The first time I went home with my boyfriend. When we walked into the living room of Jackson’s family estate, aside from a group of older people who I assumed were relatives, there was a woman sitting there… in a wedding dress. As soon as she saw Jackson, she stood up, her face flushed with a coy smile. “Honey, you’re back! Once you transfer the $50,000 to my account, we can go to the courthouse to get our marriage license.” Wait. What?! Jackson is getting married? And the bride isn’t me? I was furious and turned on my heel to leave. But Jackson grabbed me, panic plastered on his face. “Harper, don’t go!” He held on tight. My hand hurt. But more than anything, I was completely speechless. First relationship ever, and I end up with a guy like this? Seriously, my luck couldn’t be worse. I tried to pull his hand off. “Jackson Stone, let go. Don’t think I won’t slap you!” He wrapped his arms around me, almost as if he was afraid I’d run. “I don’t know her, Harper. You have to believe me.” His usual embrace—the one that used to make me feel safe—now felt like a mockery. But the panic on his face seemed real enough. The woman’s expression quickly shifted from shy to smug. “Who is she, honey?” she sneered, her finger pointed at me, dripping with jealousy. The way she looked at me—like I was some homewrecker—infuriated me. I yanked Jackson’s hair, forcing his head to tilt painfully to one side. “Let go of me, you scumbag, or I’ll rip all your hair out.” Jackson blinked in confusion, holding my waist tightly, refusing to let go. The other woman stared at him, her face full of sympathy. Then she lunged at me, claws out. “Let go of my husband!” I flinched. Crap, she’s going to scratch my face!
Luckily, Jackson pulled me back a few steps, just in time to avoid her attack. I angrily released the handful of Jackson’s hair I had been clutching. “Jackson, you have five minutes to explain.” He quickly shifted from hugging to holding my hand, nodding frantically, and pulled me toward an older couple sitting nearby. “Mom, Dad, what’s going on here? I called you and told you clearly, I’m bringing my girlfriend home for the first time. Could you take this seriously, please?” His parents looked confused, their eyes darting between me and the woman who had just called Jackson her husband. Finally, his father spoke. “Her name is Scarlett Rayner. Didn’t you meet her through Aunt Linda? You two were supposed to get married. We thought…” He hesitated. “She’s the girlfriend you were talking about.” Jackson looked like he was about to lose it. “I don’t even know her!” I raised an eyebrow, glancing around the room at all the bewildered faces. Scarlett started crying, tears streaming down her face. “How can you say that, honey? Aunt Linda introduced our families, and she said if I was happy, we could go straight to the courthouse! I even brought my marriage license papers!” She waved the documents in front of everyone. I was stunned. So was Jackson’s entire family. They looked at each other, bewildered. Jackson glared at his parents. “How did I not know about this blind date?” His mom looked uncomfortable. “You’re 25 and still single. I was getting worried, so I had Aunt Linda help by organizing your profile and photos. I just wanted her to find someone nice.” Jackson’s face was a mess of emotions, as colorful as a painter’s palette.
I scoffed. I felt like an outsider watching a trainwreck. Just as I was about to leave, Scarlett collapsed onto the floor, crying her eyes out. “Jackson Stone, are you trying to abandon me?” “All my relatives know we’re getting married. I’ve already sent out the invitations! I even quit my job just to come back here and marry you. We’ve discussed the wedding settlement. I’m ready to marry you!” Sobs punctuated every word, her voice desperate. I was disoriented. I’ve been with Jackson for three years, and we’ve never talked about marriage. Yet here we were, with some woman calling him her husband and demanding he take responsibility. Even though I could tell something was fishy, it didn’t stop the situation from stinging. Scarlett suddenly jumped up and pointed at me. “You, the other woman! Get out of my house. My husband only loves me. He’s always loved me, and we’re going to be together forever. You’re shameless, trying to steal him away.” Her absolute certainty left me stunned. I was about to yell back and storm off when Jackson stepped in front of me and started shouting at her. “Are you crazy? You quit your job? Sent out invitations? That has nothing to do with me!” “I don’t even know you.” “And if I’m going to get married, it’s going to be to Harper. Who do you think you are? Get out of my house!” I stared at his back, feeling a twinge of disappointment despite his defense of me.
No one shows up in a wedding dress without some kind of leverage. I poked Jackson in the back. “I’m leaving.” I tried to stay calm, but I couldn’t take this mess. I just wanted to get out of there. He spun around and grabbed me. “Harper, don’t go. You’re the only one for me.” Scarlett screeched and clawed at me again. “You homewrecking trash, get away from my husband!” I smirked, then kicked her. “Get lost.” She dramatically flopped onto the floor, moaning in fake pain. Now I was even more furious. That ridiculous gown of hers was so big I didn’t even land a proper kick. She’s totally faking it!
“You people are treating us so unfairly! Everyone, come out and see how we’re being treated!” An older woman—about sixty or so, dressed in a red floral-patterned dress—stormed out the door and sat herself right at the entrance of the estate, yelling. “In every corner of the country, when you marry, the man’s family pays the settlement, and the woman’s family provides the dowry! It’s tradition to make sure the couple starts off well.” “You could have said you wanted to give less, but pretending you don’t even know my Scarlett? How heartless can you be? We wouldn’t be at the point of talking about a wedding if you didn’t know her.” “You’re ruining my daughter’s reputation, Stone family. You should be ashamed.” “Why does my daughter deserve to be treated this way?” “Is it because this new woman you brought home has more money, and now you’re ditching my Scarlett? That little tramp must be seducing our son-in-law!” “Oh, Scarlett, what will you do now?” I stood inside, watching Scarlett’s mom wailing in the yard, slapping the ground without shedding a single tear. My head spun in disbelief. What kind of circus is this? Scarlett ran out and wrapped her arms around her mother, sobbing. “Mom, stop. It’s my fault for trusting the wrong person. If Jackson wants to be with someone else, let’s just call off the wedding.” The whole room watched them in stunned silence. The entire room stared in disbelief at the spectacle unfolding outside. I turned to Jackson, my mind racing. We worked together in Chicago. We weren’t living together, but we saw each other almost every day. How could he have gone on a blind date with Scarlett and made it this far without me knowing? I looked at him closely. His jaw was clenched tight, and the veins in his hand bulged as he held mine, though not painfully. His other hand was balled into a fist, the knuckles turning white from the tension. What on earth was he so angry about? Shouldn’t I be the one upset? I’m the one being treated like the “other woman” here!
Jackson took a deep breath, just about to speak when Scarlett’s mother shrieked, “I don’t care what you say, your family must give us the wedding settlement and take Scarlett to the courthouse for the license, or I’m calling the police!” Jackson’s mother paled and quickly tried to diffuse the situation. “No! No police, please! You’ll ruin my son’s reputation!” Without missing a beat, Scarlett’s mom stood up from the ground in a flash. “Fine. No cops then, but the $50,000 settlement stays. That’s the emotional damage compensation for my daughter.” “If you want to get married, take her to the courthouse. If not, then don’t. But she can live with him in the meantime. Let them have a trial marriage.” Jackson’s father, clutching his chest, looked like he was about to collapse. His mother rushed to him, trying to calm him down. “Honey, don’t get worked up. Your health can’t handle this!” I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. The whole family looked like they were about to explode. Suddenly, it all clicked: Jackson hadn’t done anything wrong, but somehow this madness had fallen into his lap. Jackson’s eyes were sharp as he glared at Scarlett and her mother, his voice low and cold. “You’d better leave my house, or I’ll be the one calling the cops.” Scarlett’s mother, defiant, spat back, “Fine, we’ll go, but your family made my daughter a joke. You’ll at least have to cover the wedding costs and pay her a year’s worth of lost wages.” I glanced at Jackson, watching for his reaction. If he agreed to pay, I would break up with him on the spot. There’s no way I’d stay with someone who lets themselves get blackmailed just to avoid drama. This wasn’t about the money. If he gave in, it meant he was admitting guilt, that he had led Scarlett on. There was a right way to handle this and a wrong way. I despised the idea of solving problems by throwing money at them. I needed Jackson to take a stand.
Without a word, Jackson pulled out his phone and dialed the police. Scarlett’s mother saw no one was giving in to her demands, so she threw herself on the ground again, screaming and kicking, her cries filling the air. The same nonsense again: Abandoned after an engagement. Cheap family refusing to pay the settlement. At this point, Aunt Linda appeared, looking embarrassed, and whispered an explanation to Jackson. “Scarlett’s mom dragged me here first thing this morning, insisting you two were engaged. She even quit her job to move back home.” I could feel the question marks swirling around my head. Jackson sent a long text message to someone, then turned to me. “I’ve got a friend looking into who this Scarlett Rayner really is.” Just then, the police arrived. Scarlett’s mom immediately lunged at one of the officers—Officer Amanda Fields—crying and wailing the same ridiculous story she’d been spinning all day. The senior officer, Sergeant Michael Gray, stepped in, his voice firm. “Let go.” Instantly, Scarlett’s mother released Officer Fields, like a mouse caught by a cat. After speaking with everyone involved, Sergeant Gray turned to Scarlett and sighed. “Marriage is a mutual decision. They don’t even know you, so showing up here demanding a wedding isn’t right. It’s best if you head home before this situation escalates further.” Scarlett’s face was drenched in tears, but her mother wasn’t about to let go that easily. “How are we the ones causing a scene? My daughter’s reputation has been dragged through the mud! Shouldn’t they at least pay for the emotional damage?” Jackson clenched his fists, the veins on his hand bulging as he raised his voice. “Say ‘compensation’ one more time, I dare you.” Scarlett’s mother screamed and charged toward us, her eyes wild, ready to attack.
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