Page 95 of Heart Breaker

My stomach tightens as I sit up beside Lottie.

“The hospital bills have our balance owing as zero. I think they’ve made a mistake.”

Guilt presses hard against my ribs. This whole arrangement started because of me. At the time, it felt like a perfect solution. Now all I can think about is the impossible position I’ve put her in. She’s forced to lie to the people she loves the most because of a deal I asked her to make, and I hate that. Most of all, I hate that the woman I’m falling in love with has to carry the weight of my decisions.

“No, Mom.” I watch as Lottie forces a small, reassuring laugh. “Everything’s okay. Remember a few weeks ago when I told you I was calling the insurance company?”

“Yes…”

“I found a loophole in Dad’s policy.”

“A loophole?”

Lottie exhales. “They weren’t applying one of his supplemental benefits properly. I spent the better part of an afternoon on the phone with them and finally got someone to review the claim.”

“Oh, sweetheart…”

“They approved it.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means Dad has more coverage than we thought.” Lottie lets out a shaky breath. “So, you won’t have to worry about making the payments anymore.”

The lie catches in her throat.

“Oh, Lottie.” Her mom’s voice cracks. “Are you sure? I’ve barely slept thinking about how we were going to pay for all of this.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry anymore.”

Her mom sniffles. “I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

None of this should’ve fallen on Lottie’s shoulders in the first place. When this fake marriage began, I thought I was asking her to help me solve a public relations disaster. I never stopped to consider what pretending would cost her. Now, listening to her reassure her mother with a lie she never wanted to tell, one thing becomes painfully clear. I’m done letting her carry the consequences of my choices alone.

The flight home is quieter than the one that brought us here. Lottie sits beside me with her legs tucked beneath her, gazing out the window as the snow-capped peaks of Pine Ridge disappear beneath the clouds.

She smiles when she catches me looking at her, but she seems distracted, like she’s carrying a hundred different emotions and hasn’t decided which ones to unpack first.

I know the feeling.

We spent most of yesterday wrapped up in each other in the chalet, stealing long conversations between lingering kisses. There was no urgency. No pretending. No walls. Just us. Every time I held her, I found myself wondering how I’d ever convinced myself this marriage could end after a year.

The answer is simple. It can’t. Not anymore.

I glance over as she absentmindedly twists her wedding band around her finger. I’ve noticed we’ve both developed that habit.

“You okay?”

She turns from the window, meeting my eyes. “Yeah.”

“You sure?”

She nods. “I think I’m just processing.”

I reach across the cockpit between our seats and lace my fingers through hers. “Good weekend?”

A laugh escapes her. “I think that’s an understatement.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”