My Fiancé Faked His Death, So I Married His Uncle

"Oh, stop it, you're so annoying," Yolanda giggled, nudging Jason. "My sister is watching."

I pressed my lips together, trying to ignore the wave of discomfort crawling up my spine. Jason saw my reaction, but as always, he completely misread it. His eyes flickered with amusement, like he was enjoying this way too much.

"What, you nervous?" he teased. "You’re gonna be my wife anyway. If she still wants to follow me around, she better learn to deal with it."

Then he turned to me, smirking like he was offering me some grand prize. "Since you’ve been so loyal, I’ll be generous. I’ll keep you around. Yolanda gets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’ll stop by on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Sundays? You can come over and serve us."

The people around us burst into laughter, hyping him up like this was some kind of joke instead of the absolute garbage it was.

"See that, Whitney?" someone called out. "Jason lost his memory, but he still loves you enough to save three days a week just for you!"

"Yeah, don’t be stupid," another guy chimed in. "You’ve been a mess these past five years without him. Probably scrubbing toilets just to survive. Take the offer while you still can, if Jason changes his mind, you won’t even get the chance to beg for it later."

Yolanda tightened her grip on Jason’s arm, practically draping herself over him, then gave me this sickeningly sweet smile. "Whitney, I don’t want to do this either, but what can I do? Jason only loves me now. Guess you’ll just have to settle for being the woman in the shadows."

Jason let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Please. She wouldn’t survive without me."

Something sharp twisted in my chest.

Five years ago, in that car accident, Jason had thrown himself over me, shielding me with his own body. He had been barely conscious, his fingers squeezing mine as he whispered over and over, "Don’t be scared. I have luck on my side, I won’t die. I’ll always be your guardian angel. No one will ever hurt you."

Could someone who had once loved me so deeply really change this much? Could amnesia turn him into... this?

I swallowed down the bitterness rising in my throat, took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Sorry," I said, my voice calm. " I think you’ve got the wrong person."

Then, without breaking eye contact, I lifted my hand, flashing the ring on my finger. "Besides, I’m already married."

For a second, the whole room went silent. Then laughter erupted, loud and mocking.

Jason raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Married? To who? A garbage man? A street sweeper?" He scoffed. "Come on, Whitney. Do you actually think I’d be jealous? Do you hear yourself?"

Before I could react, his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. Then, with one quick pull, he yanked the ring right off my finger.

I winced as Jason yanked the ring off my finger, the sting shooting up my wrist. I was about to say something when Yolanda suddenly burst out laughing.

"Jason, isn't this the 'Only Love in This Life' ring?" she grinned, eyes sparkling with amusement. "The one your uncle bought in Atessa for 600 million dollars five years ago?"

She turned to me, tilting her head like she had just caught me in some elaborate lie. "Whitney, don't tell me you're about to claim that you married his uncle and became his aunt?"

The second those words left her mouth, the entire room exploded into laughter.

"You've gotta be kidding me," someone scoffed. "Whitney, seriously? You expect us to believe you're the wife Colton has been hiding all these years?"

Colton Jagger. Jason’s uncle. The man who ran the entire Jagger Family. He was only five years older than Jason, but people spoke about him with nothing but respect.

Not only was he insanely rich and stupidly good-looking, but he was also known for being completely devoted to his wife. Five years of marriage and no one had even seen her or their daughter. He kept them out of the public eye, far away from any scrutiny.

"Whitney, you really wanna keep up this little fantasy?" A guy picked up the ring, turning it between his fingers. "Gotta say, it’s a damn good fake. Must’ve cost a fortune. You really went all out trying to impress Jason, huh?"

More laughter. More taunts. The room felt suffocating. I exhaled slowly, keeping my voice steady. "I didn't fake it. This ring is real—"

Before I could finish, a hand flew across my face.

The slap was so sudden, so forceful, that my head snapped to the side. A sharp, burning pain spread across my cheek and for a second, my ears rang.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jason’s voice was full of rage, his jaw clenched tight. "Why the fuck would you bring my uncle into this?"

His words were rapid, heated, filled with pure disgust.

"Everyone knows my uncle worships the ground his wife walks on. You really think he’d take one look at you—a used-up, second-hand reject I didn’t even want—and think, 'Yeah, that’s the one'?" He scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Even if you don’t have a damn mirror, at least know your damn place," he sneered. "I can't stand women like you. Jealous, desperate, lying through your teeth just to get attention."

His lip curled as he looked me up and down, like he couldn’t believe he had ever been with me. "I must’ve been fucking blind to ever want you."