“Deborah, I've told you my parents have their reservations about where you come from. But I've worked hard to get them to accept you. We're about to get married. What more do you want?”
“And what about Irma?”
I stared at his hand with open contempt. “Every time you touch me, you have to scrub yourself down with alcohol wipes. Over and over.”
“So why not when you touch Irma?”
Just now, in front of everyone, the two of them had chased and tussled and laughed together.
Their faces nearly pressed against each other.
And not once did Spencer's germ phobia so much as flicker.
His expression darkened, his brows knotting tighter and tighter.
“Deborah, I think I've explained this to you more times than I can count.”
“Irma's mother was my mom's best friend. She died young, and afterward Irma's stepmother treated her cruelly.”
“My mom couldn't stand to watch it, so she kept bringing Irma to our house.”
“You could say she grew up under our roof. She's no different from my own sister.”
So she could lounge on Spencer's bed in nothing but shorts.
But his bed? I wasn't even allowed to sit on it.
He couldn't stand the thought of my outdoor clothes soiling his sheets.
Even the chairs in the house had to be disinfected the moment I got up.
Watching my face tighten with humiliation, he hesitated, then forced the words out. ：
“Deborah, I'm not doing it on purpose. I just have a severe phobia of germs.”
But Irma was different.
On Spencer's turf, she could do whatever she pleased.
“Irma and I go back to childhood. She's used to being around me, so the phobia doesn't kick in.”
Now, listening to Spencer fumble through his excuses,
I felt something loosen, and a faint smile crossed my lips.
“Right. The two of you are the real family. I'm the outsider who could never fit in.”
And I didn't want to fit in anymore.
When he saw me turn to leave, panic flashed across his face. He caught me from behind, wrapping his arms around me.
“That's not what I meant.”
“Deborah, you've been running yourself ragged lately, haven't you? Rest first. Once you've settled down, there's plenty of time to sort out the wedding.”
I was about to tell him I was perfectly settled, that I'd thought it through and wanted to break up.
“Spencer, come here a second!”
Andrea's voice cut in at just that moment.
“Coming!” Spencer frowned. “Deborah, I'll have the driver take you home.”
“Don't bother. I'll grab a cab.”
As I turned to go, Irma deliberately brushed past me, throwing me a taunting look.
“Deborah Butler, don't think being Spencer's girlfriend makes you anything special.”
“Mrs. Stephens has her heart set on me as her future daughter-in-law. You? You haven't even passed the test.”
“I'll be honest with you. I have feelings for Spencer too.”
“So I won't be letting him marry you that easily.”
“In the end, whoever gets to be Mrs. Stephens, well, may the best woman win.”
I answered calmly. “Sorry. I have no interest in fighting you for him.”
With that, I shouldered past her and walked away.
Over the next three days, I took on a business trip the company had asked me to handle.
Three days of running myself off my feet. I came back so exhausted that I slept like the dead.
When I woke, a message from Spencer was waiting on my phone.
“The wedding plan's been chosen.”
“The wedding's set for two weeks from now. Remember to let your relatives back home know to come.”
I bolted upright, completely lost.
“Which plan did you choose?”
“Spencer, you didn't talk to me about any of it. The plan, the date, you just decided everything on your own?”
There was a pause on his end.
“These six wedding plans, weren't they the ones you put together in the first place?”
