“Okay,” I whispered. “Then let’s do it. On the 26th.”
The wedding was at the county clerk’s office. I wore a simple cream dress; Mark wore a dark, understated suit. There were no flowers, no tiered cakes. Just a young clerk who looked tired and a ceremony that lasted six minutes.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” she said mechanically.
Mark turned to me. He didn’t go for a cinematic kiss. He took my hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for nodding,” he whispered.
Cliffhanger: As we stepped out of the office, we ran into Evan and his lawyer. Evan looked at our joined hands, his face contorting into a mask of pure, unadulterated shock. He didn’t know yet that the fraud investigation had just been finalized.
Chapter 8: The Apple Orchard
The criminal proceedings against Evan and Nicole were brief and devastating. Nicole broke under questioning, admitting the entire plan was Evan’s idea in exchange for a portion of the condo sale. Evan lost everything—his reputation, his job, and eventually, he settled for a measly 20% of the condo’s value just to stay out of a prison cell.
