"Well, I think I understand the whole situation with your fiancé and future husband. What I find hard to comprehend is why Mason had you sign an agreement stating that you would be honest with each other to have a good relationship, yet you tell me he was speaking strangely on the phone, and you saw him with another girl. If you'd like, I can help you in that aspect. You'll understand that as a lawyer, when it comes to divorce cases involving infidelity, I look for evidence. I have a team behind me that can tell you within hours who the woman is and what relationship she has with your future husband. That would help you be prepared for any strange moves he might make. And as personal advice, don't sign anything until I've read it. Don't be so trusting of someone you've just met," she advises, and she's absolutely right. I was a fool.
"I will. For now, I'll leave the documents with you. You have my number, so call me if anything comes up, no matter how insignificant," I say seriously.
"Don't worry, I will," she replies with a smile.
We say our goodbyes, and I head to my university. I want to explore the option of staying in on-campus housing. I don't want to go back home, and I certainly don't want to stay with Mason. Right now, what I need is to be alone.
Once at the university, I search for accommodation and find one with a roommate. For now, I don't really care about that. What I need at the moment is to be far away from my parents and Mason. With that, I consider myself satisfied.
My new roommate is not around at the moment. They give me a spare key, and I head to the hotel to retrieve the clothes I brought with me.
I don't go to my parents' place; instead, I leave a note for Mason:
"I'll be staying at a university residence. Thank you for everything. We'll stay in touch by phone. Paige."
I leave the note in the living room where it's easily visible and leave straight for the campus. From now on, I will only focus on myself, my future as the future owner of my parents' company. I won't depend on anyone. It's just three years.
Enduring a lie for three years is not difficult. The positive side is that I now know Mason is not who I thought he was honest. I'll simply pretend that everything is fine between us and be cautious about signing anything without my lawyer seeing it. I won't be naive anymore. From today onward, I'll be selfish and mistrustful.
I settle my belongings in my assigned bed and area of the room. My roommate still hasn't shown up. I take the opportunity to take a shower and rest. There's still one more day until classes start, and I plan to go to my parents' house to retrieve my notebooks and class materials. That's all I need to have everything necessary. Fortunately, I'm not one of those girls who change outfits multiple times a day. I'm not really into fashion; I have my own style. That's why my mother is always behind me, trying to make me wear what she deems appropriate for me.
I seem at my cellphone, and it's already five in the evening. I decide to leave it charging when a call from Mason comes through. He must have seen the note in the living room.
"Hello," I answer.
"What's this about you staying in a residence? Did I do something to make you feel uncomfortable? Does this have to do with my mother? I know she can be a bit intense, and you might have felt suffocated. I'll talk to her..." he continues, not pausing for a breath.
This is what confuses me. When he acts like this, I feel like he genuinely cares, that he truly wants me to be with him, at least as friends, as I believe he only feels sibling-like affection for me. Do I feel the same? I don't know anymore. I don't even know what I feel.
"That's not it, don't worry. It's just that I would like to be here, you know, to make the most of my last days as a single and uncommitted university student. It's not like I want to live a wildlife or anything like that," I say, trying to ease the tension caused by Mason.
"What?" he responds.
"I simply want to be alone for a few days. If you're not okay with it, we can meet and find a solution, but I really want to be here, at least while I'm attending my classes. When the wedding day approaches, we can figure out what to do. Does that sound alright to you?" I ask nervously.
“I understand, you don't have to give me so many explanations. It's just that I got scared and thought my mother had scared you away," he comments, laughing.
"Oh no, not at all. On the contrary, I'm actually going to steal her away and keep her for myself," I reply, laughing.
"I believe she prefers you more than me, that's for sure."
After laughing for a while about the jokes regarding his mother, we end the call. He asks me to take care of myself and tells me not to hesitate to call him if I need anything, no matter the time. Those damn signals are what confuse me about my feelings. I don't want to say that I'm falling in love or anything like that, it's just that they make me question whether I like him as a man or as a brother.
Perhaps I just need to go out more and meet more people. Maybe I'm confused because I don't have any friends I can trust to go out with, thanks to my cursed last name that follows me everywhere.
I'm lost in my thoughts when the door to the room opens, and a girl walks in. Just by looking at her, I can tell that we'll get along very well. I can already tell from her fashion sense that she's not one of those interested in keeping up with the latest trends, and I already like that about her.
"Hello! I was told I have a roommate. My name is Riley," she introduces herself with a smile.
I get up from the bed and go over to her.
"Hi, I'm Paige. Nice to meet you," I say, returning the smile. I notice that she looks at my clothes and winks at me.
"We're going to be great friends," she comments, laughing.
"I hope so," I reply sincerely.
We order a pizza and get to know each other a little better. Riley tells me that she's on a scholarship, her parents are not from here, and they have made a lot of sacrifices to have her studying here. She's an only child like me, and that makes us feel like sisters. I mention that my parents have money, but I don't disclose how much. Upon hearing that, she asks me not to tell her my last name; she just wants to get to know me for who I am, not for my parents' wealth. That touched me deeply. She's the first person who wants to know me as Paige, not as Harper.
We spend most of the night talking, laughing, and I omit the detail that I'm getting married soon. She doesn't need to know right away; we still have time for those details.
Without realizing it, we end up watching a romantic movie. We both are hopeless romantics, but as Riley says, "Just because we're romantic doesn't mean we're foolish and naive enough to fall for any man's words." I completely agree with her.
There's a difference between dreaming of a sincere and tender love and believing in anyone who promises us eternal love.