“He’ll get over it though.” I glanced down again at the exceedingly long prenuptial agreement, the signing of which had been my purpose for being here today. “Your client,” I explained to the too-young attorney, “needs this to happen more than anyone else and yet, he’s treating it like a veritable party, and doing everything possible to make the union everyone proposed to me seem highly unbelievable. If he can’t be bothered to take this seriously, when he has everything to lose, then why should I bother when I personally have absolutely nothing on the line?”

“Your father,” the guy started, but I ignored him.

“My father’s mess is not mine to clean up, as I just stated. I will feel awful for him and his employees, but I will not help everyone else obtain their goals while I’m made an absolute fool of.”

The door to the office opened and in came Mr. Tucker and his father, along with my own. “You are absolutely right, Mina. I apologize for the disrespect my son has shown you, when as you said, you do not have to do this for him or anyone else.”

“Mina,” my father called out before coming directly to my side and wrapping his arms around me. “I’m so sorry, baby girl. We’ll call this off now,” he told me. While he meant for it to be for my ears only, the others clearly heard him.

“Now, let’s not be hasty,” the older Mr. Tucker managed to get out before the door shut and chairs shuffled, where he and his son were obviously taking their seats. I turned to look at them, and for once, I actually took in the man who was meant to become my husband too. He looked like shit.

“You look like the shit someone accidentally stepped in, tried, and then failed to scrape from the bottom of their shoe,” I told him.

“No need to sugarcoat anything,” he mumbled.

“Why should I?” It was only then that he glanced up at me. I thought, for a moment, that I saw shame there in his features, but I was probably wrong considering he ruined it by opening his mouth.

“You should be thankful someone like me even agreed to marry you,” he hissed as he gave me a once over that was meant to show me that I was lacking. I was a tiny girl and didn’t possess the amazing curves my sister had. When I say tiny, I meant it. I was barely five feet tall with no truly definable curves because I stayed active and also because genetics were a bitch. Whatever. I knew I wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and yeah, it hurt to know the man I found so physically attractive – even if his personality was repulsive – thought I wasn’t much to look at.

“Hey, Tuck, that’s way out of fucking line,” the young lawyer – I don’t think he ever introduced himself to me, so I didn’t know his name – managed to say to his buddy. He turned back to me and mouthed, “Sorry,” but I didn’t need his pity. Fuck him too.