Chapter 1

When the third denial notice from USCIS arrives, I panic and call Ryan, my boyfriend of ten years.

“The extension was denied again. The lawyer says if I don’t…”

Ryan cuts me off before I can finish.

“Let me guess. If I don’t marry you, you’ll have to leave the country?”

“Ryan, this is real. My legal status expires in seven days. If I can’t file another valid petition before then, I have to leave.”

“I’m tired of hearing that excuse.”

He doesn’t even try to hide how annoyed he is.

“If that were true, they would’ve kicked you out years ago. You wouldn’t still be here.”

“Maren’s right. You wanna get married so bad, you keep using this visa thing to pressure me.”

“I was gonna marry you. But every time you pull this, it makes me want to do it even less.”

Before I can explain, he hangs up. The line goes dead.

We’ve been together for ten years.

I’ve brought up marriage well over a hundred times, and every conversation goes nowhere.

I used to think we had more time.

But my work visa extension has been denied three times, and my current legal status expires in seven days.

If I can’t submit another valid application before then, I’ll have to leave the United States.

After waiting ten years, I can’t afford to wait any longer, and I don’t want to.

I sit in silence for a moment, then open my social media account and write a post.

[Looking for a husband. Must be willing to get married within seven days. Serious inquiries only.]

Less than a minute after I post it, my phone starts buzzing.

Within minutes, there are more than a hundred comments.

My DMs keep blowing up too.

[That desperate to stay in the country?]

[How much are you paying?]

[Post a picture first. If you’re hot, I might consider it.]

[Marriage sounds fine. What’s in it for me?]

Most people are just making fun of me.

Others send me filthy, graphic messages that make my stomach turn.

I ignore the comments and open my DMs, scrolling past one disgusting message after another.

Then a black-and-white profile picture catches my attention.

There are no photos, no posts, and no personal information on the account.

It only shows that he lives here in Las Vegas.

He sends just one line.

[Meet me outside the county clerk’s office at nine tomorrow morning.]

It’s blunt, almost cold, but at least it sounds serious.

While I’m staring at his empty profile, another message appears.

[After we meet, if you’re not comfortable, you can walk away. I won’t pressure you.]

He hasn’t made any filthy jokes or asked me to name my price.

That already puts him ahead of everyone else.

I stop overthinking it and type one word back.

[Okay.]

It’s after midnight when Ryan comes home.

I’m putting the last few pieces of clothing into my suitcase.

Now that I’ve decided to marry someone else, there’s no turning back.

Ryan stops in the bedroom doorway, takes one look at the large suitcase beside me, and scowls.

“What the hell are you doing now?”

“All you ever do is pressure me to marry you. Do you ever stop and think about how much stress I’m under?”

He loosens his tie and stares me down.

“You’ve got no family here and barely any friends. Where exactly are you gonna go?”

“Where can you even go without me?”

“You’ve got way too much time on your hands. That’s why you keep coming up with new ways to make my life miserable.”

He walks past me and deliberately kicks the suitcase.

It falls onto its side with a heavy thud, spilling the clothes I just packed across the floor.

Ryan doesn’t look back.

He goes straight into his study and slams the door.

I crouch down and quietly put everything back into the suitcase.

He knows I have no family in this country.

That’s why he keeps letting Maren wedge herself between us.

He knows my ability to stay here depends on this relationship, so he’s convinced I’ll never actually leave him.

This time, he’s wrong.

I’m done with him.