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“Does that make me a victim of your false identity?” he asked.

“Nessa Lambert is my artist’s name.” My stomach clenched. “You invested in the artist. There’s no pretense.” I swallowed. “My real name is Vanessa Lam, and I killed a man.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

ATTIKUS

Nothing could’ve surprisedme more than Nessa’s proposal and her admission.

Sitting so close to her, I sensed her nerves and saw the determination in her eyes.

“Who?” I asked.

“I’m not ready to talk about it today. My body needs a break from that trauma.” She pressed her lips into a tight line. “Emmanuel wants money to keep his mouth shut. But I know he won’t stop pestering me after he gets the money.”

Understanding, I didn’t pressure her. I’d seen what trauma had done to my sister. Time and patience were precious healing remedies.

I got up from the bed, reached for my cane, and walked around the room. The cane was my thinking friend—a comrade who had seen my pain, heard my vow for vengeance, and held a hope I never showed anyone else.

During my darkest days, when I couldn’t walk, I leaned on it—literally and figuratively. My injury was the constant reminder I needed to find these fuckers and make them pay.

Let it go,Mom Gigi and Ellen had said.You’ll be happier.

I’ll think about it, was the safe reply I’d given them many times. They didn’t need to know my plan had already been in motion the day after my family’s funeral. The less they knew about my plan, the safer they’d be.

Right now, I needed the familiar comfort of my cane to make an important decision.

It’s a fake, temporary marriage that will end in six months.

Could it be that easy? How would I navigate this scenario? Nessa wouldn’t have asked me if she had another way.

I looked at her. “Why me?”

She shrugged. “Because you’re theluckyone sitting in my hospital room.”

I appreciated her sarcasm, remembering she didn’t have family or close friends. If a man other than me had been in this room, would she have asked him?

That thought bothered me more than it should, but I didn’t know why.

Pushing that irritation aside, I concentrated on her situation. It seemed too familiar to me. When I was at my lowest, a stranger became my savior. Gigi had helped me when I was lying on the sidewalk, bleeding to death. Then she adopted me. She was friends with my mother, but I didn’t know her well.

My heart raced as I made a decision that would shock my family and friends. Orion would grill me for this.

“I’ll be your fake husband under one condition.”

“What?” Her eyes sparked with hope, brightening her face and making her even more beautiful.

“I get to draft the agreement for this fake marriage. After six months, we’ll review the terms.”

She twisted her lips, considering me. “Can I add some things to the agreement? This is an agreement between two people. I want a say in my marriage.”

She made it sound real, but I didn’t call her out on it. I wasn’t a man who would force a woman to do something she didn’t want to. I thought about my sisters. What would I do if someone forced them to sign an agreement that didn’t benefit them?

“You can make some suggestions.” I stepped up to the bed. “But I’ll review them.” I didn’t know who Vanessa Lam was. Though something in me wanted to help her, I had to be careful. What if she was a decoy? What if she was working for The Trogyn, playing the role of an innocent woman who attacked me when I least expected it?

I had to rule out these questions.

She blew out a stressed breath, probably not liking that I had the upper hand.