Chapter 3

I went around to the other side of the bed, carefully lifted the comforter, and slipped underneath.

I even tried to breathe quietly.

When I reached for my phone, I realized it must have slid under Ethan's pillow during the commotion.

His breathing was slow and even. He was probably asleep.

I stretched out a hand to retrieve it.

He caught my arm before I could get there, lifting himself slightly to look at me.

“What are you doing?”

Even in the dark, I thought I could see the contempt in his eyes.

“Getting my phone.”

He followed my gaze and spotted the pink case beneath his pillow. He released my arm, tossed the phone to me, and said, “Keep your hands to yourself.”

I took it and retreated to the far edge of the mattress, leaving as much space between us as possible.

By then, the alcohol had worn off. I couldn't sleep at all.

My thoughts kept returning to how this ridiculous arrangement had started.

I'd been sitting in the hospital with the doctor's warning that my grandmother might not survive and a stack of bills I had no way to pay.

An older woman's hand, beautifully cared for, held out a packet of tissues.

I looked up and saw Mrs. Bennett.

She sat beside me. “I've seen you here quite a few times.”

“My grandma's sick,” I managed between sobs. “She's really, really sick.”

After a pause, the woman said, “I can arrange help for her. But I'd need something from you in return.”

I stared at her. Then she explained the deal.

I would marry her grandson. She would cover my grandmother's care and arrange consultations with specialists.

At first, I thought it had to be a scam. But that very day, Grandma was moved into a private room, and several doctors began coordinating her treatment.

I believed Mrs. Bennett after that.

I'd already prepared myself for the possibility that her grandson had a disability and needed someone to care for him.

Then she showed me his picture.

I stared for an entirely different reason.

How could someone that handsome have trouble finding a wife? And judging by what his grandmother had just done, money certainly wasn't an issue.

Mrs. Bennett told me Ethan was thirty-three and had absolutely no women in his life. At this rate, she said, a great-grandchild was going to remain a fantasy.

She needed a granddaughter-in-law.

And, apparently, I was exactly the sort of girl she liked.