Edward lowered his voice. “The real deal-breaker in a marriage is cheating. Victoria, if you don’t trust me, let’s sign a prenup. If I ever mess up, you’ll get a big chunk of money for all the pain I caused.”

I paused, thinking it over. Honestly, that sounded pretty fair for both of us.

“But what if I’m the one who screws up? I don’t have that kind of cash to compensate you,” I said with an awkward laugh.

“Would you ever mess up?” Edward asked, locking eyes with me.

“No way! Only a fool would do that,” I shook my head. With a husband this hot and loaded, if I ever cheated, I’d deserve to have my hand chopped off.

Edward chuckled. “Alright, I trust you’re a woman with principles.”

My conscience pricked me. ‘Principles?’ I wondered.

“If we’re really going to be together, what are we supposed to do about Ryan?” I asked. Today, I noticed there was something off in his eyes–like he still resented Edward for taking me away.

“Just let it cool off. He’s just not over it,” Edward said, frowning.

“Alright,” I said, feeling a bit helpless. Guess that’s all we can do.

I cleaned and dressed Edward’s wounds, and he stiffened under my touch. Once I was done, he pulled his shirt back on.

“Why don’t you stay here tonight? There’s a guest room right next door,” Edward said softly.

I shook my head right away. “No, thanks. I’ve got a place in Braylin. I want to go back and see it.”

“Alright, I’ll go with you,” Edward said, not pushing it.

And just like that, Edward and I left the Jennings family home.

Back at my place in Braylin, I immediately started cleaning. Edward rolled up his sleeves and helped out, but it was obvious he wasn’t exactly a pro at housework.

I was sweating buckets, my long hair coming loose, but finally, the place was spotless.

Edward said, “How about I get someone to come clean up for you every week? That way, whenever you want to drop by, the place will always be spotless.”

“No, that’s alright. I don’t have much stuff here anyway–I can just clean up myself,” I replied, not wanting to trouble him.

After all that work, I was wiped out. I plopped down on the couch, looking out at the city lights twinkling outside the balcony.

Edward sat down next to me with a bottle of water, taking a slow sip. “Victoria, I know you’re going through a lot, and I won’t force you. But please, don’t just be silent and shut me out, okay? If something’s bothering you, talk to me–we’ll handle it together.”

I felt a pang of guilt and quickly looked away. He was talking about how I suddenly bailed on him that Friday afternoon.

“Edward, I’m sorry, I just wasn’t sure,” I apologized. “I never thought I’d get married again, so when feelings started to develop, I freaked out.”

“I get it,” Edward said, patting my shoulder. “I’m not a fan of the silent treatment. I’d rather we talk things out right away. No matter how big the problem is, I’ll help you deal with it.”

“Did your ex-wife like the silent treatment?” I blurted out, completely out of the blue.

Edward paused for a second, then chuckled. “So, you’re starting to get curious about me and her, huh?”

“I was just asking. I’m kind of curious, especially since I met her in Sandanyo last time,” I replied.

“She was pretty self-centered. Back then, I was about as young as Ryan is now, and I was pretty blunt myself, so we ended up giving each other the silent treatment quite a lot,” Edward said, poking fun at himself.

“Last time you said she wanted to meet me—was it because she was worried your remarriage would affect your daughter?” I asked. I’m sure Jane was concerned about that. As a mom, she’d want to know what kind of stepmom her daughter would get–after all, that could make or break Nora’s happiness growing up.

“She told me later she really did want to meet you, just to see what kind of person you are and whether you’d get along with Nora,” Edward said honestly.

“That’s just the reality for us now,” I sighed. “If I’m stepping up to be a stepmom, then you’re signing up to be a stepdad too.”