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“Richard Bennington. I’m very pleased to meet you, Odette.” The man gives my hand a gentle handshake. He gestures toward the long hallway. “Shall we all head back to the conference room and get started?”

Madden gives me a reassuring smile, then turns back to Richard. “Of course, we’ll follow you.”

As we walk down the long hallway, I begin to feel as though the walls are closing in on me, like one of those ancient corridors in Raiders of The Lost Ark. My throat tightens and my mouth goes dry. Madden looks over at me and, probably noticing my panicked expression, puts his hand on the small of my back. I know he means it as a comforting gesture, but instead, it makes me feel warm all over. I begin to sweat even more.

Just as we’re about to reach the conference room, a man pokes his head out of one of the nearby offices. He’s boyishly handsome, with brown curls resting on his forehead, blue eyes, and a dimple in his chin. “Oh, Madden! So glad I get to meet the future Mrs!” His tone is a little too enthusiastic to sound genuine.

Madden stiffens next to me. “Odette, this is Christopher Highman.”

I nod. “Nice to meet you.”

“As a partner here, I really miss Madden’s excellent skills at filing paperwork,” He says condescendingly. I quirk an eyebrow.

Richard looks at Christopher with an annoyed expression. “If you don’t mind, we have some important paperwork to take care of.”

“Of course. Sorry to interrupt such important business.” He sneers.

Madden ignores Christopher’s comment as Richard leads us into a conference room. I can’t help but wonder why there’s so much tension between Madden and this Christopher guy. I’ve never heard anyone speak to Madden with anything but respect in their voice.

The conference room that Richard leads us into is bare aside from a long table in the center surrounded by leather office chairs. We all take our seats at the very end of the grand table where a laptop and a thick folder rest.

Richard folds his hands together and looks at Madden and I. “Madden already informed me that you’re both aware of the terms of your marriage. He emailed me the document you created together, and I simply cleaned it up and added all the necessary legal jargon to make it official. So, today, we’re here to make sure that there’s nothing else either of you might want to add into the contract. We will also go over the prenuptial agreement and the nondisclosure agreement.” He opens his laptop and clicks open a document. “Let’s start with the contract and we’ll do the signatures last.”

I flush with embarrassment. Richard must think we’re insane. Madden doesn’t seem worried, though, and simply nods.

“Perfect. Then allow me to summarize what I have so far.” He clears his throat and reads aloud from his laptop.

“Item one: The marriage of Madden Windell and Odette Hastings will end in one year in the case Madden is not elected into Congress. In the case that Madden is elected into Congress, the marriage will end in two years.

Item two: Mr. Windell agrees to pay for the care and living arrangements of Mr. and Mrs. Hastings for the next ten years.

Item three: In the case Mr. Windell seeks reelection after his first Congressional term and Odette Hastings agrees to add two more years onto this contract, Mr. Windell agrees to pay a bonus of $50,000 per year to Miss Hastings upon signing a new contract.

Item four: Odette Hastings will be provided a private bedroom and bathroom during the course of this marriage.”

Richard pauses and looks at us. “How does this sound so far?”

I raise my eyebrows in question as I whip my head over to look at Madden. “Wait, what’s this about two extra years?”

“Sorry, I should’ve mentioned this the other night. Most Congressmen seek reelection at the end of their term. But as you heard, that’s something we can add onto the contract later, if we decide to.”

I take a deep breath. “Okay. As long as I don’t have to agree to four years right this second.”

“No, of course not. I wouldn’t ask that of you.”

Richard prints the contract once we both confirm the terms, then we move onto the nondisclosure agreement. Richard opens the thick folder laying next to him and pulls out a packet held together by a large paperclip.

“The nondisclosure agreement simply states that everything we’ve talked about in this office today stays private. Anyone you told before today doesn’t affect the agreement; I understand that Madden’s family already knows about the situation. By signing this form, you acknowledge the risk that exposure could threaten each of your public images as well as Madden’s political campaign. The fewer people who know, the better.” He lays the papers before us, marked with sticky tabs, showing us where to sign.

Next, we sign the prenup, which makes my skin crawl. Richard explains prenups are typical when there’s a trust fund involved. Up until three nights ago, I had no clue Madden and his siblings had trust funds. His world is definitely very different from mine.

Lastly, we come up with a convincing story to tell the public. I’ve rehearsed it in my mind so many times over the last few hours that I’m confident I can keep it straight.

In our fake story, we bumped into each other during one of Madden’s trips to D.C. last year. Once I moved back to Wichita, we saw each other at the reunion and then again at Thanksgiving, and that was all it took to rekindle the romance. We knew we were in love. We wanted to get married right away so we could have some time together before his campaign schedule gets crazy.

We will announce our engagement to my parents and to the local newspapers–as well as on Madden’s website–within the next few days.

Unease stirs in my stomach. This is going to come as a tremendous shock to my parents, but I hope we can convince them that Madden and I are in love. They can never find out that I did this to pay for Dad’s care or they would feel horrible. Lying leaves a pit in my stomach, but I shove the feeling down. This is for the greater good.