Page 127 of The Rules of Dating

A few seconds later, another text came in. Except this time, it was a voice text. I hit play, expecting to hear Maya’s righteous tone, but instead my own voice came through.

“I’m only marrying you so you can stay in this country and will leave my daughter alone. After it’s done, don’t contact me. I’m pretending this sham of a marriage never happened.”

That bitch must’ve recorded me at our second meeting at the coffee shop. Before I could figure out what the hell she was trying to prove by sending it to me now, another text arrived.

Maya: I’ll be at your apartment with my stuff Saturday morning. If you don’t let me in, this recording is going to the investigator.

***

“Oh no.” Billie frowned the second she caught a glimpse of me, even though I’d forced a smile.

I shook my head as I stepped aside to let her in. “How do you always know when I had a shitty day before I say a word?”

Billie stopped in front of me as she passed and pushed up on her tiptoes. She pressed her lips to mine and mussed my hair. “This. It’s a dead giveaway.”

“My hair?”

She smiled and nodded. “You yank at it when you’re stressed, and then it sticks up in a thousand directions.”

I closed the door. “No wonder I’m going to prison; I can’t hide anything. I didn’t even know I did that.”

Billie pointed to the half-empty bottle of wine on the dining room table. “I get the feeling I’m going to need one of those.”

I nodded and motioned to the living room. “Go sit down. I’ll pour you one and refill mine. Or maybe I’ll just chug from the bottle.”

After I fixed us each a full glass, we settled onto the couch.

“What happened?” she asked.

“The investigator saw the picture Saylor drew of you and me holding hands.”

“The one on the refrigerator? I didn’t think he went into the kitchen.” Her shoulders slumped. “I guess it must’ve been when I went into Saylor’s room with her. I’m so sorry I didn’t hide that, Colby.”

“You have zero to apologize for. You handled that surprise visit like a champ. I definitely would have fucked it up if I’d answered.”

Billie sipped her wine. “So what happens next?”

“We’re supposed to go to the hearing in two weeks. If we don’t pass, the investigator plans on filing criminal charges.”

Billie’s eyes widened. “You said we’re supposed to. Does that mean you’re not planning on attending?”

“I’m thinking about going to the investigator and telling him the truth, that the marriage was a fraud, but I was blackmailed into it.” I shrugged. “He mentioned he has a kid. Maybe he’ll have compassion when I tell him why I did it and just let me pay a big fine.”

Billie shook her head. “I don’t know, Colby. What if he doesn’t care that you’re the sole caretaker of your daughter and you did it to protect her? Then you’ve just admitted you committed fraud to an immigration investigator. Maybe you should take your chances at the hearing and see how it goes?”

I shook my head. “We’re never going to pass that interview. He already knows it’s a fraud, and he’s going to be all over us with every question.”

“But at least you have a chance. If you go to him and admit what you’ve done, you have zero chance.”

I gulped my wine. “I have zero chance anyway. Maya recorded me saying I’m only marrying her so she can stay in this country and the entire marriage is a sham. She says if I don’t do exactly what she wants, she’s turning the recording over to the investigator.”

Billie’s forehead wrinkled. “I don’t understand. You’re already doing exactly what she wants.”

I shook my head. “It’s never enough with her. Now she’s demanding we move in together until the hearing. My attorney suggested it so we could get to know each other and have a better shot at answering questions.”

Billie blinked a few times. “Oh…wow. I guess if you live like a married couple, it would give you a chance to get to know each other on a different level.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not doing it.”