Chapter 1 Marry Another One
“Mr. Odom, I’ll marry you,” Yolanda Nielsen said on the phone.
She had downed half a bottle of liquor just to make the call.
There was a long pause before Brent Odom’s groggy, irritated voice finally came through.
“Do you even know what time it is?”
Yolanda glanced at her screen–2:13 a.m.
“Sorry, I’ll call you later.”
“Okay,” Brent replied.
“Wait!
“Actually, I’m flying out tomorrow for work. I’ll be gone for about a month. We can go to city hall when I’m back.”
“Sure.”
The call ended, and Yolanda stared blankly at her phone.
Two weeks ago, Gretchen Clarke had called her from the countryside, raving about a guy she just had to meet. That guy was Brent, the grandson of Gretchen’s neighbor, Miriam Patton. He had always been a straight–A student and made it to a prestigious university in Ohixham. Now, he had a rock–solid job with all the perks–full benefits, bonuses, and even holiday gifts.
Yolanda agreed just to get Gretchen off her back. She never expected
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Brent to call that same night. He told her he didn’t have time for this blind date or any proper dating. If she was fine with it, he wanted to skip straight to marriage.
Her first thought was, “What’s wrong with him?”
But she kept it to herself.
Brent didn’t wait for her answer. He told her to think it over and hung up.
Over the past two weeks, Yolanda didn’t give his proposal a second thought–until tonight. She said yes to him.
Then she opened social media and found the internet buzzing, as always.
The top trending topic was Jaslyn Peterson, an A–list actress. Rumor had it she was pregnant with a married Oscar–winning actor’s child, and people online were calling her a homewrecker. Soon, Antwan Navarro stepped in, claiming that Jaslyn was his girlfriend, pregnant with his child, and that they were getting married.
As most people were skeptical, Antwan backed up his story with a video of him proposing to Jaslyn at her birthday party a while ago.
It worked. Fans and others began showering her with congratulations.
The top trending topic now read, “Actress Jaslyn Peterson to Wed Antwan Navarro, Scion of Tycoon.”
Yolanda stared at the screen, feeling the bitter sting of reality.
“If Jaslyn is his girlfriend, then what does that make me? What did those eight years mean?” she thought.
She blamed herself for falling for it all. It was time to end things with Antwan.
The reason Yolanda had said yes to Brent was simple. He once said, “I just want a normal life with my wife–supporting each other, respecting each other, growing old together.”
Nothing fancy, but it was exactly what she wanted, a life Antwan could never give her.
After pulling herself together, she packed her things.
The villa belonged to Antwan, and she had to move out as soon as she
could.
With an early shift the next morning, Yolanda only managed a couple of hours of sleep.
When she came downstairs, Antwan was sprawled on the couch, his hair a mess, brows furrowed. He was clearly nursing a hangover.
She walked past him and headed straight to the kitchen to make breakfast.
While she was cooking, Antwan wandered in, reeking of alcohol. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.
“Ugh, my head’s killing me. Can you make me a hangover smoothie,” he
muttered.
“Go sit down,” Yolanda said, frowning.
“I just wanna hold you for a bit,” he mumbled, eyes half–closed.
“You reek.”
“Do I?” He sniffed his shirt and said, “Alright, I’ll go shower.”
Yolanda pulled down a box from the top shelf–a mix she had prepared for hangover smoothies. Antwan often drank too much at his frequent social events, and it had taken a toll on his health.
The recipe wasn’t easy; it took expert advice, careful tweaks for his condition, and precise preparation.
As Yolanda stirred the mixture, she let out a bitter laugh. Eight years of this, and her care had never touched his heart.
“Let this be the last. Goodbye, Antwan,” she murmured to herself.
When Antwan came downstairs after his shower, she handed him the smoothie. Rubbing his forehead, he took a sip and didn’t say a word about his announcement the night before.
“Congrats,” Yolanda said, breaking the silence.
He looked up, confusion crossing his handsome face. “What for?”
“For finally popping the question to Jaslyn and getting her to say yes. That took you long enough,” she replied coolly.
Antwan had loved Jaslyn since middle school, a love that had lasted fifteen years. Yolanda had always known. Every year on Jaslyn’s birthday, he would propose,
even while he was with Yolanda.
even wie b
It hurt, of course, but Yolanda loved him enough to put up with it.
“You saw the news?” Antwan asked, frowning.
Yolanda stared at him, silent.
“It’s not real,” he said with a casual nod. “Once things settle down, Jaslyn and I’ll get a divorce.”
“Not real?” Yolanda gave a scornful smile. “But you’re signing papers and throwing a wedding, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, my family wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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“So, how’s that not real?”
“It just isn’t, okay? You don’t need to know the details.” With that, he finished his smoothie and turned toward the stairs.
“I don’t care about what’s going on with Jaslyn. But you and I need to sort things out.”
Antwan stopped, turning to look at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Yolanda took a deep breath. “I’m breaking up with you.”
www.www.
“Were you even fucking listening? I told you it’s not real. Once the media calms down, she and I will get divorced. Why are you making this about you? This has nothing to do with you. Are you that desperate for attention or what?”
Attention?
Yolanda wasn’t even sure she mattered enough to get it anymore.
She dropped her gaze and said, “I don’t care if your marriage to Jaslyn is real or fake. I’m breaking up with you.
“Yolanda!” he shouted.
“I’m exhausted,” she said, her eyes shutting for a moment. “Loving you for eight years has drained me. I’ve got nothing left. Let’s just end it here.”
“Fine. You’re gonna regret this!”
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With that, he grabbed his jacket and stormed out.
And just like that, it was over. Yolanda felt a huge relief.
The next morning, she showed up early at Cloudview Hospital, where she worked as an obstetrician. She threw herself into her appointments while
a nurse named Kaylen Powell shared the latest gossip.
“So, who do you think the baby daddy really is? Wayne Larsen, or Mr. Navarro? Honestly, if it were me, I’d go for Navarro. He’s loaded and hot.
“And I’ve heard he’s madly in love with Jaslyn for fifteen years. Fifteen years! Even the universe must be rooting for him by now.”
Yolanda had heard enough and sent her off to take a pregnant patient upstairs for tests.
She had just started to enjoy the quiet when her phone buzzed. It was
Antwan.
“Get ready. Jaslyn’s coming to your hospital for a prenatal checkup tomorrow,” he said.
