Hudson and Harper had been childhood friends, but she had never lacked attention from men. Hudson lingered in the background, always her backup. During college, Harper cycled through boyfriends like outfits, yet Hudson was never one of them. Instead, he turned to me, using our connection as a way to gather information about her. He only agreed to get engaged to me after learning that Harper had married into a wealthy family. Now that she was divorced, he saw his chance once more.
Noticing the shift in my demeanor, Hudson leaned in with concern. “Aubrey, are you crying? Is it about your mother? I promise, once we’re married, we’ll take her to the best hospital in New York.”
If I hadn’t witnessed him propose to Harper with my own eyes, I might have been swayed by his words again. But now, realizing they wanted to use my pain to fuel their love story, I decided to play along—let’s see who ends up embarrassed.