Audrey and I had been together since college. Eight years. We were weeks away from the wedding when she told me. She wanted to bring the great love of her life, Leo, into our marriage. Both of us, serving her. I felt a vein begin to throb in my temple, a low, hot drumbeat of rage. I kept my voice level. "Are you saying you want your old flame to be your affair on the side?" Audrey just shook her head, a lock of perfect blonde hair falling across her face. “He wouldn’t be the one on the side, Cole. You would.” I stared at her, the sound in the room seeming to warp and bend. Had she lost her mind? Did she really just ask me, Cole Hayes, the sole heir to the Hayes fortune, to be her number two? … 1 Seeing the silence stretch, Audrey must have mistaken my shock for consideration. Her voice softened, dropping into that placating tone she used when she wanted something. “Leo’s just… he’s gentle. He doesn't have a family with money, no real safety net. If he were the ‘other man,’ he’d get hurt. People would talk.” “So your solution is for me to take that role?” The fire was licking up my throat, but my voice came out cold as ice. A frown flickered across her perfect features, a brief crack in the facade. She was annoyed that I wasn't making this easy. “Cole, I don’t want it to be like this. But Leo… he has nothing. I have to think about his future. And don’t worry,” she added, as if it were a grand concession, “you’ll both be my husbands. I can love you both equally. Leo is a kind soul. He won’t give you any trouble.” When she first chased after me on campus, she swore it was me or no one, that her world began and ended with me. Now, on the doorstep of our wedding, she was pitching a threesome where I was the consolation prize. It was laughable. Utterly, tragically laughable. I took a step back, a physical distance to match the chasm that had just opened between us. The disgust must have been plain on my face. “Miss Monroe, I think you should leave. Since you clearly have another great love, our engagement is off. There’s nothing more to discuss.” She sighed, a long-suffering sound, and looked at me as if I were a child throwing a tantrum. “Cole, be serious. The invitations have been sent. The venue is booked. If you call it off now, what will that do to your reputation? Don’t say things you don’t mean.” My entire body was trembling with a rage so pure it felt electric. Leo. He’d been orbiting her for years, this sad, handsome ghost. And now, he makes his move right before the wedding. It was calculated. They knew I was in a corner. They were counting on me being too proud to back out. “So, according to you, I should be thanking you?” I asked, my voice dangerously quiet. “Thanking you for not just showing up with him at the altar as a wedding day surprise?” Her face hardened, the soft pleading gone. “It’s just a title, Cole! You’re a Hayes. Do you really think anyone would dare look down on you? Why are you being so petty?” She took a step closer, her voice rising. “What century are we in? Who says a beautiful woman can only have one man? Cole, I know you. I know you’re generous, and I know you love me. I need you to be the thoughtful, gentle man I know you are, not some toxic, possessive asshole.” I closed my eyes. I fought it. I really did. But I couldn’t hold it back. My hand moved before I’d even fully decided to let it. The crack of my palm against her cheek echoed in the cavernous living room. Her head snapped to the side. A furious red blotch began to bloom on her skin. She cradled her face, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Cole! You’re insane!” “The invitations went out to everyone in Port Sterling!” she shrieked, her voice turning shrill. “They all know you’re marrying me! You call this off now, and we’ll see what woman ever agrees to marry you again!” “I’m telling you, this wedding is happening, with or without your little temper tantrum! If you want to have any kind of future in this city, you’ll go to your parents and you’ll tell them this was your idea!” My face was a frozen mask. I stared at her for a long, silent moment. Of course. She’d come today for a reason. My parents were in Europe for the month, touring our international sites. She thought she had me isolated, cornered. She could force my hand, then wash hers clean of the whole mess, enjoying the best of both worlds. A strange question popped into my head. “What’s my name?” I asked suddenly. Audrey blinked. “Cole? Have you completely lost it?” I raised a hand, a subtle gesture. My security detail, always waiting just out of sight, materialized and moved towards us. “When we were dating, I didn’t mind you calling me Cole.” The absurdity of it all made a bitter laugh escape my lips. “But now… I think you’ve forgotten who you’re talking to. From now on, you’ll address me as Mr. Hayes.” My voice dropped, hard and final. “Get her out of my house.” Two large men flanked her, taking her by the arms. Her shock turned to panic. “You can’t! I’m going to be your wife! I’m the future Mrs. Hayes!” I scoffed. “You think? If I wanted to, I could have a line of women from here to Paris ready to take your place. Who the hell do you think you are, Audrey?” “Today, you’re getting a little reminder of why I can do whatever the hell I want in this town.” I met the head of my security’s eyes and sharpened my tone. “Throw her out.”
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