Chapter 2

"I'm not going through with this wedding," I said evenly.

Chloe burst out laughing.

"Hear that? She's using the unborn kid to blackmail you!" She sneered. "Attorney Jenkins sent over the addendum, and she hasn't signed it yet, right? Once she found out her allowance was only eight hundred bucks, she panicked. Her true colors are showing!"

Julian stared at me, his gaze full of sharp suspicion.

"Is this really all over that agreement?"

I looked up to meet his eyes. "Yes. And no."

Chloe clapped her hands dramatically. "She admitted it! She is after your fortune! I called it from day one!"

Julian clenched his jaw, disgust dripping from his voice. "Lauren, I can't believe you're this kind of person."

I laughed.

It was a hollow, incredulous laugh.

"In the five years we've been together, what have I ever spent of yours?" I asked, staring right at him. "Every time you gave me a gift, I bought you one of equal value. Every time you took me out to dinner, I picked up the check the next time. Tell me, Julian---where exactly did you lose out?"

Julian froze.

He couldn't name a single thing.

Chloe, however, rolled her eyes. "That's called the long con, sweetie. You play the high-and-mighty independent career woman who doesn't care about cash. You wait until he lets his guard down completely, and the moment you tie the knot, the trap snaps shut. In my line of work, we see this script all the time. It takes patience to fake it for five years, I'll give you that."

Julian's chronic paranoia flared up again. He eyed me with renewed doubt.

I let out a quiet sigh.

I should have accepted his nature a long time ago. Five years of devotion couldn't warm a heart wired for distrust.

I slid the engagement ring off my left ring finger.

"Since you don't believe me, let's just end it."

I placed the diamond ring flat into his palm.

Julian's expression shifted drastically. "Lauren, what are you doing? We're getting married next week."

I shook my head gently. "Call off the wedding."

Panicking, Julian tried to grab my hand, but Chloe pulled him back.

"What did I say? Her next move is threatening to call off the wedding so you'll buy her a luxury house! Her parents still live in that cramped, run-down old suburban house, don't they? They've been dying to upgrade. You cut her allowance, and now she's throwing a fit."

Realization seemed to dawn on Julian. A flicker of contempt surfaced in his eyes.

"If you wanted a house for your parents, you could have just asked. You didn't need to put on this whole theatrical performance."

I had indeed planned on buying my parents a new place. They were getting older, and I wanted them closer so we could look after one another.

But I had never once asked Julian for money.

Because I could afford it myself.

"I don't want a house," I murmured. "I just want to cancel the wedding."

Chloe scoffed loudly. "First she fakes a medical emergency, then she takes off the ring and calls off the wedding. What's next? Packing her bags and threatening to run away? Girl, daytime soap operas ran out of these cheap tropes years ago."

Just then, my phone chimed. A notification popped up on the screen from the recruiter:

Ms. Taylor, the official offer letter from the Wall Street firm has been sent to your email. Please review...

Chloe covered her mouth, gasping in exaggerated mockery.

"Look! Right on cue! She even hired people to text her fake job offers! Wall Street? Wow, you really love inflating your own resume, don't you?"

Julian pressed his lips into a tight line, looking thoroughly exhausted by me.

"Lauren, is this really necessary?"

I smiled bitterly. "You think I'm acting?"

Julian gave me a patronizing look, as if dealing with an unreasonable child. "Everything was fine until that eight-hundred-dollar clause. Then out of nowhere, you threaten to call off the wedding. What else am I supposed to think?"