Chapter Seven

Grace

I should feel honored. Ecstatic, even. This rich, generous, handsome man offered me my dream on a silver platter.

Instead, I feel sick.

Is this really what he thinks he has to do? Buy me off? Does he think that's why I'm here?

Of course he does, I think ruefully. You agreed to marry him for a million dollars. What kind of woman do you expect him to think you are?

I feel so cheap. I followed a strange man home, sold myself to him, and then threw myself at him. No wonder he thinks he has to give me a whole building to keep me around.

But what if that's what he wants? A handsome, successful man should be able to find a wife easily. Instead, he decided to pay off the first woman who was desperate enough to agree to the whole charade. Maybe he prefers to keep things transactional. I'm sure it keeps things from getting too messy. Derek is an important man; his life is already complicated enough without having to worry about things like love. A woman pretends to be his wife, so he gives her a million dollars. She gives him her virginity, so he buys her a studio. Simple and clean.

So why do I feel so dirty?

It reminds me of the same feeling I had when I opened Jeff's bedroom door to find him with another woman. But somehow, this is worse. With Derek, I gave him all of myself. I let myself turn this whole sham into more than it is. And then I threw his gift in his face.

All of this is my fault. I was dumb enough to forget that I was just playing a part, and I ended up falling in love,

Derek is cold and silent the entire way to his mother's estate. I want to apologize for being so ungrateful, but I can't bring myself to do it. It's not like I can just agree to take the studio now. Especially when I still don't want it.

I just have to get through dinner with my faux mother-in-law. Once I do that, I'll be in the clear.

Diane Sawyer greets us each with a smile and a hug. Though she's a petite blonde, I can see Derek's genes in her green eyes and Grecian nose. "It's so wonderful to see you again," she tells me, beaming, and I feel a small stab of guilt. She's a very kind woman. Would she be so kind if she knew that I had practically sold myself to her son? I can't imagine so.

"How are you feeling, Mom?" Derek asks as we sit down to dinner at the polished table.

She smiled. "You don't have to ask me that every day, dear. I'm feeling fine." She looked at me and her smile grew. "I'm just happy to see you both! I've been looking forward to getting to know your lovely bride!"

Derek and I both stiffen in our seats. When I glance up at him, I'm surprised to see him looking at me with tenderness. Seeing the affection written on his face soothes the ache from our fighting.

It's just an act. He's trying to make it look good for his mother.

The thought stings — enough that, just for a moment, I think about blurting out the truth then and there. That our marriage is a sham… but the love I feel for him is real.

I bite my tongue instead. The whole reason I'm here is to give his mother some peace of mind in her final days. Not only did I agree to help, but Diane and Derek both deserve for me to follow through.

I sit and listen. The salmon filet on my plate smells heavenly, but I can hardly taste it. I'm too focused on listening to my husband and his mother talk. Derek's love for her is obvious from the way he slides her chair in for her and hurries to get things so she doesn't have to stand. It only makes me feel guiltier.

Just after neat little plates of panna cotta are placed in front of us, Diane clears her throat and sighs. "Derek, dear, I've had a nasty tickle in my throat all day. Would you mind grabbing me some cough drops from the medicine cabinet upstairs?"

"Of course." Derek jumps to his feet right away, patting his mother's shoulder as he walks by. "Be right back."

My heart sinks. I've spent all of dinner shoveling food into my mouth so I won't have to talk to Diane, and now we're alone. I fiddle with the napkin in my lap, avoiding eye contact.

"You know, Grace, I've been looking forward to getting to know you better."

She sounds so genuine. When I look up at her, she's smiling. I feel a stab of guilt in my gut.

I force a smile as well. "Me too. Derek is a really, really wonderful man. You did a great job with him." It makes me feel a little bit better to say something honest.

"Thank you. But I didn't have to do much. He's always been so thoughtful. Generous, too. It's just in his nature."

I think back to the way his face crumpled in disappointment when I turned down his studio offer. I stare down at my plate. "He is," I agree around the lump in my throat.

"And he's just crazy about you, of course. I've never heard him go on about somebody like that before."

My head snaps up. "Really?" I ask eagerly.

"Absolutely. I was starting to worry I wouldn't get to see him find the right one. He had a few girlfriends, but he never raved about them like he does with you. He's always telling me how smart and sweet and vibrant you are."

Has he really been saying all those things? My heart flutters in my chest. I know it's probably all a part of the act, but I can't help but be happy to hear it. "He's pretty wonderful himself," I say, my cheeks warming. "I was in a really tough place when we met, actually. I don't know where I'd be without him."

"Oh?" She frowns.

"Yes. I was actually engaged before we met. My ex was… unfaithful."

She reaches across the table to take my hand. "Oh, you poor thing. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It was hard, and it really made it difficult to trust other people at first. But I'm past it now." And, weirdly, I am. Any pain I used to feel thinking about Jeff is gone. At most, I feel… pity. Pity for him for being so small and pathetic. Pity for me for believing that was what love was. "If it wasn't for Derek, I don't think I would have realized just how little my ex meant to me. I had no clue what love really was until I met your son."

Diane squeezes my hand with a smile. "I'm so glad that you two found each other."

I squeeze back. "Me too," I reply. As much as it hurts to think that our relationship is a lie, I wouldn't trade having Derek in my life for anything.

I jump when I hear the door open behind me, and I snatch my hand away quickly, tucking it in my lap. "Here you are, Mom." Derek hands Diane a small baggie. "What were you ladies talking about?"

Diane shoots me a conspiratorial smile. "Nothing, dear. Nothing at all."

When we arrive home, I consider following Derek to his bedroom. Even after our argument this morning, all I want to do is curl up in the safety of his arms.

He stops just outside his bedroom door. He looks nervous. "Grace? I was thinking on the way home… I want to change the rules of our agreement."

"Oh?" My heart leaps. Please, I beg silently. Please say you love me too.

"Yes. I'm going to get rid of the clause that requires you to live in my home. I realize now how presumptuous that was of me. I never meant to trap you here with me."

My heart plummets like a stone. "Oh."

I want to throw myself at his feet and plead with him to let me stay. I want to cry and let him hold me. I want to tell him that I love him.

Instead, I watch silently as he closes his bedroom door behind him, blocking me out for good.