Chapter 2

"Sara, we've known each other since we were kids." Zane's voice dripped with false intimacy. "You aren't the type to have a shotgun wedding or betray true love. Besides, you love me too much. How could you possibly bear to leave me?"

I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.

I reached for my phone, intending to pull up a photo of my marriage certificate. But Zane wasn't interested in evidence. He glared at the diamond on my finger and sneered.

"Did you assume I couldn't afford a ring, so you bought a prop to save face?"

A dismissive wave. "I won't fuss about the ring. With your family's demolition settlement, you'll be allocated plenty of houses and cash soon enough. But let's get one thing clear: after we're married, I manage the finances. If you want to spend money, you apply to me in advance. The days of you spending recklessly are over."

He puffed out his chest like a rooster who'd won a cockfight.

"And getting the certificate? That's not for me—it's for you! Housing allocation is based on the household registry. If we marry, that's one more head count, one more allocation!"

He wasn't done.

"As for the ten units I demanded, that's just standard. Post-demolition assets are marital property. As a grown man, I can't live in a house with only your name on the deed, can I? How embarrassing would that be?"

My patience didn't evaporate.

It combusted.

"Zane, do you have brain damage?" I stared at him with unmasked disgust. "And did you miss the part where I said I already got the certificate? I. Am. Married."

To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure if Zane had ended up marrying my former best friend, Gabriella Jennings.

Back when I caught them, I was so blinded by rage that I lied to everyone—parents, aunts, cousins—screaming that the two of them were attempting a double suicide. The crowd broke down the door, scaring the cheating pair half to death.

After I walked away from the wreckage, Gabriella's family nearly beat Zane into a coma. She'd had a fiancé at the time, and the scandal caused her family immense loss of face. Rumor had it that Zane's family paid a hefty bride price and rushed a marriage just to quell the chaos.

Seeing me mention marriage again, Zane grew even more arrogant. He ran a hand through his greasy hair, slicking it back like some low-budget villain.

"See? You claim we broke up, you lie about being married, but you've been secretly keeping tabs on me the whole time. You know I got the certificate with her." A knowing smirk. "And you still say you don't love me?"

He stepped closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

"Yes, Gabriella and I got married, but that was only because you caused such a scene! But we have a deal. Once the divorce cooling-off period ends in a few days, we'll get the official divorce decree. Then I'll marry you. It won't affect the housing allocation timeline."

He wasn't finished. Of course he wasn't.

"Actually," he continued, looking self-righteous, "this is why I need ten units. If I marry you, I'm technically letting Gabriella and the child in her belly down. Half of those ten units will go to her as child support."

His gaze traveled down my body, turning predatory.

"Are you free right now? Perfect—let me in. I'll take a shower. We'll be husband and wife soon anyway. Let's see if we can get you pregnant quickly. If we add a baby to the registry, maybe we can scam the government out of another unit."

Bile surged up my throat.

Without a word, I lashed out—driving my foot hard into his groin. As he doubled over with a strangled wheeze, I slammed the door in his face and locked it.

One more second of looking at him and I would have physically vomited.

Outside, Zane was howling.

He rolled on the ground in agony but refused to leave. Between groans, he banged on the door, shouting loud enough for every neighbor to hear.

"Sara Delgado! We have a history! I just made a mistake that every man makes—are you going to deny everything we had because of that?"

"I'll change! I really want to change!"

"You can't just throw away a relationship the moment there's a problem! You have to compromise! Can't you tolerate me just this once?"