Chapter 1
The day I got my cancer diagnosis, I made the most insane decision of my life-got myself a broke, mute college hottie.
He was gorgeous in that cold, untouchable way. But damn, did he love living dangerously.
So I pushed my dying body to the limit just to make him smile-
Bungee jumping. Street racing. Deep-sea diving. Skydiving…
Every death-defying stunt the doctors said would END me? Yeah, I did it all. For HIM.
3lew through my life savings like it was Monopoly money. While secretly writing my will, I was already at he hospital signing organ donation papers-planning to sell off my body parts to scrape together his medical
›ills.
But plot twist of the fucking CENTURY.
There’s his photo sitting on the hospital director’s desk. Rolex on his wrist. Looking like he owns half of
Manhattan.
Director’s practically glowing: “My son-Harvard bound, trust fund baby.”
But he’s obsessed with this sick role-playing game. Pretending to be poor and mute for kicks.”
Says the girl he’s catfishing is old and pathetic. Already shopping for his next victim.”
laughed until I cried. Then ripped those donation papers into a thousand pieces.
I’ll join your cancer drug trial,” I purred. “But I want ONE thing in return.”
Adopt me. I’m joining the Rhodes family.”
Time to play their game. MY rules.
The moment I saw Kieran Rhodes’ photo, I felt like lightning had struck my brain.
He was wearing that expensive watch, leaning lazily against a yacht railing, surrounded by flowers.
Some gorgeous girl was snuggled up in his arms, wearing a matching couple’s watch.
Same exact face, but completely different from the Kieran I knew.
I remembered this morning when he’d rubbed his eyes and signed for a good morning kiss.
My temples felt like someone was drilling into them-the pain made everything go black.
“Ding.”
My phone buzzed-a message from Kieran.
[Sage, handed out flyers all morning, made thirty bucks, bought you a bracelet.]
I clicked the picture and my breath caught.
I knew this bracelet.
Last night, I’d accidentally found a velvet gift box in his backpack.
Inside was an elegant four-leaf clover bracelet.
And now on my screen-the same design, but with chipped paint and crooked gems.
Clearly a cheap-ass fake.
So Kieran got the legit fifty-grand version first, then picked up this thirty-buck piece of crap.
The knockoff was for me.
And that fifty-grand one?
Was that for the girl on the yacht?
I suddenly remembered last month at the mall, when I’d lingered a few seconds too long looking at this bracelet in the window. Kieran had immediately signed:
‘When I have money, I’ll buy it for you.”
Now he had actually “bought” it.
I thought about all those gifts I’d treasured in our apartment closet-
Earrings that were turning green, cashmere scarves with loose threads, bags with fake “LV” logos…
He seemed especially fond of buying me cheap knockoffs of luxury brands.
I’d always thought he just didn’t recognize those brands.
Chapter 1
Now I realized-he’d done it on purpose.
Or maybe for every authentic item he bought other girls, he’d get me-the “old and pathetic” sugar mama-some 9.99 special from Wish.
What a fun way to mess with someone.
“Ding.”
My phone buzzed again-still Kieran.
[Why aren’t you answering? Don’t you like it?]
I slowly typed: [Love it, thanks.]
Kieran quickly sent a ski resort promotional image:
[Let’s go skiing this weekend, they’re having a sale.]
[Oh, and I’ve got a few friends coming too, you don’t mind, right?]
I looked at the so-called “sale” price: 199 per person, equipment rental not included.
That was what I could make delivering food for one night.
I stared at the screen and suddenly started laughing, laughing until my eyes burned.
Turns out when something’s completely absurd, you really do want to laugh.
The director across from me looked at me strangely: “Miss, what’s wrong?”
I put away my phone: “Nothing, just saw a funny joke. Really hilarious.”
‘Let’s keep talking about the drug trial.”
