There's about half a month to our wedding when Daniel Bradshaw and I get into a horrible fight.

The reason? He wants to have a child with his mentor's daughter.

"We're only going to do IVF—it's not like we're doing anything else! My mentor is gravely ill now, and his only wish is to see Phoebe have someone she can rely on!"

Daniel sounds indifferent, but my blood runs cold. "It's half a month to our wedding, yet you're going to have a child with another woman. Don't you find that ridiculous?"

I watch as he storms off and slams the door shut behind him. Then, I update my social media.

"I'm getting married in half a month, but I need a new groom. Is anyone up for it?"

I scrolled through the teasing comments under the Instagram story.

Indeed, it was no secret that I loved Daniel Bradshaw to the point of losing myself. No one would believe that I would choose to leave him now that we were so close to getting married.

I spent three years pursuing Daniel before finally getting what I thought was a happy ending. I became his girlfriend, and when I turned 27 years old, I accepted his proposal. Just as I thought my years of hard work were paying off, Daniel told me something that threatened to crumble my belief system.

He wanted to have a child with another woman.

I was never a generous person, but I had lowered myself so much for Daniel that he believed I could share my fiancé with someone else.

As I spaced out on the couch, my phone suddenly rang and shattered the deathly silence around me. It was a call from Silas Langley, whom I hadn't heard from in years.

Technically speaking, Silas and I were childhood friends. When we were younger, I followed him around so much that others mocked me for being his shadow.

Silas was cold and aloof. Everyone else perceived him as intimidating and untouchable, but I never saw him as such. Sure, he hardly spoke more than a few words at a time, but he always listened to my rants without complaint.

After the SATs, Silas moved to Fernhallow, while I left for Brookhelm. I met Daniel after that and fell hopelessly in love with him. I was so devoted to my pursuit of him that I didn't return to Norwald for years.

As such, I was surprised that Silas was calling me now.

I put the call through, but before I could speak, Silas' cold, crisp voice sounded from the other line, "Is it true?"

"What?" It took a while for me to understand what Silas was referring to. I stared at the lonely picture of me and Daniel hanging on the wall as I said, "Yes, it's true."

A light chuckle escaped Silas. He sounded happy as he suggested, "You could always consider marrying me if you don't mind."

A breeze came through the balcony doors that had been left ajar. The sheer drapes, which had yet to be bunched up, flapped in the breeze, only to fall over the pot of flowers tucked in the corner.

"Very well. What are your terms?" I asked.

Silas was an outstanding lawyer, and I refused to believe he didn't want something from me.

"I'll send you a copy of the prenuptial agreement tomorrow," was all he said.

I expected as much. Silas would never put himself in a position of lesser bargaining power.

"Also, Daphne, I want you to put my contact as 'Babe' from now on," Silas added.

I immediately clicked on his contact profile on my phone just to make sure I was speaking to Silas.

When his name leaped out at me in confirmation, I began to wonder if he had hit his head that morning. Surely the years we spent not seeing each other couldn't have turned him into such a demanding flirt.

"This is the start of your new life, Daphne Winston."

Silas seemed to understand more than I did that my love life was a complete mess at the moment. He was also perfectly aware that I was treating him as a piece of driftwood that kept me from drowning in this toxic relationship I had with Daniel.

"What else do you want me to do?" I asked.

My fingers clenched around my phone.

Silas drawled meaningfully in his deep voice, "Daphne, as you know, I want a marriage just like any other." As if anticipating my question, he elaborated, "In other words, I need you to carry out duties that are normally expected of a wife, including becoming the mother of my child.

"My family might be pushing me to get married, but I have no intention of marrying you only to live with you as if we are platonic roommates."

I rose to my feet and pulled the sheer drape off the flowers, then stared out at the setting sun beyond the window. "Silas, if we're going to get married, let me make it clear that I have no intention of playing pretend."

"In that case, I'll head to Brookhelm tomorrow, and you'll come home with me," Silas said.

"Give me two weeks. I've got some loose ends to tie up here," I countered.

After hanging up, I did as I was told and changed Silas' contact name to "Babe". Like he said, he was my first step to getting out of this relationship with Daniel.

Daniel did not come home that day nor in the couple of days that followed. In the past, I would have called him repeatedly to ask him where he was and when he was coming home, but now, I no longer felt the need to do so.

After all, I already knew where he was.

I called a few of Daniel's closest friends and retracted the wedding invitation, which surprised them. Although Daniel had wanted a simple wedding, I insisted on sending out wedding invites for the sake of formality.

I shoved the wedding invites into my purse and leveled a dark look at Daniel's friends. I had no plans to cover up my arrangement with Silas, so I said, "Well, it's only natural that the wedding invites need to be amended now that there's been a change of grooms."

None of Daniel's friends seemed too shocked by my announcement. Instead, they burst out laughing and teased me about it, believing this was a lighthearted joke.

Not that I could blame them. I had been so in love with Daniel that I happily overlooked his indifference toward me. No one would believe that I'd had a change of heart so suddenly, much less call off the wedding.

But it didn't matter. I would prove to everyone that I had let go of Daniel.

I retracted all the wedding invites I had sent out. Not long after that, Daniel came home.

He had always been meticulous, but his white shirt was slightly creased today, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked exhausted.

I could tell right away that something was off about him.

When he saw me, his first words aligned with the decision I'd made without him. "Take back all the wedding invites you sent out. I'm grieving my teacher, who just passed, and won't be getting married for the next half a year out of respect."

Perhaps he had been anticipating a fight or a tantrum from me when he said this. I had been pushing him to get married, after all, and I knew my grandfather wanted me to get married more than anything else. As things were, I had every reason to fight for the wedding to go on.

Daniel had probably already thought of a retort, but I was calm as I said, "Very well. You have my deepest condolences."

"The memorial service is today. Come with me. He had always wanted to meet you," Daniel said.

I paused in washing my mug. I might not like Phoebe Lockwood, but her father was a well-respected and beloved professor. I met him once, and I thought he was extraordinary.

There were times when I wondered how a man as refined and friendly as he was capable of producing a menace like Phoebe. Then again, the man had passed. It was only right for me to show up with a bouquet of lilies and pay him my last respects.

I dried my hands and rummaged through my closet for a long, black coat. Grabbing my purse and straightening my clothes, I followed Daniel out the door.

Professor Lockwood had indeed been a well-respected gentleman, if the crowd gathered at the funeral parlor was any indication. Phoebe and her mother linked arms as they greeted and thanked those who came to pay their last respects.

When Phoebe spotted Daniel, she dropped her mother's arm and dashed up to him. She clutched his sleeve and broke into tears, wailing with grief. At some point, her legs caved under her weight, and she nearly toppled over.

Daniel hurried to pull the weeping woman into his arms and murmured soft words of comfort. He glanced at me. "I'll stay with Phoebe for a bit. Go on without me."

I nodded wordlessly and approached Professor Lockwood's portrait. I lowered my head in silent prayer, then made my way toward the ashen-faced old woman standing by the side. "Mrs. Lockwood, my deepest condolences."

Mrs. Lockwood dried her tears and gripped my hand, nodding with forced bravado. "You must be Daniel's girlfriend. Thank you for coming to see Macon. We heard you were getting married soon, but Daniel's a good kid.

"He said he'd put off the wedding for half a year out of respect for Macon. I'm sorry if you've had to put your plans on hold."

I said nothing as emotions swirled within me, but I kept my expression placid. I did not bring up the ridiculous affair that Daniel and Phoebe were having, but Mrs. Lockwood must have caught the look in my eyes.

She drew a deep breath and added, "Macon and I practically watched Daniel grow up. Macon was his mentor in all the ways that counted during his university days until he accomplished his doctorate's degree.

"Daniel had great respect for Macon, hence his decision to put the wedding on hold. I hope you won't hold it against him."

The woman was pleading with me, so I squeezed out a tight smile and said, "I understand where he's coming from." No point blaming Daniel for his decision when I had already promised to marry someone else.

Mrs. Lockwood nodded. "And please excuse Phoebe. She clings to Daniel far too often for her own good, but I can tell he doesn't think of her as anything more than a friend. His heart lies with you."

My own heart leaped to my throat as I regarded Mrs. Lockwood with shock. "Me?" I repeated incredulously, searching her gaze for an answer or explanation.

Taken aback by my response, Mrs. Lockwood hurriedly explained, "I'm not lying, child. Macon and I used to think Daniel was too engrossed with books and academics to fall for anyone. But since you came into his life, he would bring you up in his conversations with us from time to time.

"He would tell us where he ran into you or what you whipped up for him in the kitchen, or even what you did to get his attention during your pursuit of him. He sounded as if he were grousing, but we could tell he was in love with you. He just didn't know how to show it."

I felt like my head had just imploded. I might have felt happy or contented if Mrs. Lockwood had told me this months ago, but now, I couldn't help but find her reassurance ironic.

If Daniel truly loved me, why did I never feel it? If he cared about me at all, why would he agree to have a child with another woman?

I took a deep breath and willed myself to calm down. My relationship with Daniel had been doomed since the day he and Phoebe agreed to have a child together.

As Macon's protégé, Daniel was the last to leave the memorial service.

I stood before the funeral parlor as Daniel's black Mercedes G-Wagon pulled up before me. As I reached out to open the door on the passenger's side, I peeked through the rolled-down window to see Phoebe weeping herself silly in the car.

Mrs. Lockwood flashed me an apologetic look from the backseat.

I silently opened the door to get in, only to hear Phoebe say, "Danny, could you drop me off at the cemetery to see Dad? Just you and Mom."

Mrs. Lockwood frowned in disapproval. "Phoebe!"

However, Phoebe started bawling. "Dad's gone, and all I want is for those closest to me to visit him with me so I can talk to him. Can't I have that?"