We're on Equal Footing

There's about half a month to our wedding when Daniel Bradshaw and I get into a horrible fight.

The reason? He wants to have a child with his mentor's daughter.

"We're only going to do IVF—it's not like we're doing anything else! My mentor is gravely ill now, and his only wish is to see Phoebe have someone she can rely on!"

Daniel sounds indifferent, but my blood runs cold. "It's half a month to our wedding, yet you're going to have a child with another woman. Don't you find that ridiculous?"

I watch as he storms off and slams the door shut behind him. Then, I update my social media.

"I'm getting married in half a month, but I need a new groom. Is anyone up for it?"

I scrolled through the teasing comments under the Instagram story.

Indeed, it was no secret that I loved Daniel Bradshaw to the point of losing myself. No one would believe that I would choose to leave him now that we were so close to getting married.

I spent three years pursuing Daniel before finally getting what I thought was a happy ending. I became his girlfriend, and when I turned 27 years old, I accepted his proposal. Just as I thought my years of hard work were paying off, Daniel told me something that threatened to crumble my belief system.

He wanted to have a child with another woman.

I was never a generous person, but I had lowered myself so much for Daniel that he believed I could share my fiancé with someone else.

As I spaced out on the couch, my phone suddenly rang and shattered the deathly silence around me. It was a call from Silas Langley, whom I hadn't heard from in years.

Technically speaking, Silas and I were childhood friends. When we were younger, I followed him around so much that others mocked me for being his shadow.

Silas was cold and aloof. Everyone else perceived him as intimidating and untouchable, but I never saw him as such. Sure, he hardly spoke more than a few words at a time, but he always listened to my rants without complaint.

After the SATs, Silas moved to Fernhallow, while I left for Brookhelm. I met Daniel after that and fell hopelessly in love with him. I was so devoted to my pursuit of him that I didn't return to Norwald for years.

As such, I was surprised that Silas was calling me now.

I put the call through, but before I could speak, Silas' cold, crisp voice sounded from the other line, "Is it true?"

"What?" It took a while for me to understand what Silas was referring to. I stared at the lonely picture of me and Daniel hanging on the wall as I said, "Yes, it's true."

A light chuckle escaped Silas. He sounded happy as he suggested, "You could always consider marrying me if you don't mind."

A breeze came through the balcony doors that had been left ajar. The sheer drapes, which had yet to be bunched up, flapped in the breeze, only to fall over the pot of flowers tucked in the corner.

"Very well. What are your terms?" I asked.

Silas was an outstanding lawyer, and I refused to believe he didn't want something from me.

"I'll send you a copy of the prenuptial agreement tomorrow," was all he said.

I expected as much. Silas would never put himself in a position of lesser bargaining power.

"Also, Daphne, I want you to put my contact as 'Babe' from now on," Silas added.

I immediately clicked on his contact profile on my phone just to make sure I was speaking to Silas.

When his name leaped out at me in confirmation, I began to wonder if he had hit his head that morning. Surely the years we spent not seeing each other couldn't have turned him into such a demanding flirt.

"This is the start of your new life, Daphne Winston."

Silas seemed to understand more than I did that my love life was a complete mess at the moment. He was also perfectly aware that I was treating him as a piece of driftwood that kept me from drowning in this toxic relationship I had with Daniel.

"What else do you want me to do?" I asked.