"Ivy (Tech Dept): Sir, I still have things to handle. Let's stick to the plan. A month from now. You can use this time to reconsider."

"The Evil Capitalist: No need to reconsider. We're getting married in a month."

I stared at Dominic's messages, unable to process what was happening.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a key in the front door.

Caleb walked in, looking miserable.

"Ivy, we need to postpone the wedding. Serena is still in a bad place. I don't want to celebrate while she's suffering. It'll trigger her."

I nodded calmly. "Okay."

Caleb looked surprised. "You're not going to throw a fit?"

"Why would I?"

"I thought you'd be furious. We've been together for over a decade, after all."

I scoffed internally.

Thirteen years of a relationship, and he could cancel the wedding just like that for a woman who wasn't even his relative.

He had spent years getting used to making all the decisions.

As long as he decided something, I was expected to obey. I was the submissive partner who never argued.

I had let so many things slide because I didn't want to fight over petty issues.

But this time, I wasn't backing down.

"Is she doing better?" I asked.

Caleb sighed. "She needs someone around. She overthinks when she's alone. We need to start the... process... for the baby as soon as possible."

"I see. Then you should spend more time with her."

Caleb smiled and actually praised me. "I guess that fight did some good. You've finally matured."

I wasn't maturing.

I was waking up.

Suddenly, a poppy, upbeat song started playing from Caleb's pocket.

I was taken aback. Caleb was the definition of a stoic, "manly" guy. He would never use a cute pop song as his ringtone.

He answered it, his voice becoming more tender than I had ever heard. "Serena?"

Oh. It was a custom ringtone just for her.

"What? Okay, I'll bring it over right now."

Caleb hung up and grabbed his car keys immediately. He was halfway out the door before he remembered to tell me.

"Serena left some clothes in my car. I'm going to drop them off."

"What kind of clothes?" I asked.

Caleb's expression turned strange. He hesitated, stammering, "Just... regular clothes. Don't worry about it. I gotta go."