I bury my face in my hands, trying to breathe through the knot forming in my throat. It’s still morning, and I already feel like I’ve lived through an entire week. First the fight with Liam—ugly and loud and heartbreaking. Then Ash, kissing me like heneededme, holding me like I was something to be treasured.
And then the words I couldn’t hold back, and the look on his face when I said them.
Now he’s shutting me out completely.
I feel… older.
Like something inside me aged in a matter of hours. Like I just got a crash course in how stupid it is to fall in love with a man who doesn’t know what to do with your heart once you give it to him.
I stand slowly, wrapping the blanket tighter around my body, and walk toward the bathroom without saying a word.
I close the bathroom door and lock it, waiting until I’m sure Ash has left for his run.
Only then do I pad into the living room, blanket clutched to my chest, and start searching for my phone.
My dress is draped over one arm of the couch, my bra caught awkwardly on the corner like a white flag of surrender. I crouch and lift the cushions, thinking my phone might’ve slipped beneath them during the chaos of… before.
Instead, I findhisphone.
Half-buried between the cushions. Face-up. Unlocked. Looks like he was reading something before he left for his run.
The screen is still on. A note is open. The title in bold at the top:
Fake Wife Criteria
I don’t mean to read it. But my eyes catch on the first few lines before I can look away.
- Wholesome
- Low-drama
- Not famous
- Not sexy in a threatening way
I freeze. Each bullet point slams into me like a cold gust of wind.
-Comfortable in the background
- Easy to explain
- Won’t fall in love
- Will say yes for the right price
My mouth goes dry.
I read it again, slower this time, like maybe I’ve misunderstood. Like maybe there’s a version of this that doesn’t make my stomach turn and my throat ache.
But no.
It’s exactly what it looks like.
He made a list—a literal checklist. And I tick every single box except one.
'Won’t fall in love.' That was one of his criteria.
Except I did. Stupidly. Fully. Hopelessly.
