"No," I cut him off, fury bubbling up. "I remember all of it. You and your friends, laughing at me. Thinking I wouldn’t catch on. Well, I did, Daniel. Every last word."
He froze, trying to find the right words, his mouth opening and closing in silence. "Tracie, please... I’m sorry. I never meant for it to go down like this. But I didn’t have a choice."
"No choice?" I repeated, disbelieving. "Explain that to me."
Daniel ran a hand through his disheveled hair, a look of guilt washing over him. "I have to marry Ginger," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper, almost pleading. "It’s for the family. If I don’t, the company will fail. Can’t you see what that means? Eddy Insurance is the biggest healthcare provider in America. If I can’t fix this... if I can’t save it... everything will crumble. The business, my father’s legacy... everything."
I crossed my arms, forcing myself to stay composed. "So, that’s it? You marry her, and I just sit on the sidelines, waiting?"
"It’s not like that," he said quickly, his voice filled with desperation. "It’s not serious. It’s just an arrangement. Tracie, I still love you. You don’t understand the pressure I’m under."