As the weeks progressed, Meg wished time would slow down. During their mid week dinners, it was like the old Meg and Tyler, best friends who could talk about anything. Weekends came with sex and she didn't pull a nine-day cycle again. There was no point. Each time, she hoped that something would change inside her.

Tyler liked to have fun. He also worshipped her body in a way she had never experienced. If she stopped running, ate ice cream every day, and had two point five kids so her body drooped in places she couldn't imagine, Tyler would think she was still just as beautiful. Spending her life being worshipped by her best friend should be enough, but she wanted more.

After dating at seventeen it was so easy to keep the illusion going. Tyler agreed because he loved her, but she thought he wanted to date other women his parents wouldn't approve of, especially after Eli's disastrous relationship with Sonia. They were the kind that looked good on his arm and probably had multiple orgasms. But fake dating and marriage were not the same thing.

One day at lunch, an older woman in the advertising department overheard. She patted Meg on the back. "Honey, you're too young to talk like half the married women in America."

The girls' eyes bulged out. "Half?" Addelyn said.

"Honey, some men don't know how and the rest stop putting the work in. Kids and laundry take a little more effort to dislodge from a woman's brain. Who has ever gotten off while thinking of the shopping list?"

Both girls giggled, but Meg didn't think it would get better. Marriage wouldn't make her body long for Tyler. The chemistry was lacking, and she sucked at science.

On Thursday afternoon, Meg was looking forward to going for a run after work. It was still sunny at five and she felt like a vampire hiding away all week. With the crunch over, another edition had gone to print. Editing about flower gardens was so much better than the Mafia.

Her phone rang as she was shutting her laptop down for the day. "Eli? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I, um, was wondering if we could talk."

"Okay. Sure. When?"

"Can you meet me for a drink?"

"Yeah. Where?"

He rattled off a bar near her office building. At least she didn't have to go out of her way. As she walked the two blocks, her mind filled with reasons for the unexpected invitation. Did Eli know she didn't want to marry his brother? The four year difference meant the brothers weren't very close, but they loved each other. Tyler never hung out with Eli, like he did with Mick. Meg frowned. Lately, Tyler had been ignoring their friends to be alone with her. Maybe Tyler asked Eli to talk her into accepting the ring. It was more likely something Chickie would do.

Tyler had opened the velvet box as they ate takeout on Saturday night. "Just look at it. It's meant for you. The large emerald-cut diamond was gorgeous encircled with rubies. It was a family ring. She resisted the urge to try it on. Tyler would interpret the action as a yes and their mothers would pick a wedding venue and discuss boy's names. Just the thought of wedding planning with Shannon and Chickie gave her hives.

Frowning, she doubted she would have time for a run. When she entered the crowded bar, she looked through a sea of suits. Eli stood out as he sipped a drink at the bar. She walked over and touched his shoulder. He slowly turned and smiled, before putting a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. "Red wine?" Meg nodded as he easily got the female bartender's attention. Once she placed the stemmed glass in front of him, Eli turned. "Let's find a quiet table."

Was there one available? Eli looked serious as he carried both glasses. Meg wondered if he did something wrong. Maybe he needed her help to introduce a woman to the family or a child. He smelled sexy, and she always assumed he dated a lot of women.

There was one tiny table left in the back by the restrooms. Eli chuckled. "Not exactly the Whitby gala."

Meg frowned. "You know I don't like big occasions." She sipped her wine.

"Your wedding will be huge."

Meg looked up from the red pool in her glass. "Overwhelming. Is that what you want to talk about? Who put you up to it?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm here for an entirely different reason."

"Are you in trouble?"

Eli laughed. "I'm never in trouble. I'm a rule follower."

"Then why do you hang out with Harrison?" The guy had a dealer as his favorite contact.

"He only smokes weed now, and it's legal."

Meg shrugged as she wondered if it was true. Harrison Alden wasn't her concern. Tyler picked the better best friend.

"Did you and Tyler have a fight or something?"

Her eyes widened. "We never fight. Did he say something?" Maybe Tyler knew she had been faking it.

He shook his head as he pulled out his phone. "What about this?"

Cade, her brain sighed. Her memories hadn't been exaggerated. "Why do you have a picture of me?"

"What would my brother say if he saw this?"

She bit her lip. "He would wonder why you are stalking me."

Eli sighed. "I'm confused because this guy tells a story that doesn't match my reality."

"You know him?"

"No, not directly, but he seems to think you are his ticket to freedom."

"Freedom? What freedom?"

"Freedom from hard time."

"Hard time? Cade wouldn't hurt a fly." Even Tyler knew that.

"Cade? This is Daniel Maloney, son of Vinnie Pacheco."

She shook her head. "No, no, no. Cade hates his mother's husband."

"Why were you with him?"

She sighed. "I bumped into him looking for the bathroom. It was my birthday dinner with my parents and Tyler. What do you think he did?"

"Murdered a guy later that night at this same hotel."

She closed her eyes and remembered waking to the knock. She shook her head over and over. "No. No way."

"You need to tell me more than that if I'm going to believe you. Right now, I'm wondering who you are?"

She closed her eyes. It was a nightmare. Pieces came back to her. Tyler mentioned the mob hit. Cade wasn't the mob. "He's an artist."

She took out her phone and google Cade Maloney. As the links to articles appeared, she realized he had held back a few facts. "This is the guy in the picture. These are his friends."

Links to CEJ Games filled her screen, specifically its sale. It explained how he could afford to stay at the expensive hotel.

Eli held up his phone. "This is him. Daniel C. Maloney is a suspect in the murder of..."

She gritted her teeth. "He didn't do it."

"Why should I believe you?"

She looked into her wine. "Because I was with him until the police knocked on his hotel room door to check IDs."

"You were what?" His face fell.

"You heard me. He stepped outside so I could... anyway, an officer was there and I asked if she could get me out. I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't need the press to see me or my father to be involved. The officer drove me to Tyler's place."

"You went to my brother." His voice raised slightly as he glared.

She looked up with saucer eyes. "You don't understand. We weren't dating. We were never dating. Tyler saw plenty of women. I didn't even know how Ty felt about me until the next day when our mothers decided we should be engaged."

"His attorney wants your information. He thinks you're his alibi."

She was. "What will happen if I don't?"

"The DA wants life in prison."

"But he didn't. He couldn't. Won't his lawyer prove there's no evidence?"

"Maybe but my side is building a case against him."

"How? Why?"

"He had a huge influx of money."

"From selling his business."

He shrugged. "The decision lies with the jury. First, the grand jury needs to indict him."

"This is a nightmare. My father."

"Can I give them your name? I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they find you themselves."

"The policewoman had my name."

"There is no record of anyone else in the room."

"That's wrong? I thought you worked for the good guys. The guy who knocked on the door knew too."

Eli frowned. "You've raised a few questions."

"I'd say so." She only knew what she saw on TV shows.

"So can I? His lawyer is tenacious. She quit her job at a big firm to represent him."

Meg stared at Eli. "Do you really believe he's guilty?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe."

Meg shut her eyes and tried to imagine living her life, married to Tyler, with Cade behind heavy metal bars. Then she imagined all the disappointed faces. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"I think you've already hurt my brother."

"I know. Tell them, but let them know I need privacy."

Eli drained his drink then stood and walked away. She didn't know what to do. Should she go home or go talk to Tyler?

She wanted to talk to Cade. They accused an innocent man of murder, and somehow she had become the guilty one.

Now she knows.

Thanks for voting ⭐️