Chapter 4

Leaving Carter was much easier than I thought.

It took me only half a day to pack my things.

And another half a day to sign a lease on a cute new apartment.

Then, I took my annual leave and went hiking in the mountains.

When I came back, Maya and I drank late into the night to celebrate my new life.

The next day, when I saw Julian standing outside my office, I thought I was still drunk and hallucinating.

By the time I fully processed what was happening, I was already standing outside City Hall with my ID in hand.

A bit dazed, I asked him, "Wait, am I being scammed? Am I going to wake up tomorrow and find out my kidney is missing?"

Though I joked, my heart felt incredibly safe.

Just like back in high school, when he silently draped his jacket over my shoulders to hide the bruises on my arms so the other kids wouldn't see.

If my family had been normal, if I hadn't had an abusive father, maybe I would have had the courage to confess my feelings to him back then.

Julian smiled and handed me a thick folder.

"Since you didn't look closely earlier, here."

Inside were his employment contract, bank statements, medical records, credit history, and a copy of his ID.

This guy was way too trusting.

"Aren't you afraid I'll lock you in a basement and take your kidney?" I teased.

His eyes crinkled with amusement. "If you do, I'll hand you a scalpel. It’s much sharper than a kitchen knife."

The weather was perfect, the sky was clear—a beautiful day to get married.

But of course, trash had to ruin the view.

Carter was walking toward the entrance, holding Chloe's hand, with two cameramen trailing behind them. They were obviously here to film a "getting married" TikTok.

The moment Carter saw me, his face darkened.

"Summer? How many times do I have to tell you to stop stalking me and Chloe? If you keep this up, I'm calling the cops for harassment!"

I rolled my eyes, ignored him, and pulled Julian straight into City Hall.

While Julian was filling out the marriage license form, I held up my phone to record him.

We needed to make a beautiful wedding video to show his grandmother, who was very sick and wanted to see him get married.

I had asked him why we needed to film a video instead of just showing her the certificate.

He said his grandmother was sharp and feared he’d get a fake certificate to ease her mind, so she demanded video proof.

He asked for my help because I worked in advertising and knew how to make things look romantic and authentic.

I stared at Julian through the screen. The warm sunlight filtered through his hair, casting a soft glow over his focused face as his pen scratched against the paper.

It felt like we were back in high school.

Seeing how intensely I was looking at him, the clerk couldn't help but smile. "You two are so sweet together."

My cheeks flushed, but then a mocking sneer echoed from behind us.

"You actually hired an actor to play your groom? Do you really think this cheap trick will make me jealous? Pathetic!" Carter scoffed.

Chloe chimed in, "Summer, you must be joking. You wouldn't actually marry a stranger just to get Carter’s attention, right?"

Normally, Carter couldn't stand me being near him. Now, he was the one constantly picking a fight.

I turned around and glared at them. "Shut up. What I do is none of your business."

Carter flinched. I had never spoken to him in such a cold, commanding tone before.

When it was my turn to sign, Julian took the phone to record me.

Suddenly, Carter rushed over and grabbed my arm, his face twisted in anger.

"Is this little video shoot of yours done yet?"

I shook his hand off. "Who said we're just shooting a video?"

Carter panicked.

"Are you actually marrying him? You lived with me for years without getting a license, and now you're registering with a stranger?"

"That’s because every time we scheduled a trip to City Hall, your precious Chloe had some 'life-or-death emergency' that you had to run to."

Julian stepped in, blocking Carter, while the security guard quickly walked over.

Carter was forced to back down, his eyes wide as he watched me hand the signed forms back to the clerk.

"Just because I blew you off a few times? You’re going to throw our relationship away? What if he’s a scammer?"

His eyes turned red as he stared at me. "This is fake. You're lying to me, right?"

He sounded so desperate, as if he actually loved me. Yet, every time he got drunk, the only name he called out was Chloe's.

I turned to leave, but he tried to follow. The security guard firmly held him back.

Julian held up our official marriage certificate right in front of Carter’s face.

"Please stop harassing my wife."