Instead, there was a quiet office, a marriage contract, and a ceremony conducted in a living room by a man I'd never met before.
And yet.
I was officially a married woman.
I exhaled slowly, letting the reality wash over me again. Somewhere between shock and disbelief was a very clear, undeniable fact: I had fulfilled my lifelong dream.
I married a billionaire.
The irony of that thought almost made me smile. I had said it jokingly so many times growing up—half fantasy, half manifestation—that I never truly expected it to come true. And yet here I was, still wearing the same clothes I'd put on thatmorning, staring at legal proof that my life had just taken a sharp turn into a romance novel.
And that was when it really hit me.
My parents.
"Oh God," I muttered, my eyes widening as I followed that thought to its inevitable conclusion.
I had to tell my family.
Not just that I got married, but that I married someone I'd known for barely any time at all. That I had walked into a stranger's office one day and walked out as his wife. That I'd signed a contract before I'd memorized the way he took his coffee.
Not only had I gotten married without them, but I also married a stranger I'd been on one date with. I knew little about him despite all the details we shared on our date, and I hate to think what their minds would conjure up at the mention of his wealth. Would they think I was a gold digger for agreeing as easily as I had?
I pressed the heel of my hand into my forehead, the beginnings of a headache blooming behind my eyes.
They were going to lose their minds.
My mother would unravel in tears. My father’s questions would sting like small wounds, quiet but cutting. My twin sisters would huddle together, casting anxious glances. My brother’s sense of duty would curl into guilt. And someone would inevitably ask if I was pregnant.
I could already hear it.
I could wait a day. Or two. Or a week. Let the shock settle. Figure out how to explain this without sounding completely unhinged. But I knew myself better than that. If I didn't do it now, I never would. Before I could overthink it any further, I reached for my phone and dialed Elena's number. She answered on the first ring.
"Finally," she said, breathless with anticipation. "I've been waiting all day. Did you forget to call me?"
I let out a shaky laugh. "I didn't forget. I just needed a minute."
"A minute?" she repeated. "What happened?"
I closed my eyes and took a breath. "After you left, we went to his office."
"Okay, that's not bad."
"We went over the marriage contract," I continued. "It was just like I imagined it would be."
"You sound awfully pleased with yourself," she muttered. "What's wrong?"
"And after everything was signed," I went on, before I could talk myself out of it, "he took me to his best friend's house."
There was a pause. "His best friend's house?"
"Yes."
"Why his best friend's house?"
"Because his best friend is ordained," I said weakly.
Silence.
