Chapter 3Three Sweethearts, None for Me

I was sitting with Mrs. Monroe when I said, "The wedding is next month—"

"Mom, how could you arrange a marriage between me and Anya without asking me? This is my girlfriend, Chloe!"

Noah Monroe stormed in, pulling Chloe by the hand. "Mom, I know we used to play house and you all joked about me marrying Anya, but we were just kids. We're adults now. You have to respect my choice!"

Mrs. Monroe was stunned. "Noah, that's not—"

But Noah, never one for patience, was already glaring at me. "Anya, can you just stop chasing us? Do you really think getting our parents to pressure us is going to work? Can't you see how much we can't stand you right now? How we're trying to get away from you?"

"Noah!" Mrs. Monroe snapped, her voice sharp.

But he wasn't listening. "I love Chloe, and I will never, ever marry Anya. So you can all just wait for a wedding that's never going to happen!"

He grabbed Chloe's hand and dragged her out.

Mrs. Monroe sighed heavily. "He's not even interested in Anya. Where does he get the confidence to think she'd want to marry him?"

I just shrugged with a small smile. "He probably dislikes me so much right now he can't be bothered to listen to anything I say. It's fine. They'll all understand eventually."