Page 21 of Merry Fake Bride

Something about his wide stance and the bulge of his arms makes him grow a few inches in all directions, an illusion likely because I’m stuck in this bed.

“We shall see,” Jennifer states curtly. “Miss Miller, the details provided are for insurance that you are simply not eligible for. Your injuries, while not life-threatening, are still a hefty debt to the hospital. You didn’t require any major surgery to help with repairing your arm, but I see from your notes that your doctor had to place a screw near your elbow due to the nature of the break and a fracture closer to your wrist. Surgery in any regard can make you ineligible for numerous insurances, but since the cost of the surgery, the rush on the doctor and specialist you saw at the behest of your…friend…”

Jennifer glances at Kairo like she’s about to eat him up. “You’ve racked up a bill of over forty thousand dollars.”

“What?” I can’t stop the strangled bark that escapes me as Jennifer taps on her pad and smiles tightly.

“Typically, the insurance would cover this, but as I said, you’re not eligible because this insurance? Not only do they only work with people in a certain financial bracket, but this is a family package of which you are not a member. Now I need to know exactly where you got these details from because even the smallest inconsistency is cause for concern.” She finally stops tapping on the pad and fixes me with a cold look. “I’m sure you’re aware that it’s fraudulent to attempt to use stolen insurance details to bypass?—”

“Enough!” Kairo barks suddenly, ending Jennifer’s tirade.

My heart races as the high cost clashes withfraudin my mind.

I can’t think of anything to say because Jennifer’s accusations make it sound like we’re trying to break the law, or that there’s some rule that prevents Kairo from offering the help he wants to.

“I understand that you might feel pity, but I can’t allow you to?—”

“She is part of the family,” Kairo snaps, and his shoulders tighten as a storm passes over his face.

“How dare you stand there and accuse my fiancée of fraud? Do you have any idea how truly shocking it is to hear you say that after barging in here without a drop of politeness? I know my insurance inside and out, so I can assure you that it covers the healthcare of my fiancée, so back the fuck off. Or do you need me to find the small print for you?”

Jennifer stares at Kairo with as much shock mirrored on my own face.

“Miss Miller is your… fiancée?”

6

KAIRO

Fiancéejust slips out before I can stop it, and the silence that hangs in the air in the wake of my lie is smothering.

I knew Jennifer’s tactic.

Her weak accusation of fraud is simply a scare tactic against Devon, but I saw it working the moment fear lit up in her eyes.

Scaring people with finances in such a way, especially in a hospital, is lower than low, so I said the only thing that would make sense.

“Fiancée?” Jennifer repeats while staring past me at Devon.

I step closer to the bed and block her line of sight. “That’s exactly what I said.”

The wheels turn behind Jennifer’s eyes.

She knows exactly who I am, and it’s part of the reason she’s here.

Anyone unfamiliar ending up on the Sycamore family insurance plan is sure to raise alarm bells up and down the chain, but I never imagined they’d come and confront Devon like this.

I expected a phone call where I’d explain and do everything I had to do to ensure Devon never paid a cent toward these costs.

But I refuse to let some ridiculous paperwork or terrible rules stand in the way of Devon’s recovery.

Her panic at the cost of her treatment and her comment about a small Christmas resonate painfully with me.

This time of year is already hard on people, and an unexpected medical charge is most people’s worst nightmare.

Despite Devon’s reassurances, the responsibility weighs on me, so I dare Jennifer to question me and try to make this into something bigger than it needs to be.

“I had no idea,” Jennifer says, tapping on her tablet. She tries to hide it, but there’s a certain judgmental aura in her next glance at Devon.