We were married.
Everything I’d ever wanted was right here in front of me. So why did it feel like I was standing on unstable ground?
So I made a decision.
I’d just live it. Be Michael’s wife. Figure out how to be married to the man I’d loved forever. Let the memories come back naturally instead of forcing them.
And when they did come back, when I finally remembered that missing year, everything would make sense.
It had to.
Because the alternative—that something was deeply wrong and everyone was lying to protect me from it—was too terrifying to consider.
I looked at the ring on my finger, twisting it and watching it catch the light.
I pulled up the wedding video on my phone. Watched myself say vows. Watched Michael look at me like I was his entire world. Then we’d kissed like we’d been doing it forever.
I looked happy. Really, genuinely happy.
That version of me knew something I didn’t. That version of me had a year of context and history and moments with Michael that made sense.
I just needed to trust her. Trust that past-me knew what she was doing when she married him.
Even if present-me was confused and scared and absolutely certain she was missing something crucial.
I was Mrs. Ashford now.
And despite everything, that made me happier than I’d been in years.
CHAPTER 7
Michael
My phone rangwith my grandfather’s name on the screen. I’d known this was inevitable. I’d known I couldn’t avoid him for much longer.
I answered and put him on speaker. “Morning, Augustus.”
“Don’t morning me.” His voice came through sharp and brittle with anger. “I’ve been calling you for three days. And you’ve ignored every single one.”
I poured coffee, keeping my voice calm even as my chest tightened, already hearing the disapproval in his voice.
“I just watched a video of you getting married. To Claudette Specter.”
I took a breath. Let it out slowly. “You saw it right. I’m married.”
“You’re married? To a different woman?” The words came out shaky with disbelief. “You gave me your word, Michael. You promised me you’d marry Hannah Pierce. And now I’m watching you marry someone else in a tacky Vegas chapel.”
“I ended things with Hannah before I married Claudette.”
“Oh, well, that makes it fine then.” Sarcasm dripped from every word. “You ended your engagement hours before marryinga different woman. Exactly the kind of decision-making I expect from the man who’s supposed to inherit my company.”
I gripped my coffee mug harder and said nothing.
“The Pierce family is furious. Rosalinda called me yesterday screaming about being humiliated. Do you have any idea what this has done to our relationship with them? What it’s done to your reputation?”
“I love Claudette. That’s why she’s my wife now. I’ll handle the Pierces.”
Silence followed after my confession.
